10 ways to bring drivers on your EV fleet journey

Concerned about your fleet drivers being ready to make the EV switch? Read on for tips on building their confidence

1. Involve your drivers from day one

If you run a large fleet, you’ll be accustomed to involving your drivers, HR department and drivers’ union in major changes to your operation. Making the switch to EV can be as much of a significant undertaking for your drivers as it can be for your business.

Whatever the size of your fleet, understanding any anxieties your drivers may have and getting their input on your decision-making may help make the transition smoother than it might otherwise be. For example, when you’re considering electric car or van models or your charging infrastructure.

Range anxiety is a phrase that has been bouncing around since the emergence of early EVs, whose ranges were fairly short. Thankfully, today’s models can travel significantly further on a single charge. With all the ways that drivers can now potentially charge and the public infrastructure growing so rapidly, the idea of a battery suddenly running out of power really is a myth. It’s about as likely to happen as their current vehicle running out of fuel. For example, bp pulse alone has more than 8,000 public charge points in its network.

What isn’t a fallacy is that people who drive for a living and are used to meeting tight schedules or duty cycles can feel genuinely worried they either won’t make their route on time or that stopping to charge will throw their journeys out.

It is important to take this and other worries they may have on board and factor these into your transition planning.

2. Take range anxiety seriously

Range anxiety is a phrase that has been bouncing around since the emergence of early EVs, whose ranges were fairly short. Thankfully, today’s models can travel significantly further on a single charge. With all the ways that drivers can now potentially charge and the public infrastructure growing so rapidly, the idea of a battery suddenly running out of power really is a myth. It’s about as likely to happen as their current vehicle running out of fuel. For example, bp pulse alone has more than 8,000 public charge points in its network.

What isn’t a fallacy is that people who drive for a living and are used to meeting tight schedules or duty cycles can feel genuinely worried they either won’t make their route on time or that stopping to charge will throw their journeys out.

It is important to take this and other worries they may have on board and factor these into your transition planning. Where vehicles can be charged overnight at home or work, the dawn of ultra-fast chargers means that, depending on the vehicle and specific charger, company cars can be topped up from 20-80% in 20-40 minutes and vans in 30-50 minutes.

3. Pass on the basics – even before they get behind the wheel

It can be a good idea to pass on any useful guides for drivers. You don’t need to wait until they are sitting in their vehicle to start getting their heads into the idea of driving electric. Like any new technology or equipment, the more familiar your people are when they come to use it, the smoother the experience is likely to be.

Your drivers might find our guide to charging an electric company car a helpful read – it’s equally as valid for e-LCV drivers. This breaks down topics, such as what a kilowatt-hour is, the difference in kWh battery capacities, how often they might need to charge their vehicle and the types of chargers that may be best.

4. Give them the good news on car and van tax saving

While it could take a little convincing for some of your drivers to warm to the concept of driving electric from a practical perspective, when you put into context the benefit in kind (BIK) tax savings they could be making, this might help to speed up your transition.

For example, a Hyundai IONIQ Electric Premium SE will cost a 20% taxpayer £2,608 less in BIK in 2022-24 than a 1.6GDi Premium SE Hybrid*. Company van drivers who only use their vehicle for work and a short commute could save thousands per year in benefit tax if they choose an all-electric model.*From April 2022-24

5. Offer practical training

The least surprising worry that drivers face is becoming accustomed to a whole new way of driving. No gears mean automatic driving, immediate torque and hitting speed limits much faster than they’ll be used to with ICE driving.

Regenerative braking takes some getting used to depending on its setting – and an engine with no moving parts means silent driving. Calm and peaceful on the one hand. On the other, drivers may be concerned for the safety of pedestrians as they cruise through urban and suburban streets.

The answer is to consider developing a training programme that allows your people to understand the technicalities of driving electric cars or LCVs and then slowly be immersed in the driving, so they feel safe and comfortable on the road.

6. Develop a driving manual

Once you’ve gathered everything you need to bring your drivers on your journey in the above five ways, you’ll be able to cherry-pick the guidance and training elements you feel are most beneficial to supporting your specific people – and your business model.

Hopefully, your drivers’ confidence will already be mounting. However, having a manual to hand to brush up on driving, charging and other tips should help it to grow even further.

7. Use telematics to give tailored advice

This is one you’ll already be accustomed to. Getting under the skin of different clusters of drivers’ actions will help you tailor your advice and improve their experience further.

Given the average electric vehicle reaches 60mph in 7 seconds, and some, like Tesla in 2-3 seconds, you may experience some heavy footedness, to begin with, as drivers find themselves racing around. Keeping your eye on this and understanding behaviours like when and where they choose to stop and recharge can also help to educate and keep your business on track.

8. Offer workplace charging facilities

It’s a fact that 40% of property owners in the UK do not have access to off-street parking and therefore can’t have a charger fitted at home. While there is good news in that local authorities have been given a specific grant to help them provide on-street chargers within street lampposts, schemes in some parts of the country have yet to be developed.

Considering workplace charging – at your office, depot or other premises as part of your transition planning means you can provide charging while people work, stop or dwell during the day – or for many depot-based drivers, overnight. As well as helping you control charging behaviour and expenses, it will give drivers the peace of mind that their vehicles will always start their ‘day’ with maximum power.

9. Advice and support with other charging methods

For drivers who take their vehicles home, reminding them to put them on charge overnight will ensure they take advantage of more cost-effective tariffs and fully recharge their batteries.

While the Homecharge grant for people who own houses came to an end in March 2022, up to £350 is still available for flat owners or people who rent and have access to off-street parking.

Equipping your drivers with a charging card like bp pulse on the go – Corporate, or our Fuel & Charge card for hybrid or mixed fleets will give them access to free or best-tariff charging for a monthly subscription fee of £6.54 (excl. VAT) per driver.

Our cards provide exclusive access to bp pulse150 ultra-fast chargers on our forecourts. You may also be eligible to offer your drivers access to our innovative new EV fleet charging hubs – designed to provide the convenience of charging with the comfort of a drivers’ lounge.

10. Simplify the EV mileage claims process

If you do decide to provide charging facilities on your premises and an electric charging subscription, you’ll already be on the road to making your electric vehicle mileage claims process easier for your drivers – and your payroll team.