The year-end review of the Europcar EV Barometer underlines the continued reservations about electric motoring by business drivers. At the start of 2024, just under a third of business drivers said that a lack of charging infrastructure was holding back employers from making the switch. At the end of the year, disappointingly, this had increased to 40%. Employee resistance to change also increased from 11% in January to 15% in December.
Throughout 2024, Europcar continued to support a shift-change in EV usage by businesses and their drivers, and this focus will be sustained in 2025. The fleet of PHEV and BEV vehicles continues to grow, and continued investment in our infrastructure supports customers renting electric. The key now is to give more businesses and their drivers the confidence to opt for electric.
“When business drivers have the opportunity to try out electric motoring for themselves, in real-world conditions, confidence increases significantly,” explained Tom Middleditch, head of electric mobility and sustainability spokesperson at Europcar. “By renting electric for a few days, a week or more, charging at different locations can be experienced as well as how different chargers work and how much they cost. That’s something a standard test-drive is rarely going to be able to deliver. And long-term rental delivers the latest EV technology without a business having to make a financial commitment that might not be the right fit in the longer-term.”
A wide choice of EVs
A growing fleet of BEV and PHEV cars and vans from Europcar gives businesses and individuals a wide choice for every journey. That includes the recent addition of the Kia Niro EV, alongside the already well-established fleet of Tesla Model 3s, Mercedes-Benz EQ models, Jeep Avengers and the Skoda Enyaq. Plus the Vauxhall Combo Electric and award-winning Renault Kangoo eTech have been added to Europcar’s Trucks and Vans fleet.
Usership vs ownership
Europcar is also empowering businesses to go greener in their mobility, even if they’re not ready to switch to electric. Focused on widening awareness of the role vehicle rental can play in helping businesses and individuals reduce their environmental impact, Europcar champions the idea of vehicle usership over ownership.
“Moving a business to electric requires clear thinking, detailed planning and hands-on real-world experience”, added Tom Middleditch. “Our carefully designed EV solutions are future-proofing the whole mobility process and already support many organisations as well as private motorists on their sustainability journeys. And used alongside petrol and diesel vehicles that are fully compliant with clean air and ultra-low emission zones, organisations can start to prepare for a zero emissions future.”
To find out more about Europcar’s sustainability solutions visit our website.
