Electric vehicles: tips from Hull City Council for a smooth transition
Transport, and especially road transport, is now the UK’s largest source of carbon, accounting for about 25 per cent of all emissions. For many organisations, switching to electric vehicles (EVs) is an important step on their path to Net Zero.
Government targets mean that by 2030, 80 per cent of new cars and 70 per cent of new vans must be zero-emission, rising to 100 per cent in 2035 – so the best time to start thinking about how and when to transition to a zero-emission fleet is now. This will generally mean fully electric vehicles (known as battery electric vehicles), although hydrogen-powered vehicles have not been ruled out.
Oh Yes! Net Zero founding member Hull City Council has a fleet of over 300 vehicles, ranging from pool cars and vans to 26-tonne refuse vehicles. It has set a target for its whole fleet to be zero-emission by 2030 – and is well on the way to achieving it, with 44 fully electric vehicles already in use.
We asked Adam Fowler, senior decarbonisation officer for transport at Hull City Council, what advice he would give Oh Yes! Net Zero members on making the switch to EVs.
1. Get the timing right
“Whether you have one business vehicle or a large fleet, we can all make a difference. Start with how you can integrate zero emission vehicles within your existing fleet strategy and how it contributes to your wider Net Zero policy if you have one. You don’t have to switch all your fleet to electric immediately as the best environmental solution is often to wait until the natural replacement point, such as at the end of a lease. This is what we do at the council,” Adam said.
“It doesn’t make sense to take good cars or vans out of service earlier than necessary as there is an environmental cost in producing a new vehicle. As one of the largest fleet operators in the region we work closely with service areas and KWL, the council-owned company we lease our vehicles from, to plan the right time to replace individual vehicles.
“As well as being the best approach environmentally and from a cost perspective, doing it this way allows us to make the most of the rapid technological innovations taking place in the automotive industry.
“For example, electric cars we added to the fleet in 2016 have a range of around 70 miles on a full charge, while 2023 vehicles of a similar type have a range of 220 miles. Waiting until the natural replacement point means we benefit from improved performance, particularly for large vehicles where technology is still advancing.”
2. Involve your people
Make sure the employees who’ll be driving your EVs are fully on board with your plans and understand what it means for the way they work day to day.
Adam said: “As well as differences in the way they’re fuelled, most EVs are automatics rather than manuals, which can take some getting used to.
“It’s not unusual for people who are new to EVs to have ‘range anxiety’ or running out of charge simply because electric vehicles are fuelled differently. The reality is this never happens and depending on what your vehicle does, they generally don’t need charging every day. We guide council employees to charge their vehicles to 85 per cent and not to go below a 20 per cent charge as this prolongs the life of the battery and gives confidence to our drivers.
“Giving employees the information and reassurance they need to have a good experience, will create advocates and result in an easier transition to zero-emission vehicles. The feedback so far has been very positive, and people feel they are taking a positive step to help the environment too!”
3. Consider your charging infrastructure
When it comes to how your electric vehicles will be charged, Adam advises taking a long-term view and a flexible approach. How an electric vehicle is charged will depend on individual business circumstances.
“The majority of the Hull City Council fleet is charged at one of two charging hubs – one in the city centre and another at our main Stockholm Road depot. However, we also install additional chargers at other locations according to business need on a case by case basis so our approach is very flexible.” he said.
“The decision on whether to install your own chargepoints or rely on the public network will depend on factors including how many vehicles you have you and the premises you work from. The public charging infrastructure is maturing all the time, but it’s worth bearing in mind that 40 per cent of Hull residents don’t have off-street parking. As more households move to EVs, many employees are likely to find workplace chargepoints very beneficial.
“If you choose to install your own chargepoints it’s probably worth doing the building work and putting in place the wiring for more points than you need today, to save costs further down the line.”
The government offers grants to help with the cost of building and installation work needed to install multiple chargepoint sockets and support towards the upfront costs of the purchase and installation of electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints.
You can find more information on planning your EV charging installation in this simple guide provided by Oh Yes! Net Zero member Wykeland Group.
4. Plan today for a fully EV tomorrow
Adam’s final piece of advice is to view the transition to EVs in the context of your overall carbon reduction strategy – and to take the first steps now. As well as your fleet he suggests looking at all forms of transport including commuting and business travel.
“Reducing your transport emissions will help cut your overall footprint and help you reach your goals faster. How and when you switch to EVs will depend on the nature of your business, but government targets mean that by 2035 all new vehicles will be zero-emission.
“Setting a target date for your own transition and planning the steps to get there today puts you in the best position to achieve it cost-effectively, by accessing government support, picking low-hanging fruit early and making the most of the innovation likely to be seen in the market in the coming years.
Oh Yes! Net Zero founding member Hull City Council has set organisational targets to become carbon neutral by 2030 and to reach Net Zero by 2040. It is aiming for its fleet to be Net Zero by 2030 and moved a step closer to this target recently with the addition of eight fully electric vehicles.
More free advice on electric cars and vans to small and medium-sized businesses is available from the Energy Saving Trust.