69 per cent of company car drivers would 'go electric'

A new survey commissioned by Go Ultra Low revealed that more than two-thirds (69 per cent) of company car drivers would happily use an electric vehicle (EV) if they were offered one by their employers. The research was revealed on November 7th at the 'Future of the Car' summit in London. Only 25 per cent of businesses currently offer electric cars to their drivers, but the survey found that in situations where the option was available, 86 per cent would be open to the idea. More than 30,000 electric cars were registered in the UK during the first ten months of this year, with around 70 per cent being taken by UK businesses. 940,000 company cars are currently registered to British businesses in the UK, according to the latest government data. John Hayes, the government's current Transport Minister, said: 'Businesses have a role to play in boosting the numbers of electric vehicles on our roads, and this survey shows that employees want to drive them. Gradually making fleets zero-emission would improve air quality, as well as helping companies reduce their costs.î Poppy Welch, head of Go Ultra Low, also spoke at the organisation's event, saying: 'Fleets and businesses represent the lion's share of the UK's new car buyers, so have the potential to shape the market and accelerate the UK automotive market to be entirely 'ultra-low emission'.î Earlier in 2016, Go Ultra Low helped to establish the 'Go Ultra Low Companies' initiative, in order to recognise and reward those public and private companies who've already begun to offer electric cars to their employees as part of their company fleet. More than 75 different organisations have achieved 'Go Ultra Low Company' status, with businesses and organisations including Transport for London, the University of Cambridge, Britvic and London Fire Brigade among those choosing to participate. Go Ultra Low is a campaign group set up by both the government and the car industry to help encourage more drivers to switch to electric vehicles. Companies that support the campaign currently include Audi, BMW, Nissan, Renault, Toyota and a number of others.