Electric briefs: Latest EV news from Bridgestone, Allicia Bank, CLM, Vital EV, Paua, PoGo, Ionity, AppyWay and Connected Kerb

Allica Bank launches £10m fund for fleets choosing EVs

Allica Bank has launched a new £10 million fund to help fleets buy electric vehicles (EVs), part of a wider initiative to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint and achieve sustainability targets.

The challenger bank, which is aimed at established small and medium businesses, introduced the new fund after a survey of its asset finance brokers revealed the funding need.

Alongside the new fund, it has also discounted rates to fund EVs, with the bank offering a 50-basis point (bps) reduction on its standard hard asset pricing, which is available until the end of the year.

Brandon Hall, head of sales for asset finance at Allica Bank, says forward-thinking banks need to place added emphasis on making sustainability targets an easier task to reach.

“Our latest survey of the broker community highlighted the growing demand from UK businesses looking for funding support to help improve sustainability, with making the switch to EVs top of the agenda,” he said.

“We hope that the new fund and rate reduction on electric vehicles will give brokers and their clients more opportunities to do that, along with the support of our award-winning business development team.”

Bridgestone announces EV-ready replacement tyre portfolio

Bridgestone has announced that all its newly engineered tyres will be ‘EV-ready’ across its entire product portfolio in the future.

Enabled by its Enliten tyre technology platform, the company is manufacturing every future product to meet both general performance demands and the specific requirements of electric vehicles (EVs).

These include improving energy efficiency, maximising battery range, and accommodating the increased weight and torque of EVs.

Bridgestone’s north region vice president, Andrea Manenti, said: “We’re engineering every Bridgestone tyre to be EV-ready – meeting both general performance demands and the specific requirements of electric vehicles.

“No matter what powers the vehicle, we understand that what drivers need from their tyres is unchanged.”

Bridgestone is keen to stress the distinction between EV-specific tyres for the replacement market and EV-ready tyres.

Manenti explained: “Our EV-ready strategy creates a single product focus.

“For our customers, our approach simplifies their inventory management and cuts overhead costs.

“For the road users who depend on Bridgestone tyres, it empowers them to choose a tyre for its unique selling point, regardless of whether or not their vehicle is electric or ICE.

“And for Bridgestone, our EV-ready strategy creates a faster time to market, enabling us to react to real-world needs with greater speed and a wider product portfolio.”

CLM delivers 200th electric vehicle to Center Parcs

CLM Fleet Management has delivered the 200th electric vehicle (EV) to Center Parcs as it works towards its fleet being electrified by 2030.

Currently, almost half (44%) of the fleet is electric.

CLM has been the specialist fleet management partner of Center Parcs since 2007, working closely on developing and refining the fleet of vehicles.

The partnership has evolved into CLM supporting Center Parcs in building an EV fleet of vehicles driven throughout its UK and Ireland villages.

The fleet comprises various vehicle types, including vans, minibuses, pool cars and new restaurant runner vehicles, to support various operations across the park.

Chris Bland, group fleet and transport manager for Center Parcs UK and Ireland, said: “All our main fleet vehicles will be moving to electric or plug-in hybrid over the next seven years, it’s great that we’re able to work with a fantastic partner as we look to achieve our 2030 target.”

Services CLM offer to Center Parcs include vehicle acquisition, accident management, repairs, vehicle reallocation, and remarketing.

John Lawrence, chief executive officer at CLM, said: “Helping businesses go green is top of our agenda for 2023 and beyond.

“As a business, we are carbon neutral and have achieved ISO 14001 accreditation. It is great to work with organisations like Center Parcs who share our sustainability vision.”

Paua partners with DPD to give drivers access to EV charging network

Paua has announced a strategic partnership with DPD UK, with the aim of enhancing electric vehicle (EV) charging accessibility and efficiency for its growing plug-in fleet.

DPD's EV drivers will gain access to Paua's charging network through both a physical card and a mobile app.

Paua's network comprises of more than 13,000 locations with 20,000 charge points and 39,000-plus connectors, being operated by more than 25 UK charge point operators.

"We are thrilled to partner with DPD, a pioneering company in sustainable delivery solutions," said Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua.

"This collaboration allows us to further support DPD's 'clean, green delivery' mission by providing their EV drivers with seamless access to our extensive charging network."

DPD is rapidly expanding its EV fleet to meet its ambitious SBTi (Science Based Target Initiative) verified target of net zero by 2040. 

"Partnering with Paua is an exciting step as we continue to grow our all-electric delivery fleet" said Olly Craughan, head of sustainability at DPD.

"Paua's extensive charging network, combined with their user-friendly app and physical card, empowers our EV drivers to access charging infrastructure with ease, supporting the efficiency and sustainability of our operations."

PoGo joins Paua network

Charge point operator PoGo has also partnered with Paua to give fleet drivers access to its network of EV chargers.

Paua’s new roaming agreement with PoGo, means its fleet users will have access to an additional 100-plus charge point connectors across the UK.

Stuart Douglas, managing director of PoGo, says collaborations like this are key to EV adoption. “Paua is playing a crucial role in supporting fleet operators in making the switch to electric, and we are pleased to be part of this powerful solution,” he said.

“The aim for PoGo is to enhance the charging experience for EV drivers by eliminating the inconvenience of long charging times by providing best-in-class rapid and ultra-rapid charging, which aligns with Paua’s own mission for businesses.”

Vital EV to launch MegaWatt Charging System to help decarbonise truck industry

Vital EV will be among the first UK companies to offer a MegaWatt Charging System (MCS) to help decarbonise the truck industry.

It says that its Kempower MCS is ideally suited to truck charging applications, providing up to 1,200kW of ultra-rapid DC charging and adding up to 372 miles of range during a 30-minute charging session.

The new charging solution is based on Kempower's existing hub-and-spoke architecture, with the two Kempower Power Units coupling up to accommodate up to 24 50kW power modules (1,200kW or 1.2MW).

This power is then dynamically distributed to the liquid-cooled Satellite Chargers – which have been fitted with the new MCS plug.

The MCS plug has been specifically designed to deliver the higher charging power required by heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and there are currently no plans to replace the CCS2 connectors used in lighter EVs like cars and vans. 

Alex Rae, general manager and director at Vital EV, said: “With our background in industrial power engineering and a range of groundbreaking EV charging projects already under our belt, we are ideally placed to deliver critical MCS infrastructure projects and we look forward with excitement to working with the truck industry to make that fundamental switch to electric.”

Through the ZERFT (Zero Emission Road Freight) programme, the UK government has committed £200m https://www.fleetnews.co.uk/news/government-awards-200m-for-zero-emission-truck-trials-in-week-of-action until 2030 to developing infrastructure and lay the foundations for the most advanced electric truck charging networks, known as the ‘Electric Highway’.

Ionity opens six high-power chargers at Gateshead’s Metrocentre

Ionity has opened six new high-power chargers at one of Europe’s largest shopping and leisure destinations, Gateshead’s Metrocentre. 

It is Ionity’s first retail centre opening in the UK and will serve electric vehicle (EV) drivers in the North-East of England as well as long-distance travellers.

Ben Cox of Sovereign Centros, senior asset manager for the Metrocentre, said: “As more people make the switch to EV ownership, decisions on where to shop and socialise will be influenced by charging infrastructure. 

“The addition of these ultra-rapid chargers will add to the centre’s existing provision, making it one of the biggest EV charging infrastructures in a UK shopping centre.” 

AppyWay partners with Connected Kerb for electric vehicle charging and parking

AppyWay is partnering with Connected Kerb to provide electric vehicle (EV) charging and parking solutions.

Through the integration of The Parking Platform powered by AppyWay and Connected Kerb's charging infrastructure, drivers are able to locate available EV charging bays.

Dan Hubert, founder and CEO of AppyWay, said: "Teaming up with Connected Kerb marks another significant milestone in our mission to help cities decarbonise through innovative technology."

He continued: “The UK is at a pivotal moment in its EV charge point rollout and it’s the decisions that are made today that will impact whether local governments meet their infrastructure targets by 2035.

“Partnerships such as this are crucial in understanding charging demand and planning rollout in a scalable manner.

“By integrating The Parking Platform with Connected Kerb's charging solutions, we're making electric vehicle charging and parking a hassle-free experience for everyone, drivers and local authorities alike."

The integrated solution is already being used by the likes of Coventry City Council and is set to be rolled out to other local authorities.