Find out how to implement an electric vehicle strategy

Dundee City Council’s transport officer Fraser Crichton

The Government has made its position on the future of road transport clear by removing company car tax for EVs.

Fleets that don’t get on board now will quickly find themselves at a disadvantage, with the sale of conventionally-fuelled vehicles possibly ending within two lifecycles.

Once it was a choice, but operating EVs is rapidly becoming a necessity.

But how do you go about it?

Gary McRae, former Dundee City Council corporate fleet manager, will explain how the city became a pioneer with plug-in vehicles.

He has since joined Urban Foresight, the specialist consultancy that helped implement the city’s EV strategy, and is now working on a charging solution for residents who don’t have off-street parking.

The demonstrator project will see up to 18 charging hubs installed in Dundee and Plymouth.

These hubs will be mainly fitted in residential and public streets with on-street parking, featuring three-six chargers per hub.

McRae will be joined on stage on day two of Fleet Live 2019 by Fraser Crichton (pictured), Dundee City Council’s new corporate fleet operations manager.

Crichton has been at the forefront of implementing EVs and infrastructure in the city as well as surrounding local authorities and has presented at many conferences where he has articulated his knowledge and expertise in the practicalities of electric vehicle adoption.

Case study

Simon King, Mitie procurement director, will present an in-depth case study on his company’s journey to switching a large proportion of its car and van fleet to EV.

Mitie has committed to moving 20% of its small van and car fleet to electric by the end of 2020 and, as members of EV100, will transition its entire fleet of 5,300 vehicles to electric by 2030.

By the end of 2020, Mitie will also have installed 800 new charging points at both its offices and client locations, as well as at employees’ homes. King said: “We are incredibly proud to be leading the way in transitioning our fleet to electric.

We want to encourage more companies to follow suit, which is why supporting initiatives such as EV100 are increasingly important.

We are keen to support likeminded companies who also want to reap the same rewards and limit their impact on climate change.” As the headline sponsor, Geotab will also be showcasing its EV expertise.

With the recent announcement of 0% benefit-in-kind company car taxation on EVs from April next year, the UK’s move to zero-emissions is expected to be on a sharp upward curve over the next 12 months as fleets consider adding more EVs to choice lists.

Edward Kulperger, Geotab vice president of Europe, said: “For our customers, EVs offer opportunities to go green and reduce long-term emissions.

"They also bring a wave of new challenges. With more than one million connected vehicles on the road, Geotab is helping businesses develop their own electrification strategies.”

In addition to offering EV compatibility through the Geotab Go device, the company uses data to navigate different electrification challenges.

This can take the form of optimising electric range through fuel efficiency measurement, reporting on charging activities, or using real-time information to help managers make decisions on whether to electrify.

Kulperger added: “Wherever your business is on its electrification journey, Fleet Live 2019 is a great time to meet our team of experts and learn about the role of telematics in your transition to EVs.”

The seminar takes place on day one of Fleet Live 2019 (Tuesday, October 8) at 11am, entitled How to implement an electric vehicle strategy.

Other seminars and speakers at Fleet Live 2019

When: Tuesday, October 8

11.00 Mobility as a Service

Tony Douglas, BMW Group Mobility Services head of brand

Sandra Witzel, Skedgo head of marketing

Explore the latest developments in MaaS and learn how cities will change in the future to facilitate smart transport. Our speakers will explain how manufacturers are shifting to become tech companies to try to keep pace with giants like Google and Apple. Plus, insight on how BMW and MercedesBenz have joined forces on mobility to battle Silicon Valley.

11.00 Which safety technology is best for your fleet?

Vipul Dave, Thatcham UK global sales manager

Gill Milner, Aviva Technical Account Manager

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) are saving lives, but they’re also pushing up repair costs. Thatcham will look at repairability costs for ADAS and how this is affecting option choice and how it may impact on the roll-out of advanced technologies in the future.

This session will also assess how insurers view ADAS technology in terms of reducing insurance premiums for fleets.

Aviva’s session will explain ADAS’s relationship with insurance, what is making an impact today, the technology versus claims debate and what is coming next.

14.00 Smart urban transport strategies

Chris Lane, Transport for West Midlands head of transport innovation

Tom Hayes, Oxford City Council executive board member for A Safer and Greener Environment

Access case studies on how smart transport strategies have been implemented in two major areas of the UK.

This session will look at the Whim mobility app in action in the West Midlands and how Oxford is working with fleets to tackle challenges on air quality and last-mile deliveries in the city’s zero emissions zone.

14.00 Optimise prime: the world’s biggest electric vehicle trial

Duncan Webb, Royal Mail commercial director

Suzanne Phillips, Hitachi Capital head of mobility solutions

Stuart Fowler, Centrica DNO commercial manager An in-depth discussion on the UK’s biggest

Commercial electric vehicle trial. Key stakeholders including Royal Mail, Centrica and Hitachi will discuss in an open Q&A style the objectives they are looking to achieve, what the process has been like so far and the next steps as part of the three-year project.

Optimise Prime looks to bring together learnings from all those involved and explore the up-front costs that are currently holding back many of the country’s biggest commercial vehicle operators from making the switch to EVs.

When: Wednesday October 9

11.00 Mobility strategies for van and truck operators

Dave Phatak, director, Ford Commercial Solutions (FCS) division at Ford Mobility in Europe

Experts in the industry will talk about last-mile delivery, how businesses will operate in the future within cities that are looking to reduce emissions, improve air quality and leverage connected technology to help fleets improve efficiency.

This session will include details on Ford’s Mobility strategy on last-mile delivery.

11.00 How to implement an electric vehicle strategy

Gary McRae, Urban Foresight principal consultant

Fraser Crichton, Dundee City Council corporate fleet operations manager

Simon King, fleet and procurement director, Mitie

Gary McRae and Fraser Crichton will explain how Dundee became a pioneer of plug-in vehicles.

Mitie’s Simon King, Mitie will also present a case study on his company’s journey to switching a large proportion of its car and van fleet to EV.

14.00 Efficient movement of people and goods on the strategic road network

Karla Jakeman, connected transport innovation lead at Innovate UK

Peter Leavy, Vodafone Internet of Things (IoT) portfolio manager connected car services

Innovate UK’s Karla Jakeman will explain solutions which use innovative technologies to leverage smarter, greener and more sustainable future mobility systems for the efficient movement of people and goods.

There will also be a case study from Vodafone on how the road network needs to be technologically upgraded to facilitate the smart roads of the future.

14.00 Clean air zones

Jason Torrance, UK100 clean air cities director

UK100’s Jason Torrance will present an update to fleet operators about a Fleet News/UK100 initiative with UK business and local authority policymakers that seeks to secure national and local support and consensus for the delivery of clean air zones.