FLEET & COMMERCIAL
FLEET & COMMERCIAL
TS : How has charging impacted your adoption of the ID . 4 on a wider scale ?
AW : “ In London , the rapid network was , and still is , behind where it needs to be . We underwent some research back in 2018 , which looked at the entire taxi and private hire industry within London . That ’ s about 100,000 to 110,000 vehicles at the time .
“ This independent research stated that we ’ d need about 8,500 rapid chargers just to support that entire fleet . While it isn ’ t Transport for London ’ s sole responsibility to provide the charging infrastructure , they ’ re providing just over 300 rapid chargers across the network . Not all of those are available to private hires .
“ When we started the process , there was about one charger for every 10 EVs . It ’ s now one charger for every 16 EVs .”
TS : How did you continue with this knowledge ? Could drivers use chargers at home ? AW : “ We surveyed the drivers before we even started the project . Actually , it ’ s the first part of the project in terms of the EV transition . Only about 10 % had the capability to have a home charger . They do take the vehicles home with them in the evening ; it ' s not a back-to-base sort of overnight charging model .
“ The strategy was to work with those drivers in the first instance and help them set up their home chargers . We partnered with JustPark and Octopus Energy to help drivers with that transition . Some of them chose to do their own thing , that ' s totally up to them . But about 10 % took up that offer and then , for the rest of them , it was about trying to help them identify chargers that were close to home .”
WATCH
“THE STRATEGY WAS TO WORK WITH THOSE DRIVERS IN THE FIRST INSTANCE AND HELP THEM SET UP THEIR HOME CHARGERS ”
ANDREW WESTCOTT , DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY AND REGULATION , ADDISON LEE
This is testament to the approach that fleet operators must take to ensure that electrification is successful . While many organisations advocate the benefits of EVs , such as the increased digital integration and efficiency , these are not achieved without the adoption of a problem-solving mindset .
Range anxiety is a challenge faced by many fleets , but the reality comes when they learn how to best use their EVs in the optimal way . To reap the benefits of EVs , drivers will be allowed time and the tools to manage their charging effectively – whether this involves overnight or daytime charging .
EVMAGAZINE . COM [ June 2023 ] 71