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Inconsistent new car supply is persuading fleets to look at different brands to electrify the vehicles they operate sooner rather than later, says FleetCheck.

Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist says that it has resulted in several manufacturers, which previously had low or non-existent fleet profiles, gaining ground in the corporate market.

“There are a number of factors converging here but probably the strongest is that drivers are very keen to get out of ICE vehicles into EVs with significantly lower benefit in kind rates,” explained Golding.

“However, the availability of EVs in general, especially those with sensible delivery times, is extremely variable and so their real-world choices often consist of manufacturers that have not traditionally had a significant fleet presence and fall outside of existing badge policies.

“Some companies are gaining from this in a noticeable manner. Names such as Tesla, Kia, Hyundai, and even Polestar have not historically figured on company car bestseller charts but are making their way onto fleets in relatively large numbers.”

Golding believes that much of this success is deserved, with the models on offer not just being in good supply but also representing some of the best core company car EVs currently available.

“It’s having a definite and, in some cases, a rapid effect on the badge mix seen on some fleets,” he said.

However, it remains to be seen whether this situation will lead to a long-term change in which these new manufacturers will dominate the fleet market or established carmakers will reassert their presence.

“Some established manufacturers have individual models doing well but among the big players, probably only VW can currently offer a good choice of EV models in the principal sectors of the company car market,” continued Golding.

“This situation will be resolved in the next couple of years as new models are introduced but it will be interesting to see whether there is an ongoing degree of displacement, especially with the predicted entry of a number of highly capable Chinese carmakers into the market in the medium term adding to the potential for disruption.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The UK has gone from having less than 7,000 charging points in 2016 to having more than 30,000 at time of writing (March 2022), with a growing number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargers.

That doesn’t count private charging points, and it excludes the fact that an adapter can turn any wall outlet into a charging point for certain vehicles.

Anyone managing a fleet will need to be mindful of the need to make the switch to electric vehicles (EVs) as in eight years the UK will stop selling new internal combustion engine vehicles and staff will be increasingly using their own EVs to travel to and from work.

With some companies already installing charging points for their employees, how will this be managed? Let’s look at some of the current challenges and how charging technologies, digital solutions and practical facility management is solving them.

Setting up fleet charging

Companies that have a fleet of vehicles will need to make some adjustments to fully accommodate EVs.

A common barrier to entry has been range anxiety, however manufacturers have been working to reduce this dramatically.

Many have already started the transition, while the likes of BP, BT, Direct Line Group, Royal Mail, Scottish Power, Severn Trent and Tesco pledged to convert their fleets to EVs by 2030.

Creating an all-EV fleet could be a challenge for businesses practically as well as financially due to the initial outlay required for the infrastructure and vehicles themselves.

However, there are grants currently available, and with careful planning and updates to company policies, it can be very valuable.

Managing home charging

The concept of facilities management has been turned on its head for many companies over the past two years as office staff began working from home – suddenly a company’s ‘facilities’ were everywhere.

It will be a similar story when EVs become truly mainstream because of the convenience that home charging stations bring.

For example, there are solutions available on the market that can ease any administrative pain points by integrating with home and work charging points to accurately capture energy costs.

These advanced solutions credit payment for the energy used while charging at home for business purposes directly to their energy provider, eliminating what can be a cumbersome expense reimbursement process. This makes paying for re-charging accurate and easy for both staff and employers.

Preparing for an EV future

The technology, infrastructure, and administrative systems for running a company with an EV fleet is improving all the time, reducing the price of installing charging points and increasing the range of EVs.

When preparing for their integration, opt for a provider that will give your company maximum flexibility and oversight when paying for vehicle charging.

Consider too the network coverage that providers can offer, particularly if your vehicles will be needing on the road charging or travel significant distances regularly.

Given the fuel and cost savings your company will make by switching to EVs, there’s no better time to switch than now.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The cost to repair Britain’s pothole-stricken roads has soared to more than £12bn and works could take more than nine years to complete, according to a new report.

The Annual Local Authority Road Maintenance (ALARM) survey, published by the Asphalt Industry Alliance (AIA), shows that the reported backlog of carriageway repairs has increased by almost a quarter since last year.

It has cost fleet operators and private motorists £1.7bn in vehicle repairs, over the last 12 months, according to Kwik Fit.

Rick Green, AIA Chair, said: “Local authority highway teams have a legal responsibility to keep our roads safe, but do not have the funds to do so in a cost effective, proactive way. As a result, while they report some slight improvements in surface conditions, the structure of our roads continues to decline.

“Although surface repairs have a part to play in extending the life of local roads, short-term fixes, including filling potholes, is indicative of a network that is ‘on the edge’ and less efficient and sustainable when it comes to materials usage and whole-life carbon emissions.”

The ALARM survey reveals that Local authorities would have needed an extra £1bn last year just to reach their own target road conditions, before even thinking about tackling the backlog of repairs.

Almost one in five local roads could need to be rebuilt in the next five years, accounting for nearly 37,000 miles of the network.

Green added: “The longer it takes for the funding to be put in place to tackle the backlog of repairs, the more it is going to cost to put it right in the future. Four years ago, the AIA calculated that an additional £1.5 billion per year was needed for 10 years to bring local roads up to scratch. In the meantime, the network has continued to decline and ALARM 2022 indicates that an additional investment of more than £2 billion a year over the next decade is now needed.”

Kwik Fit’s research found that 13.3 million motorists say their car has suffered damage in the last year as a result of a pothole impact, with the average individual repair bill coming to £132.

When it comes to the road surfaces in their local area, almost three times as many drivers think conditions have deteriorated in the last year as believe they have got better. 

Almost half (46%) of drivers say the road surfaces have got worse in the last twelve months, compared to 16% who say they have improved.  London is the only region of the country to buck this trend.  In the capital, 30% of drivers say the road surfaces are better than one year ago, compared to 25% who say they are worse.

The RAC’s head of roads policy, Nicholas Lyes, said: “This year’s AIA ALARM report provides a sobering picture of the dire condition of our local road network. Not only has there been a significant increase in the cost to fix the backlog of defects, but worryingly the report also shows that roads are only resurfaced once every 70 years on average, with maintenance mostly focusing on filling potholes which is often nothing more than a sticking plaster.

“The Government must now look at implementing a long-term funding strategy which ringfences a small proportion of existing fuel duty revenue to give local authorities the resources to properly plan maintenance and to ensure our local roads are once again made fit for purpose.”

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at The AA, added: “Each year the debate around roads maintenance degenerates into a blame game between local authorities and Government as each claims it is the other’s responsibility to resolve.

Local and national government must get round the table and create a fully-funded plan that will help make our roads safer. There is now a need to focus available road funding on the most basic need: fixing the roads – for the benefit of drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.”  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The RAC has set out to disprove remarks from Environment Secretary George Eustice that electric cars may not be as environmentally friendly as people think.

Eustice told MPs on the Commons’ environment, food and rural affairs committee that fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, may be worse with electric cars due to them being heavier.

The motoring organisation commissioned battery electrochemist Dr Euan McTurk to “set the record straight”.

Dr McTurk’s findings, based on real-world use, show that EVs’ brakes wear far more slowly than conventional cars, while tyre wear is similar for the non-driven wheels and only slightly worse for driven wheels.

Simon Williams, from the RAC, said: “George Eustice’s remarks about EVs not being as green as some may think were very unhelpful and could put some drivers off making the switch to zero-emission driving.

“There are far too many negative myths surrounding electric cars which need to be busted as soon as possible in order to speed up the electric revolution. We hope these positive real-world experiences will help to clear up some of the confusion.”

In his report for the RAC, Dr McTurk states most of the braking in electric cars is done via regenerative braking where the electric motor works in reverse, converting kinetic energy from the moving vehicle into electricity to charge the battery when slowing down. This not only reduces the use of the mechanical brake discs and pads but adds more range to the vehicle too.

Dr McTurk said: “Dundee Taxi Rentals says that brake pads on its 11 Nissan Leaf taxis have a lifespan of 80-100,000 miles – four times that of their diesel taxis.

“In addition, Cleevely EV, one of the best-known EV mechanics in the UK based in Cheltenham, regularly sees EVs with brakes that have lasted over 100,000 miles. The company says if they ever need to replace an EV’s brakes, it’s not because of wear but because they’ve seized up due to lack of use.”

In terms of tyre wear, which is another source of particulate matter pollution from any vehicle, Dr McTurk disputes the widely quoted research carried out by Emissions Analytics (EA) in 2020 which concluded pollution from tyres is 1,000 times higher than a car’s exhaust emissions.

Dr McTurk said: “An Emissions Analytics 2020 press release stated that a car they tested shed 9.28 grams of particulate matter per mile from its tyres. However, it turns out that this was a worst-case scenario featuring the cheapest tyres, heavy ballast in the car and driving at high speeds with much cornering. This point which wasn’t made clear in the press release, which was subsequently reported extensively in the media.”

The EA report claimed a car shed 9.28gm of particulate matter per mile from its tyres. With a typical family car tyre weighing around 9kg, giving a total weight of 36kg that would mean the tyres would physically have disappeared in less than 4,000 miles and the car would be running on its alloys.

“In reality, tread represents about 35% of a tyre’s total weight, so the tyres would be bald in less than 1,358 miles, or two months’ of driving for the average UK driver,” added Dr McTurk.

British Gas, which currently operates 800 pure electric vans, reports that its latest large, heavy electric vans have done 15,000 miles and have not yet needed replacement tyres.

Similarly, Dundee Taxi Rentals reports that the lifespan of the front tyres on their all-electric front-wheel drive Nissan Leafs is about 5,000 to 10,000 miles less than their diesel taxis but, more positively, the rear tyres last the same amount of time, typically covering 30-36,000 miles before needing to replaced. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A crackdown on private e-scooters is being recommended by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) after it found that 15 riders were killed on UK roads.

The independent body has collated records from the police, insurers and media for casualties involving e-scooters in 2021. This shows almost 900 casualties, with 20% involving injuries to pedestrians and cyclists.

The Department for Transport’s (DfT) figures show that there were 484 casualties involving e-scooters in 2020.

In a new report, The safety of private e-scooters in the UK, PACTS advises the DfT to adopt 14 safety regulations (see below) for their construction and use. These include a maximum speed limit of 12.5mph and mandatory helmets.

The report, funded by The Road Safety Trust, shows that in vital respects e-scooters are different from pedal cycles and should be assessed and regulated based on their own attributes.

David Davies, PACTS executive director, said: “E-scooters are a controversial issue and risks to riders and pedestrians are increasingly apparent. The Government should act now to curb dangerous and illegal use. Even if the Government decides on the way forward soon, legislation will not take effect until sometime next year. They should take this opportunity to gather evidence and consult widely – something which should have happened before the rental trials started but was curtailed by the pandemic.”

PACTS is clear in its report that rental e-scooters and their use are different in a number of significant respects from private e-scooters and private use. This will remain so. It said it will not be feasible to impose the sophisticated safety devices and management systems, employed in the better rental schemes, on private e-scooters and users.

A recent survey by law firm Keoghs, found that the public believe e-scooter riders should follow similar rules to other motorised vehicle users if they are permitted for use on UK roads.

Age restrictions and a licencing system for riders were favoured by around two-thirds of respondents, along with a ban on e-scooter use on pavements and pedestrianised areas.

PACTS recommendations for the safe construction and use of private e-scooters

• Maximum possible top speed of 12.5mph
• Maximum continuous rated motor power 250W
• Anti-tampering mechanisms should be included in construction. Tampering should be prohibited by law
• Minimum front wheel size of 12 inches (30.5cm) and minimum rear wheel size of 10 inches (25.5cm)
• Two independently controlled braking devices, one acting on the front wheel and one acting on the rearwheel
• Lighting to be mandatory at all times
• Maximum unladen weight of 20kg
• An audible warning device to be mandatory
• Helmet wearing to be mandatory
• Riding on the footway (pavement) or footpath to be prohibited
• Rider age limit of at least 16 years
• Carrying of a passenger to be prohibited
• Drink driving, dangerous or careless riding, and handheld mobile phone use to be prohibited
• In-person rider training and third party insurance are recommended.

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Cold weather had reduce an electric vehicle’s range by more than 20%, research by What Car? has found.

However, the magazine’s research also suggested an EV fitted with a heat pump significantly improves cold weather efficiency.

Steve Huntingford, editor of What Car?, said: “Range remains one of the key considerations for electric car buyers, but when deciding whether a particular model can go far enough on a charge to fit into your life, it’s important to bear in mind that batteries don’t work as well in cooler conditions.”

The magazine, together with its sister title Move Electric, put cars through a real-world winter range test and then compared the results with those for identically-specced models tested last summer.

In the winter range test, the Porsche Taycan 4S Performance Battery Plus managed 224 miles on a full charge. That’s a 20.1% drop on the 281 miles that the same model on the same-sized wheels achieved when What Car? tested it last summer.

Other models retested included the Ford Mustang Mach-E Extended Range RWD (which fell 18.0% short of its summer figure), the Skoda Enyaq iV 60 (15.7%) and the Fiat 500 42kWh (15.2%).

What Car? and Move Electric also found that if you specify your electric car with a heat pump, drivers were able to get significantly closer to the official WLTP range.

A heat pump reduces strain on the battery by drawing excess heat from the electric drivetrain, distributing it around the interior of the car through the air conditioning.

Five models so equipped were tested, with these falling short of their official WLTP mileage figures by an average of 25.4%.

By comparison, five models that relied on a regular interior heater suffered an average deficit of 33.6%.

 The tests were conducted on a closed vehicle proving ground, on a 15-mile route consisting of 2.6 miles of simulated stop-start urban traffic, four miles of steady 50mph driving and eight miles driving at a constant speed of 70mph, to simulate motorway journeys.

In July last year, What Car? research found EVs fell short of their WLTP range by 14.8%.

Winter vs summer range test results

Model	Variant	Usable battery size	Summer range	Winter range	Shortfall
Porsche Taycan	4S Performance Battery Plus	83.7kWh	281 miles	224 miles	20.10%
Ford Mustang Mach-E	Extended Range RWD	88.0kWh	302 miles	247 miles	18.00%
Skoda Enyaq iV	60	58.0kWh	207 miles	174 miles	15.70%
Fiat 500	42kWh Icon	7.3kWh	140 miles	118 miles	15.20%

Ranges of cars with and without heat pumps

Model	Variant	Usable battery size	Heat pump	Official (WLTP) range	Winter test range	Shortfall
Fiat 500	42kWh Icon	37.3kWh	No	198 miles	118 miles	40.00%
Ford Mustang Mach-E	Extended Range RWD	88.0kWh	No	379 miles	247 miles	34.60%
MG 5	Long Range Exclusive	57.0kWh	No	250 miles	167 miles	33.10%
Audi Q4 e-tron	50 quattro S line	76.6kWh	No	290 miles	201 miles	30.60%
Kia EV6	GT-Line RWD	72.5kWh	Yes	328 miles	228 miles	30.40%
Skoda Enyaq iV	60	58.0kWh	No	249 miles	174 miles	29.80%
Tesla Model Y	Long Range	75.0kWh	Yes	331 miles	247 miles	25.20%
Tesla Model 3	Long Range	75.0kWh	Yes	374 miles	281 miles	24.80%
BMW iX3	M Sport	74.0kWh	Yes	282 miles	212 miles	24.70%
Porsche Taycan	4S Performance battery Plus	83.7kWh	Yes	287 miles	224 miles	21.80%

By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Audi has revealed an electric estate concept with a 435-mile range that will closely mirror a production model that’s due in 2024.

Following the unveil of the electric A6 Sportback concept, last year, the German car maker has now outlined its plans to offer the executive model with an estate body.

The A6 Avant e-tron, along with its Sportback counterpart, is expected to go on sale in 2024 and will be sold alongside the existing A6 model.

It has similar dimensions to the current A6 and A7 series and has been developed with aerodynamics in mind.

Audi has not detailed the specifics of the car’s electric powertrain, but it says there will be single and twin motor variants. The twin-motor concept car delivers 469PS and 800Nm. Rear-wheel-drive models “developed for efficiency” will also be available when the car goes into production.

The A6 Avant e-tron will be based on Audi and Porsche’s new Premium Platform Electric (PPE) platform, which is designed exclusively for electric vehicles. It integrates a battery into the vehicle’s floor, allowing for a capacity of around 100kWh. Audi says the car can achieve a range of up to 435 miles.

Like the Audi e-tron GT, the A6 Avant e-tron uses an 800-volt charging system. It means 186 miles of range can be added in 10 minutes and a 5%-80% charge takes as little as 25 minutes, using a 270kW charger.

The car maker announced that it will phase out production of its last internal combustion engines (ICE) by 2033, with all new cars being all electric from 2026. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

Tesla is allowing non-Tesla vehicles in the UK to use its Supercharger network, as part of a pilot scheme.

The electric car maker has opened 15 Supercharger stations, with 158 charge points, to drivers of non-Tesla vehicles across the UK.

The sites are located at Aberystwyth, Adderstone, Aviemore, Banbury, Birmingham St Andrews, Cardiff, Dundee, Flint, Folkestone Eurotunnel, Grays, Manchester Trafford Centre, Thetford, Trumpington, Uxbridge and Wokingham.

Drivers must use the Tesla smartphone app to access the chargers. Pricing is set at 60p per kWh, for non-Tesla owners, although a monthly subscription of £10.99 will provide cheaper rates.

A statement issued by Tesla said: “Access to an extensive, convenient and reliable fast-charging network is critical for large-scale EV adoption. That’s why, since opening our first Superchargers in 2012, we have been committed to rapid expansion of the network. Today, we have more than 30,000 Superchargers worldwide.

“Tesla drivers can continue to use these stations as they always have, and we will be closely monitoring each site for congestion and listening to customers about their experiences.

“More customers using the Supercharger network enables faster expansion. Our goal is to learn and iterate quickly, while continuing to aggressively expand the network, so we can eventually welcome both Tesla and non-Tesla drivers at every Supercharger worldwide.”

Tesla chargers are equipped with two connectors. One for Tesla vehicles and a CCS connector. Tesla has not confirmed the maximum charging speeds available to non-Tesla owners at the points.

Last year, Tesla launched a similar trial in the Netherlands. It also provides non-Tesla drivers with access to its Supercharger network in Austria, Belgium, France, Norway, Spain and Sweden.  By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

A shortage of wiring harnesses due to the conflict in Ukraine has overtaken the semiconductor crisis as the biggest supply chain problem for Volkswagen.

The German car maker is moving production of the harnesses to north Africa and eastern Europe, as Russia’s war on Ukraine adds to the growing list of automotive component shortages.

UK car registrations were down 25.9% on pre-pandemic levels, in February, as vehicle production remained constrained. Now, it is believed that new car prices will soar due to the rising cost of parts.

Rising raw material costs will drive up prices for both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles, Volkwagen Group chief financial officer Arno Antlitz warned, with everything from batteries to catalytic converters set to become more expensive.

Metals, including aluminium, along with the nickel and lithium used in batteries are becoming increasingly more expensive.

The Volkswagen Group’s sales revenues grew by 12.3% in 2021, despite it selling 2.3 million fewer cars than in a pre-pandemic 2019.

“Over the past two years, we have learned to better mitigate the impact of crises on our company,” said Antlitz. “I am confident that we will make the best possible use of these experiences to stay on track in these difficult times.

The company expects to increase deliveries of new vehicles by up to 10% this year, and boost its revenues by a further 8-13%.

Volkswagen Group CEO Herbert Diess warned that delays in supplies of wire harnesses, which bundle up to 3.1 miles of cables in a car and are unique to each model, could force Volkswagen to revise its outlook for 2022, if alternative sources are not found in 3-4 weeks.

Tesla has also been forced to increase prices in China and the US, this week, as a result of rising raw materials costs.

Elon Musk, the company’s CEO, said the carmaker was facing significant inflationary pressure in raw materials and logistics. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News

The Zap-Map app will be distributed to the RAC’s 1,600 patrols via phones, laptops and in-van terminals after the breakdown and recovery company partnered with the charge point mapping app. 

The rollout, says the RAC, will enable them to locate the nearest available, suitable, publicly accessible charge point for its members to get their EV recharged and back on the road again as quickly as possible.

RAC head of technical James Gibson said: “By ensuring all our patrols have Zap-Map on their RAC devices, we’re giving members with EVs extra reassurance that we’re equipped on every level to get them going again, should they ever run out of charge or encounter a faulty charge point.

“While we have the technology to give them an emergency boost, it’s vital we know how far away the nearest suitable charger is so we can give our members enough mobile charge to get them there safely.”

He explained: “We chose to partner with Zap-Map because it’s without doubt the best app for finding the nearest available public charge points for whichever vehicles our members might be driving.

“The level of information provided in the app is excellent and we urge every EV driver to download and use it, as it genuinely makes EV driving even simpler.”

RAC patrols can already provide an emergency charge to flat or severely depleted electric cars with its RAC EV Boost technology.

It can also move stricken vehicles with the All-Wheels-Up rapid recovery system, which gives patrols flatbed towing capability from a standard breakdown van.

Alex Earl, commercial director at Zap-Map, said: “We are always keen to explore new ways of working, especially when they help to make the switch to electric as seamless as possible.

“The RAC has so many patrols on the road, and they will increasingly encounter EV drivers who may be in need of their help.

“We therefore felt it made sense to provide them with easy access to Zap-Map, as it will lead to a better experience for anyone who does run out of charge.

“We will also be looking to get patrols to feedback anything they discover about out-of-order or faulty charge points, ensuring Zap-Map users have access to even more accurate information to search, plan and pay for their electric journeys.”

Last year, the RAC and Zap-Map published a joint report on EV charging provision at supermarkets, which found that the number of chargers at supermarkets had grown by 85% over a 21-month period.

During that time, Tesco had added more EV chargers than any other supermarket.

In January, the RAC put a Renault Zoe Van E-Tech into service. The patrol van will principally be used to attend the RAC’s two most common breakdowns – batteries and tyres, which together account for nearly half of all call-outs. By Graham Hill thanks to Fleet News