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Updating Your Fleet To Electric? Here's What You Need to Know

Updating Your Fleet To Electric? Here's What You Need to Know

Although it's clear in which direction the future of transport is going, many businesses are still putting off converting to an electric fleet to merely avoid the time, cost, and hassle.

At this rate, most will end up waiting until the very last minute — when there's a ban on petrol and diesel cars — to go electric. But let's stop right here.

The fact is, you're here researching now, and so you're not most businesses. You're not the average Joe company that follows the crowd and only makes a move when others do first. You know it makes no sense to spend a fortune on fuel and wait until green car manufacturers have decided to cash in on the rush of punters to upgrade to an electric fleet.

And unlike many businesses, you're ready to put that knowledge into action in order to save money and gain another advantage over your competition.

But before you do, you need to get clear on the facts. Here, we're going to take you through the basics so you have all you need to start the shift to electric today.

What is An Electric Car (EV)?

First things first, an EV or electric car is a vehicle that runs on electric power — and electric power alone. EVs are charged up with cables, the electricity is stored in its batteries, and electric motors power its drivetrain.

Hybrids, on the other hand, are traditionally fuelled vehicles with electric elements in their drivetrain. This allows them to switch between petrol/diesel or electric power, and when using the former, their batteries can be charged without being plugged in.

The Main benefits

It's easy to think that the benefits of electric cars are economical and environmental and nothing more. But their slimline electric drivetrains also offer many other advantages.

For one, they free up tonnes of space in the cabin and boot — meaning extra leg room and a much greater luggage capacity. Second, they're incredibly quiet and emit no fumes from the tailpipe, and so improve the experience for both drivers and passengers. Third, as they have no real gearbox and are light, they offer lots of power at low speeds and are extremely easy and fun to drive. You can even drive one on an automatic-only licence.

But What About Charging?

Despite concerns over adequate charging infrastructure, if employees have an ordinary socket free at home, they will have no problem charging your electric fleet.

Today, EV ranges regularly surpass 150 miles and some even reach 230 and 238 (Tesla Model 3 and Chevy Bolt EV, respectively). That means you should never be stuck too far from a charging point. What's more, there are now many 'faster' charging points being installed, cutting down on waiting times for EV drivers.

The Downsides

All this is well and good, but what are the downsides? Well, charging your electric fleet may be efficient, but it's not efficient in terms of time — often taking several hours instead of minutes for a tank of petrol.

Some EVs can be charged to half capacity in a short time, say forty-five minutes. However, this still requires you to be parked at your own charging point at home or work.

The good thing about these downsides is that they're not going to stick around for long. Innovations in electric technology are moving fast, with ranges, infrastructure, and charging time improving pretty much every day.

With all that being said, there’s no need to wait; electric is well and truly feasible today. The barrier to entry is as low as finally shaking the ingrained habit of fossil fuels.

Like to find out more about our leasing service and other company fleet options? Get in touch with a member of our team today.

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Marshall Leasing is a trading division of N.I.I.B. Group Ltd a company registered in Northern Ireland under company NI3721, whose registered office is situated at 1 Donegal Square South, BELFAST, BT1 5LR. N.I.I.B. Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority