BT launches electric vehicle company car scheme

Telecoms giant BT has launched its first dedicated electric vehicle (EV) company car scheme as it looks to boost its green credentials and cut emissions intensity by 87% by 2030.

The scheme will be available to more than 3,000 drivers across the business, and is reinforced by EV training for engineers on its vehicle maintenance arm BT Fleet Solutions.

BT said the move was a “natural progression” after it found that many of its staff had stopped using fossil fuel vehicles in favour of plug-in hybrids.

“But we believe EVs will be popular with all of our company car base,” BT Fleet Solutions managing director, Henry Brace, said.

“BT as a forward-looking technology business, has had an internal community of alternative fuel vehicle supporters for some time, who will no doubt be front of the line to secure their EV models.”

The scheme is just one of many sustainability projects being carried out by BT, with the company also pledging to use 100% renewable by 2020 after cutting emissions by 80% between 2008 and 2012.

The introduction of an EV company scheme comes after the firm recently released its 2018 Operational Fleet Report, which highlighted electrification growth in the sector.

It revealed that electricity is already the most popular alternative fuel type, with 17% of fleet managers using EVs, and 60% of these satisfied with the performance of the vehicles.

One in three think electricity will be the most used alternative fuel in 10 years time, while almost a third said they use EVs because they are cheaper to run in the long-term.

However, more than three-quarters said newer and more agile manufacturers are needed to promote EVs, with many saying they feel “exposed and alone” in tackling air pollution.

Fleet managers are also concerned about secure charging infrastructure, and worry that the National Grid is not prepared to deliver power whenever it is needed.

“Managers are now looking to the wider industry and government to meet the demand for appropriate alternatively fuelled vehicles as well as investing in the infrastructure required,” the report states.

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