Fleet briefs: Latest from Allstar, Fleet Logistics, Co Wheels and Vanarama

Allstar Business Solutions teams up with EV charging company to help fleets switch to electric

Allstar Business Solutions have partnered with electric vehicle (EV) charging company, Mer.

The partnership will give Allstar’s customers access to more than 160 charge points operated by Mer.

Paul Holland, managing director of UK Fuel at Fleetcor UK, said: “There has been some clear momentum gained in the electric vehicle movement in recent times.

“By partnering with Mer, we are both helping the UK’s fleets to make the switch to EV seamlessly, with increased convenience for charging sites, as well as reducing range anxiety as we continue to add more charging points to our growing network.”

Mer said it is focused on working with businesses and local authorities to serve Norway, Sweden, Germany and the UK, to help meet the estimated 400,000 public chargers needed by 2030.

Fleet electrification leading to increased demand for global reporting, says Fleet Logistics

Fleet Logistics said it has seen an increase in demand for its global reporting platform amongst international fleet operations, amid the movement to fleet electrification and sustainability reporting.

Fleet Logistics reported that many international companies are looking to evaluate their existing vehicle fleets in terms of carbon emissions, power train make-up and total cost of ownership (TCO), and are benchmarking the resulting analysis against corporate sustainability targets to help inform their next steps to achieving their environmental goals.

The company said companies headquartered in the UK and Europe are leading the movement, followed by US-based companies.

Thibault Alleyn, head of global mobility solutions at Fleet Logistics, said: “As we work toward reaching targets set out in the Paris agreement, more businesses are pledging to take action by reducing their own greenhouse-gas emissions.

“Understanding current emissions’ levels, by accurate measurement and reporting on progress, plays a significant part in that.”

Co Wheels announces growth plan after interest in UK car club increases

Co Wheels has announced plans to help reduce the number of privately owned vehicles on the roads in the UK over the next 12 months through the introduction of sustainability and community driven initiatives.

The announcement follows as data from the CoMoUK Car Club annual report for Great Britain 2020 revealed that there are over 600,000 car club members in the UK and those interviewed in the research reported cost savings against car ownership of up to £1,000 in a year.

Richard Falconer, managing director of Co Wheels, said: “Our growth will be achieved through engaging with our communities across the UK to understand their specific needs and provide transport solutions which work for the real people living and working in those areas.

“Alongside this we are looking to work with businesses, property developers and local authorities who share our principles and vision for a greener future for communities.

“We are actively pursuing wider mobility partnerships – from working with community, transport and environmental groups and councils, as well as other green transport providers such as e-bikes and e-scooters to provide more sustainable and joined up transport solutions.

“If we work together with other likeminded groups and individuals, trying to integrate apps, are smarter about collaboration on promotional initiatives then we are being more than just a car club, we add real community value.”

Runyourfleet ‘almost doubles’ daily rental volumes with Epyx

Car and van daily rental volumes at fleet management company Runyourfleet have ‘almost doubled’, following an investment in technology from Epyx, it said.

The company has adopted the 1Link Hire Network platform to manage growing demand for short-term hire from across its customer base, explained managing director at Runyourfleet, Steve Whitmarsh.

He said: “Daily rental is a key part of our portfolio and looks to become even more important in the future.

“However, it is an area where we felt held back by using a legacy system that wasn’t providing the flexibility, we needed to meet customer requirements.

“Thanks to our existing relationship with Epyx as a user of their 1Link Service Network service, maintenance and repair platform, adopting 1link Hire Network seemed like the obvious decision.

“Probably the best indication of the success of the new platform for us is that we have pretty much doubled our monthly rental volumes and much of this is because we are now confident that we have the right infrastructure in place.

“Everything about the system works well for us from making and managing bookings to handling invoicing.

“It’s also easier to use the system in a commercial sense, so that we can more easily negotiate with suppliers and offer different tariffs for different customers. We are simply much nimbler and more flexible.”

Vanarama chooses Elmtronics as EV charging supplier

Online vehicle leasing company Vanarama has partnered with national EV charging installation company Elmtronics, to supply and install EV workplace and fleet chargers at their head office and their fleet services centre.

The new infrastructure will provide the company with charging infrastructure to keep vehicles for staff and visitors charged, along with the vehicles supplied to customers ahead of delivery.

Paul Kirby, head of light commercial vehicle (LCV) and EV strategy at Vanarama, said: “More and more consumers want to keep up with the pace of change in vehicle technology as the UK heads towards the Government’s Net Zero target.

“Leasing is the most cost-effective way to do that. That’s why we’re investing heavily in EVs across both our personal and commercial leasing propositions. It also means we have to practice what we preach and so our partnership with Elmtronics ensures our staff and our fleet are always fully charged!”

Vanarama said it has seen a surge in interest in EV demand since introducing a range of EVs to its offering in early 2020.

Figures show that EV registrations account for 13.3% of the market, with over 18,000 new EV registrations in April.

Watson Fuels launches carbon offset service

Commercial fuel supplier, Watson Fuels has launched a carbon offset initiative.

The company said emissions can be offset when placing a fuel order directly through Watson Fuels.

Watson Fuels’ vice president, Claire Bishop, said: “Reducing the carbon footprint of Watson Fuels and becoming carbon neutral has always been an important priority for our business.

“We are passionate about reducing our own emissions and, aided by our colleagues at World Kinect Energy Services, we understand the complexities of becoming carbon neutral, ahead of the government’s 2050 Net Zero deadline.  

“Our aim now is to support our customers to be able to achieve their own carbon reduction goals through our new carbon offset fuel packages, by providing a cost-effective, convenient and simple way to do it.

“The first step is to become more efficient by finding ways to reduce energy use, then replace with lower carbon fuel options where available and any emissions that can’t be eliminated that way, can be offset by switching to carbon offset fuel from Watson Fuels.”

Watson Fuels said it became a fully carbon neutral company in 2019 by using carbon offsetting to compensate for its residual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

It recently launched its own carbon offsetting fuel offering to support transport companies in managing their carbon footprint and to start their own Net Zero journeys.