Fleets split on provision of free home charging for staff driving EVs

Fleet decision-makers are split on whether their company should provide home charging facilities for employees who drive electric company cars.

Delegates at the latest Fleet200 Executive Club meeting, held at Oulton Hall in Leeds, discussed the provision of home and workplace charging infrastructure.

“You don’t install a petrol pump at the home of a driver with a petrol car, so why should it be any different for EVs?” asked one fleet decision-maker.

When fleets do not pay for home installation they help with the paperwork, grant application and advice on topics such as where to site the charger.

However, some organisations do provide home chargers to ease the transition to the new technology.

There was agreement that home charge points should be provided for drivers of electric vans where possible, as they are considered to be a tool for work rather than a personal vehicle.

This is also crucial to minimising downtime during the day as the vehicles should be charged with enough electricity to cope with the demands of their work schedule, meaning they do not need to stop for a charging top-up at any point.