On World Environment Day, British businesses are leading the transition to electric transport. Five major companies join The Climate Group’s global electric vehicles initiative EV100. Through this commitment, they will be switching their fleets to electric by 2030, cutting down on transport greenhouse gas emissions, the fastest-growing contributor to climate change, as well as curbing toxic air pollution.
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Leading UK energy provider OVO commits to transitioning its fleet and installing charging infrastructure at its work locations to support EV uptake by employees.
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Business services provider Rentokil Initial plc commits to transitioning its fleets in the UK and Europe, with a view to expanding to its global fleet.
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Salary Sacrifice vehicle provider Tusker commits to switching its 20,000 customer vehicle fleet and increasing charging to support EV uptake by employees.
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Building materials and construction solutions company Tarmac commits to converting its 2,000 strong car and van fleet, as well as installing charging infrastructure for employees and customers at corporate locations across the UK.
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Vehicle subscription service Drover commits to transitioning its 30,000 customer vehicle fleet, motivated by concerns of air pollution and high CO2 levels caused by road transport in London.
Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, said: “We are delighted to welcome these leading British businesses to EV100, demonstrating the collective will for ambitious EV policies and the need for this demand to be met by manufacturers.
“As the UK looks ahead to hosting COP26 in 2021, corporate support for the transition to electric vehicles is more important than ever. Major companies signing up to EV100 send a strong demand signal to the UK government that British business is ready to accelerate the clean energy transition.”
Paul Gilshan, CEO, Tusker, said: “Tusker have always had a commitment to the environment, with a number of measures in place to ensure our impact is minimised. We have been carbon neutral now for 10 years, offsetting our emissions through a number of internationally accredited programmes. Joining EV100 was a natural step in pledging our future commitments to the adoptions of EVs and so we’re proud to continue with this. The Government have pledged to support people in driving EVs and with 0% benefit in kind, salary sacrifice car benefit schemes are now the cheapest way to drive electric. With the plan to phase out petrol and diesel cars by 2035, we’re confident we can support our drivers with the transition to EVs by EV100’s deadline of 2030.”
Felix Leuschner, Founder & CEO, Drover, said: “The transport sector is a significant contributor to air pollution in London and across the world. Drover wants to be a pioneer in the electric vehicle market and play a significant part in enabling a large increase in the number of Zero emission vehicles on the road and with that combat climate change.”
Kate Weinberg, Director of Sustainability, OVO, said: "We all need to take action towards a world beyond carbon and businesses need to lead the way. In our sustainability strategy, Plan Zero, we pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions from our operations by 2030. So we're proud to sign up to EP100 and EV100 crystallising our commitments to electrify our fleet and improve energy productivity."
Richard Tiffany, Procurement Director - Global Fleet & Indirects, Rentokil Initial, said: “Rentokil Initial plc is committed to transitioning to electric vehicles across its fleets in the UK and Europe by 2030, subject to suitable electric vehicles being available, economically viable, and an adequate charging infrastructure in place in each country to ensure operational effectiveness. We are fully committed to supporting The Climate Group to advocate for the measures needed to unlock progress. We also aspire to fully electrify our vehicle fleet in North America and all remaining markets, recognising that improvements in local government policies and the EV market landscape will be required.”
Jonathan Harry, Procurement Director at Tarmac, said: “We are fully committed to supporting the UK’s ambition of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 and have been proactive in making significant changes to our business and product portfolio for many years.
“We’re proud to have become the first UK company in our sector to sign up to EV100 and commit to making lasting changes to our car and van fleet. The road to a reduction in carbon requires collective action and sustainable procurement strategies have an important role to play in supporting these ambitions. By taking progressive actions such as adopting EV technology and switching to clean electricity, we can lead by example and begin to affect real change.”
This week The Climate Group also announced a new partnership with BT Group, the UK Electric Fleets Coalition, to promote a faster switch to electric vehicles (EVs). The Coalition advocates for the British Government to adopt a 2030 end date to the purchasing of new petrol and diesel cars, a policy that it currently under review.