JUNE saw orders for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) overtake internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for the first time at independent leasing and fleet management company Zenith.
The transition to BEV in cars account for 54% of orders in June compared to 32% in the same month last year. Over the Past 12 months, 41% of orders were for BEVs.
Demand for electric vans also increased in June to account for 69% of van orders compared to 1% in June 2020. Over the last 12 months, demand for fully electric vans has built to account for almost 1 in 3 van orders.
The importance of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda within businesses has accelerated carbon reduction plans and driven a significant shift in orders for fully electric cars and vans. With businesses driving their own sustainability agendas, Zenith work’s in partnership with customers to plan and build their bespoke transition to EV in the most cost-effective way whilst focusing on infrastructure planning, vehicle utilisation and providing the strategic advice needed to support their business goals.
Ian Hughes, Chief Executive, car and van division at Zenith, said: “Customers are planning for a positive, greener future and, in the hoped-for post lockdown bounce-back, we’re seeing increased ordering as the wider economy is reopening. In June, year-on-year total car orders almost doubled and, we have seen an almost nine-fold increase in total van orders as customers invest in fleet and fast-track their journey to net zero through the adoption of new technologies.
“Company car and salary sacrifice car scheme drivers continue to be attracted to the significant Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax savings that can be made when choosing an EV, the ever-growing choice in vehicles and confidence in the charging infrastructure.”
Zenith says that salary sacrifice is helping company car drivers to transition to BEVs. In one scheme, 85% of orders have been for BEVs, with the remaining 15% for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. It will lead to an average saving of 372 tonnes of carbon for each year the vehicles are on the road.
A salary sacrifice car scheme allows all eligible employees to drive a brand-new BEV at an attractive, inclusive monthly cost compared to a petrol or diesel equivalent. And for companies, it is also a positive shift in terms of environmental impact and the broader benefits around duty of care for employees.
