EV ‘transition bundle’ for fleets launched by Octopus

Octopus Electric Vehicles has launched a new bundle for fleets to make the switch to plug-in vehicles.

The Octopus Electric Vehicles Fleet Solution brings together service providers to create a ‘transition bundle’ to enable greener driving.

The bundle provides full access to the Ohme Fleet Dashboard and Fleetcor AllStar One Electric - giving access to an integrated network of charging at home, work and on the go. It requires an upfront set-up cost and ongoing monthly payment thereafter.

Octopus Electric Vehicles provides advice on the range of electric vehicles and works closely with businesses to plan their electric transition based on the business’ unique needs.

The Ohme Fleet Dashboard is an app-based service designed to track and minimise charging costs.

It allows charging and vehicle miles to be categorised as home, workplace or destination, enabling a suite of reporting functions as well as reimbursement of expenses for home energy use.

The service builds on Ohme’s success with home smart charging solutions, allowing charging to be aligned with EV tariffs such as OctopusGo and AgileOctopus.

Ohme Fleet Dashboard also includes a web platform with a range of customisation and reporting features. This provides fleet managers with visibility of CO2 savings, charging location and charging costs by individual, by vehicle or across the whole fleet.

Furthermore, Octopus Electric Vehicles and Ohme have collaborated with charge point experts Alfen to offer optimised charging and reporting across a range of smart home and workplace chargers.

Using open protocols, Alfen smart chargers are linked to the Ohme Fleet Dashboard collecting all critical information about each driver’s charging needs. 

Finally, the system is also integrated with the Fleetcor Allstar One Electric reports, giving fleet managers reporting on a range of public networks.

A key benefit of this solution is that fleet operators can have full oversight of reporting for both electric vehicle charging and petrol cars, says Octopus. 

Robert Labinski, head of EV business solutions at Octopus Electric Vehicles, explained: “The rise of electric vehicles is a huge opportunity in the fleet sector - it allows managers to be a force for good on the road, with cleaner, greener transport. However, it does present small challenges: particularly giving drivers easy access to charging - and then reconciling the cost of charging whether at home, work or on the road.

“Fleet managers don’t want their staff to be out of pocket if they charge their electric vehicles at home, where they can access low cost, green electricity. 

“Managers are very alive to the ‘charging challenge’: the accessibility and reliability of charging solutions and visibility of charging data.

“Our technology and partnerships with Ohme, Alfen and Fleetcor is in response to our insights from fleet businesses.

“The new bundle provides unrivalled visibility on cost of ownership for every fleet vehicle and a significantly reduced administrative burden associated with electric alternatives.”

Paul Holland, managing director of Fleetcor UK Fuel, concluded: “We’re delighted to work with Octopus Electric Vehicles on this initiative and we hope this bundle helps fleet managers as they migrate to an EV fleet.”