Electric Fleet Vehicles: Compare EV Hire Options to Boost Your Business

The range of electric fleet vehicles for hire

If you’re new to the world of EV hire, the range of vehicles available includes:

• Cars
• Vans
• Hybrids (part EV and part petrol/diesel engine)
• Trucks

For electric fleet vehicles, cars and vans tend to be the most popular EVs available. But there are many top ranges available that match any business need.

Whatever you want for your fleet, there’s an EV for it—this includes great money-saving opportunities across lower fuel and maintenance costs. Plus, you don’t get charged for emissions with the UK government’s CAZ and ULEZ zones.

Further below we cover off the types of EVs you can get. Read onf for full details. Or compare the market right now to get instant deals across flexible or long-term contracts.

The best EVS on the UK market

There are all sorts of electric fleet vehicles on the market, each one offering different things for your business.

Here’s a quickfire look into what they offer, from the different ranges to the money-saving opportunities they present.

Electric vans

EV vans function more or less the same way as diesel or petrol ones, but they’re electric. Obviously! There are some major manufacturers in this market, ranging from Ford to Mercedes. But the fact they’re EVs brings with them a bunch of key differences.

Getting an electric vehicle fleet provides:

• Lower running costs: EVs are cheaper to maintain. There’s no need for oil changes, engine to manage and fewer parts wear out. It’s a big money-saver over the months and years.
• No emissions charges: As we mentioned above, you don’t get whacked for CAZ or ULEZ charges. In the long run, this’ll save you a big batch of money.
• Future-proof your fleet: Simple fact is, the UK government will ban the sale of petrol/diesel cars from 2030. Now’s the time to make the shift to EVs. The sooner you do it, the sooner your business can adjust to the change.

Downsides? Well, buying an EV outright is expensive. EV vans are particularly steep when it comes to cost.

Solution? Well, you can hire an EV. That way you get far cheaper weekly costs, with all the perks of owning an electric van. You can compare the market for free right now to check out the best deals on the UK market.

Electric cars

Electric cars are capable of delivering almost exactly the same as diesel and petrol ones. Top-end models can hit battery charge ranges of over 300 miles. Add into that zero emissions charges for CAZ and ULEZ and the vehicles are a game changer for any business.

Whether you’re a taxi fleet in need of fancy new vehicles or you’re after company cars for your employees, there’s an impressive range of EV cars on the market:

• Nimble city cars to get you from A-B in style.
• Sleek SUVs.
• Top-range models from some of the world’s leading manufacturers.

Wondering about charges? Check out our guide to how much it costs to charge an electric car. We found with the figure of £0.17kWH you get the following rates:

• 50kWh battery: £8.50
• 60kWh battery: £10.20
• 70kWh battery: £11.90

Compare to filling up a diesel or petrol car to the brim and you’re looking at some great savings. Like that idea? Hit the icon below for a free market share of the best hiring deals.

How to hire a fleet of electric vehicles

For many fleets, the expense of forking out for a brand new EV may be too much. That’s where the likes of EV van hire can help you out.

You can deck yourself out with electric fleet vehicles in no time with this option. There are two main types of rental available:

1. Flexible contracts: Get all the flexibility you need. Want an EV for a week? No problem. A month? You’re sorted. You get the EV for as long as you need it, then simply return the vehicle and that’s that.
2. Long-term contracts: A fantastic option if you have a set period of work over several years. This guarantees you an EV for that time, so you know you can rely on the vehicle to get the job done.

The benefits of doing either is a lot of money saved. There are no huge upfront charges like buying, you just have to pay a fixed weekly charge.

Flexibility is another major benefit of hiring, because you can really keep the EV only for a day if you need it that long. That’s unusual for businesses, of course, but whatever your needs are there’s a deal for it.

Install EV charging points to make life easier

If you’re upgrading your fleet to electric vehicles, you’ll also want to get EV charging points installed. These can be at your workplace or at employees’ homes, letting your drivers recharge in their downtime ahead of a new working day.

This can save you money, plus it’s a convenient way to remove range anxiety. When a driver starts the day more or less fully charged at home, or topping up at work, then you’re always going to get about with no concerns.

Let’s take a look at the options available to you.

Home charging points

With EV home charging points, you can install these at your employees’ homes. This way, your drivers can charge their EV at home during convenient downtime.

This’ll save your business money because electricity tariffs are lower away from your business. Also, it’s a great perk for your employees!

Getting these installed is about finding the right provider and then, once you’ve got the home charging point installed, you can monitor energy use from an online account.

Workplace charging points

Another very popular choice, workplace EV charging points can be installed at a suitable spot around your business.

These chargers are, typically, universal so will work with any electric fleet vehicle. Employees simply pull up to the station, plug in their EV and then while they work their vehicle is charging. A great perk for everyone!

With EV charging software, you can also monitor all vehicles charging at your site from one online account. This’ll help you monitor energy usage to take total control of your fleet.

Overcoming EV range anxiety

One of the things that puts businesses off from going electric is the dreaded EV range anxiety. The reality is, there are a lot of myths flying around about this. And a lot of them don’t really hold any water.

This is for three main reasons:

1. EV batteries are getting much better (year-on-year), with most vehicles now having over 100 miles off a high charge. This is only going to get better.
2. Charging stations across the UK cover off many of your concerns. There’s always going to be one nearby, like a petrol station for a traditional vehicle.
3. Installing charging points also covers off further issues.

But, yes, range anxiety can still be a thing. But it’s no different from running low on petrol when out and about on the roads.

With EVs, you need to take the same approach. But also keep in mind the extra charging time you’ll need to take into account. This is why, with a bit of strategic thinking, you can charge up your fleet at suitable times during the day.

Need some tips? We have a guide to EV battery charging best practices to help you along.

How to effectively manage your EV fleet

Managing electric vehicle fleets (or any type of vehicle fleet, for that matter) is easier than you think. This is technology that provides essential data into the performance of every vehicle in your operation.

With some vehicle telematics you can quickly master fleet management and put yourself in total control of your EVs. Here’s an overview of the type of gadgets available.

Vehicle trackers

Using a vehicle tracker is pretty much essential for any modern fleet. It keeps track of every EV with real-time location updates.

It’s a brilliant theft deterrent. Also, if you do have an EV stolen then you’ll know exactly where it is and you can alert the police to have it recovered. Without a vehicle tracker, the chances of ever seeing your EV again are slim. This is why it’s so useful to have these affordable little gadgets fitted across your fleet.

Many vehicle insurance providers will expect your fleet to be tracked, too, so if you want to get total protection of your assets it’s an all-important gadget to fit to your EVs.

Telematics systems

Using a fleet telematics system, you can do the following:

• Monitor EV health.
• Get data on EV and driver performance.
• Real-time location tracking.
• Instant alerts in the event of an accident or theft.

By keeping track of your EV fleet, you can monitor vehicle health and get to issues fast. This way saving money in the long-term.

But you can also use the systems to get crucial insights on driver performance, optimum routes to take and other data that’ll sharpen up your management skills.

Now’s the time to upgrade to EVs

Ready to expand to an electric vehicle fleet? All you need to do is compare the market. It’s free to do and it’s a three-step process:

1. Enter your details into the form.
2. We’ll search the market.
3. Pick the hiring deal you like best.

It takes less than 30 seconds to get a deal. Get started now to find the best EV hiring choice for your business. Hit the icon!