By Brian Smithers,  strategic development director at Rexel UK 

Although electric vehicle (EV) adoption has seen unprecedented growth over the past year, there are still challenges ahead.

In the fleet sector, this includes misconceptions around initial cost and the lack of charging infrastructure, both of which are an education task for us all. But while once a distant vision, the reality is that EV adoption is gaining pace. In fact, the UK EV market is steadily growing, with figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) showing that the number registered in the UK was up (6.4%) in 2014/2015.

A big factor has been the rapid growth of the UK’s EV charging infrastructure. Whereas in the past the UK lacked the infrastructure to allow motorists to reliably charge their cars, charging points are now abundant across the country, with over 1,400 in London alone. And this figure is set to rise to 6,000 by 2018.

And so, the question begs: why not switch to EV?

As EV prices come down and our national charging infrastructure grows, our recommendation is that fleet managers should actively lead the way, introducing EVs into their portfolio. Of course, the key point for fleet managers is the cost saving to be had.

Where an electric vehicle will travel around 43 miles for £0.64, a petrol car will only travel around 18 miles, halving refuelling costs for EVs. With most fleets consisting of hundreds if not thousands of costs of cars, the potential savings are colossal. Furthermore, EVs have the benefit of zero rate company car tax and exemption from road tax. They also don’t have to pay the London congestion charge and can benefit from free parking in many pay and display car parks. Topped with a reduction in insurance and maintenance costs, the argument for EV is surely conclusive.

Although there is still room for growth in EV adoption, advancements in both vehicle and charging technology  have resulted in significant progress being made. As such, it’s the perfect time for fleet managers to get up to speed and pave the way by incorporating EVs into their fleet.