Decarbonisation is now on the agenda of most organisations with commercial fleet users facing pressure to lead the charge into cleaner, greener mobility. But this is a mammoth task when vehicle supply is limited, overall fleet operating costs are spiralling and the true effect of electric motoring – on drivers and their organisations – is an unknown. 

The big productivity conundrum

The challenge for commercial fleet operators is the unknown of how electric will impact on driver productivity – and what difference that will make to overall service delivery.

Europcar has seen more enquiries about electric vans in 2022. But the reality is that, for many businesses, they are still in a fact finding and learning phase.  They really need to understand what impact electric will have on their operations and productivity before they make wholesale changes to their fleet make-up.  

There is a big difference between those companies who are doing lots of short runs, such as courier and local delivery companies and those who are transporting goods and people on longer motorway journeys, for example. How electric vans can be utilised in either scenario needs to be considered along with availability of charging points and the time it takes to recharge a vehicle. 

Real-world conditions

That’s where Europcar van rental solutions are a good fit, giving businesses the opportunity to have a ‘real-world’ experience of electric vehicles that a short test drive simply can’t deliver. Flex from Europcar for electric vans is available for a minimum of 3 months with no upfront deposit and commitment free and includes:

  • Comprehensive vehicle handover and charging instructions support 
  • Charging cables   
  • Shell Recharge card and app – providing access to over 10,000 publicly accessible charge points across the UK
  • The option for CO2 reporting for valuable insight into emissions reduction

Plus, through its partnership with Shell Recharge Solutions, Europcar is offering a range of home, roadside and workplace charging solutions.

One size doesn’t fit all

Europcar has been working with civil engineering specialist Barhale on its sustainability journey, providing the business with electric vans on long term rental. We are also working with Mercedes-Benz on a demo programme for the Mercedes-Benz eVito van. This gives businesses and their drivers the ability to experience everything about zero-emission driving.

To find out more about how Europcar can help your organisation transition to zero visit www.europcar.co.uk/business/electric or call 0371 384 0140