Lex launches new electric-only company car scheme for housebuilder

The Springfield Group, one of Scotland’s leading housebuilders, has launched a new, electric-only company car scheme, as part of wider plans to transition its full fleet to electric.

Lex Autolease partnered with Glassgreen Hire, a subsidiary plant and transport business of the Springfield Group, to introduce the new electric vehicle (EV) policy.

The EV offering was rolled out to the Group’s 235 eligible employees in September 2021 and has already seen industry-leading levels of take up, with 135 orders placed, and more than half already delivered.

Popular models among employees include the Mercedes EQA and EQC, BMW iX3, Volkswagen ID3 and Peugeot e-208.

Moving towards an EV fleet will allow the Springfield Group to cut emissions by an estimated 5.2 tonnes of Co2 for every vehicle replaced.

It will also enable the business, which previously only offered car allowances, to reduce costs across its fleet.

Shona Murray, corporate relationship manager at Lex Autolease, said: “Springfield’s EV-only car scheme is a major success story.

“From Board level to site managers and office staff, it is clear that everyone across the business is invested in helping reduce its environmental impact, and this has been reflected in the impressive uptake figures, with almost half of all eligible employees choosing to switch to electric.

“It is fantastic that Springfield is helping to strengthen the UK’s charging infrastructure, as well educating colleagues on how to affordably access charging in their own homes. I hope that this will drive long term sustainable behaviour change and encourage more people to make the switch in future.”

To encourage uptake and support charging across Scotland, the Group has installed banks of electric vehicle charge points at its offices in Elgin and Larbert near Falkirk and Dawn Homes office in Glasgow, with further points planned for its Tulloch Homes office in Inverness.

It is also investing in temporary mobile charging points, which are available to employees at major construction sites.

The move forms part of the housebuilder’s long-term plans to reduce the emissions of its entire fleet to zero, under which it is already running a fully electric van with two further nine-seater EVs on order.

To support this, specialist commercial vehicle fleet engineers at Lex Autolease will continue work with Glassgreen Hire, providing a consultancy service to the Group on its net zero journey. 

The Group also provided employees with guidance on accessing the Government’s Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, which has now been replaced by the EV ChargePoint grant, to help fund the installation of a charger at their home.

Innes Smith, chief executive for the Springfield Group, said: “We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint, which means looking carefully at everything from the way we build our homes to the makeup of our fleet, to identify where we can operate more sustainably.

“With developments across Scotland, our employees are regularly travelling to our sites, so making the switch to electric company cars is a great step towards reducing our carbon emissions.

“Working in partnership with Glassgreen Hire and Lex Autolease has enabled us to make our sustainability ambitions a reality. I hope that our success can show the appetite for EVs among colleagues and help set a positive example at a pivotal time for sustainability in the construction industry.”

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