A third of fleets expect to be zero-emission by 2030

A third of UK businesses (34%) expect to have a zero-emission fleet by 2030, according to Arval research.

Data from the leasing firm’s Mobility Observatory Barometer shows that 24% have plans in place and expect to have a zero-emission fleet by 2030. A further 10% believe they will have a zero-emission fleet by 2030 or sooner.

In contrast, 42% of respondents said that they had undertaken no preparation work because there was “plenty of time” until the deadline.

Shaun Sadlier (pictured), head of Arval Mobility Observatory in the UK, said: “In some respects, 2030 still feels like some time away, but for the majority of businesses that employ a four-year car replacement pattern, it is only two cycles. For van operators, who tend to keep vehicles for longer, it is even less.

“Perhaps what the data does indicate is that there is a definite difference in attitude between the six out of 10 fleets who are taking a structured approach towards 2030 and the remaining four out of 10 who may see it as something that they will need to manage in the future or have more urgent challenges to manage today.”

Arval is working with many UK fleets that are aiming to fully electrify their car fleets ahead of the 2030 deadline, with some having unofficial targets of being fully electric by the middle of the decade.

Sadlier added: “The process is likely to be more protracted among van fleets – the adoption of electric light commercial vehicles requires a higher degree of operational adaptation while new vehicles have been slower to come to market – but again, relatively large numbers of companies are aiming to fully transition well before the end of the decade.

“Those businesses which don’t have transition strategies in place are not doing anything wrong in strategic terms. However, they may find that factors such as taxation policies, clean air zone restrictions and even vehicle availability may effectively force them into transitioning well before 2030.”