Ask The Experts: How Fleet Operators Can Ease The EV Fleet Transition
Fleet operators are increasingly moving toward hybrid or fully el...
Electric Vehicles might look the same as conventional petrol and diesel motors, but the batteries powering them have brought about a big change in user behaviour.
That’s because EV drivers try to top up with charge whenever they can to keep their batteries full and mitigate against range-anxiety.
For those running the UK’s 20,000+ public car parks, this change offers a wealth of opportunities for attracting new and repeat customers, for extra revenue generation, and for supporting greener motoring.
So how can car parking businesses take advantage of this, and get ahead of the curve before the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans comes into force?
The simple answer is, parking operators should be looking now at how they get EV charging stations installed into their premises asap. This can take a variety of forms, from simple chargers in some car parking spaces, to dedicated areas of the car park with high powered chargers, operating like a traditional fuel station would for ICE vehicles.
Charge points can and do attract customers. For EV drivers – and this market share is expected to hit 30% by the time the ban comes in – the opportunity to charge their vehicles while they park is already an important factor in their decision making.
Coupled with that, EV drivers often rely on specialist maps and booking systems to show the location of charging points – maps your business can be added to to bring in more customers – and even more if you start doing this before your competition does.
The second opportunity is as an added source of revenue. If you own the charging infrastructure, you can charge customers a fee for plugging in their vehicles, adding to the revenue you generate from the parking fee itself.
The main fear most businesses thinking about installing EV chargepoints is around the costs and processes involved. However, charging infrastructure companies, like Mer UK, will help with both the planning, installation, management and ongoing maintenance of the chargers, and can help finance and operate this network providing you with a share of this revenue.
Mer, which is part of Norwegian renewable energy giant Statkraft and has vast experience with EV charging installation, starts with a consultation to determine what chargers are needed (ie fast or rapid), how many are needed, in what locations, what existing electrical infrastructure is in place, and what ancillary items (like signage and charging bays) will be required.
From there, we can work with you to figure out what the best funding approach is for your needs – and what grants, subsidies and tax incentives might be available to you.
This article was first published in Parking News magazine.
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