As US electric carmaker Tesla Motors sets the European price for its Model S all-electric sedan, a report for British Gas says that UK companies could save £350,000 a year by going electric with their fleet.
According to the report by TRL, the UK’s Transport Research Laboratory, for the utility, switching just 10% of a large fleet of between 420 and 33,000 to electric vehicles could reduce CO2 emissions by more than 5% (around 830 tonnes).
If companies changed over half their fleet, the savings would amount to a 26% cut in CO2 (2,320,000 tonnes) and a £1.753 million reduction in costs from reducing running and petrol costs, as well as servicing.
Some sectors stand to make more savings than others, according to the report, with the financial services sector having the most to gain with a 10% switch to electric vehicles. Just that could bring fleet cost savings if £484,000 a year and a 5.7% cut in CO2 emissions.
Other sectors that could make substantial savings are the emergency services/NHS Trusts; service industries like IT, leisure and media; heavy industries; and the architecture and constructions sector.
Transport and distribution would also stand to benefit, racking up the largest purely financial savings of £486,000 year for a 10% change up to £2.43 million for a 50% switch.
“This report shows that businesses, under pressure to reduce both costs and carbon emissions, cannot afford to ignore the benefits of electric vehicles,” says Colin Marriott, general manager of British Gas’ fleet.
The companies most likely to benefit from moving to electric fleets are those that undertake mainly low mileage urban journeys, with small or reducing loads, and including frequent returns to base for a relatively long stop.
British Gas is just such a candidate and is already making the switch with a trial of Nissan’s eNV200 electric van and plans to convert 10% of its light commercial vehicles to electric models over the next three years.
“Electric vehicles offer us so many benefits as a business that we’re introducing them into our own fleet and aim to have 1,400 by 2015 as part of our drive to reduce fleet carbon emissions by 25%,” says Marriott.
What is somewhat less likely to make it into most fleets is Tesla’s all-electric Model S sedan, which has been on sale for sometime in the US. Now European drivers will be able to get their hands on it for the first time, but it won’t come cheap.
The lowest power model, at 60 kWh, starts at €72,600, rising to €83,150 for a more powerful 85 kWh version. The Model S ‘performance’, which can go from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.6 seconds, starts at €97,550, while if money is no object, the ‘Signature Performance’ model starts at €110,950.