ACFO members have been urged to sign-up to the Government-backed Plugged-in Fleets Initiative to discover if electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles make sense for their businesses.

The call came from Kate Armitage, electric vehicle team manager at EDF Energy, one of the partners in the scheme, which is being managed by the Energy Saving Trust (EST).

She made the request at this year’s ACFO Conference and AGM, which was supported by EDF Energy and Peugeot and held at Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire on Thursday, May 16.

The event was sponsored for the first time by industry publication GreenFleet and was held alongside its eighth environmentally-focussed Arrive’n’Drive event, which gave fleet chiefs the opportunity to drive the latest zero and low emission vehicles and learn from exhibitors more about implementing emission-reducing operating strategies.

As part of the Plugged-in Fleets Initiative (PIFI), which is funded by the Department for Transport and Transport for London, the EST is undertaking a free bespoke analysis on 100 fleets to help them understand where ultra-low emission vehicles could work for them.

Interested fleets should contact the EST, complete an application form and provide data about their fleet including the types of cars and vans operated, usage and mileage patterns.

Critically, applicants must also acknowledge the internal support of a board level director for the potential introduction of electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles.

The initiative is open to fleets in England operating vehicles under 3.5 tonnes. Participating fleets must commit to:

• Completing an application form and signing a pledge committing to engage in the initiative and seriously consider the recommendations
• Share live fleet lists, vehicle usage and fuel data with EST
• Attend two face to face meetings with an EST fleet consultant
• Share high level findings in a public report.

Based on information provided and interviews with an organisation’s fleet decision-maker, the EST team will provide:

• A detailed report and analysis with recommendations of how plug-in vehicles could work in a business
• A whole life cost analysis, comparing a fleet’s existing vehicles with suitable plug-in alternatives
• Infrastructure advice
• A tailored final report.

Twenty fleets have already taken part in the Plugged-in Fleets initiative and with the programme’s extension to a further 100 organisations, Armitage said: “The programme is aimed at helping fleets to come to a decision on whether to introduce electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles to their fleets.

“We are looking for small, medium and large fleets and across all market sectors.

“We are now recruiting fleets to the programme with reports carried out on a first come first served basis. There will not be 100% electric vehicle fleets; that would be naive.

“However, the reports make the business case for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in appropriate fleet applications.”

Further information is available from the EST website at www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/pifi or email pifi@est.org.uk.

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