Why You Should Choose Electric Cars for Your Company Vehicles

Why should employers encourage EV adoption amongst staff?

Improve your CSR credentials

Many businesses are implementing emission reduction targets and methods to mitigate their impact on the environment as part of UK and global net zero goals.

Net zero targets may feature in your business strategy, or you may be looking to improve your corporate social responsibility (CSR) in business processes. Perhaps you are looking to establish an ethos of sustainability amongst staff, or you may even have specific EV goals, such as an annual target for EV adoption or ambitions for switching your business fleet to electric. If your employees drive an EV to their place of work, you can reduce carbon emissions via staff commuting and therefore support your CSR goals.

Increase staff retention

Countless job adverts list hybrid working, flexible hours and extended annual leave days as benefits of working for their companies, but how many offer EV-related incentives? Catch job hunters’ eyes and elevate your benefits list by adding ‘EV salary sacrifice’ and/or ‘workplace EV charging’ to attract and retain employees as EV adoption increases.

How to encourage EV adoption as an employer

Step 1: Educate employees on the benefits of electric mobility

Understanding the benefits of switching to an electric can help incentivise people to pursuing the opportunity. So, perhaps the most beneficial way of initiating staff interest in EV ownership is to share the reasons why employees should invest in one.

Environmental benefits

EVs generate zero tailpipe emissions, they can be charged using renewable energy to further improve their impact on the planet, they have a lower overall life-cycle emission footprint in comparison to an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle, and help reduce air pollution.

Highlight the incredible ways electric driving is benefitting our planet amongst your staff network. You could host internal webinars and workshops, or invite external speakers to discuss the impact EVs are making and inform your employees of the benefits of electric driving on the planet.

Employee benefits

There are many other benefits of driving EVs, including:

• Exemption from clean air zone charges,
• Lower maintenance and servicing costs,
• Lower or zero road tax,
• Circulate an information leaflet or guide to EV driving to spread the word amongst your employees.

Step 2: Provide tangible incentives for EV adoption

You have spotlighted the benefits of driving electric, but how do you show your commitment as an employer to making EV driving an achievable goal amongst employees?

Support EV adoption through a salary sacrifice scheme

Enabling your employees to drive an EV without the high upfront purchase cost is a great first step to raising the profile of EV driving in your company and encouraging employees to consider investing in one. As mentioned above, having a salary sacrifice scheme as one of your benefits provides employees with a cost-effective way of driving electric.

Under the scheme, you as the employer will lease the car from the scheme provider, and your employee can pay for the EV through exchanging a segment of their gross salary. The reduction in salary helps the employee save on income tax and national insurance contributions.

Install EV charge points at your workplace

Convenience with EV driving is crucial, particularly as drivers may feel discouraged from investing in the electric mobility transition if they fear that charging their vehicle will be more challenging than refuelling their petrol/diesel vehicle is.

Workplace charging makes your salary sacrifice scheme and EV driving itself more attractive, and means your employees do not have to worry about charging their vehicles during their commute. This is especially important for those who are not able to charge at home due to a lack of off-street parking, as well as those who live in more remote areas where charging is scarce in comparison to urban environments.

If you are welcoming visitors to your workplace, whether for a quick meeting or an enitre day, and they drive an EV, their experience at your workplace will be even more memorable if they can charge their vehicles whilst spending the day with you.

Workplace EV charging also supports current and prospective employees who drive an EV already and highlights that your company is compassionate towards the journey to net zero.

And, you can solidify your CSR credentials further by providing a power supply of 100% renewable energy for your employees and visitors to charge with.

Starting your workplace EV charging journey

As more of your staff start driving EVs, they will come to expect provision for EV charging at their workplace. Start by considering how many EV charge points you would like to install at your workplace to support your employees and visitors to your workplace, as well as your business EV fleet (if applicable).

Workplace EV charging with Mer 

At Mer, we offer workplace charging solutions for businesses across the UK, from initial consultation through to installation and aftercare.