EDF hits salary sacrifice electric vehicle milestone

Tusker has delivered the 500th electric vehicle (EV) to EDF funded through its salary sacrifice scheme.

EDF’s Jas Sangha became the 500th employee to take delivery of a new electric car, a Kia e-Niro, with the energy company reporting a 4% uptake from eligible employees.

Currently, around 14 additional employees are signing up to the scheme each month, 93% of which are opting for a pure EV.

EDF’s staff have reported savings of around £150-£200 per month largely thanks to the 1% benefit-in-kind (BIK) available on the scheme, which maximizes tax and NI savings for employees, as well as charge points being available at 20 of the company’s sites. An additional 300 charge points are set to be available to employees by December 2021.

Sangha, assistant shift manager at EDF, said: “I’m delighted with my new Kia e-Niro and thrilled that it was me who help hit the 500-car milestone, exactly a year on from when the first EDF Tusker car was delivered.

“My colleagues and I have been really impressed with the choice of makes and models available on the Tusker scheme, and also the cost savings.

“My e-Niro has an impressive 282-mile range which is more than enough for my commute. And with work offering charge points, it made switching to an electric car really easy.”

Vanessa Corsie, benefits manager at EDF, said: “The great thing about Tusker’s car benefit scheme is that we were able to open the opportunity to drive a brand-new car up to over 11,000 employees.

“EDF is Britain’s biggest generator, and we want to find new ways to help our customers and colleagues lower their carbon footprint and be part of the journey towards Net Zero.”

EDF launched the salary sacrifice scheme to coincide with the Government’s change in BIK to 0% for the 2020/21 tax year.

“It reduced the BIK payable from 16% so provided considerable tax savings to employees – for both 20% and 40% taxpayers,” added Corsie.

“We’ve already seen substantial savings as an organisation too. It also meets our duty of care obligations, reduces grey fleet challenges by getting employees into a new car and helps us meet our corporate environmental targets, so it’s a win all round.”