Despite the shift toward electric vehicles (EV) there is still a clear need to ‘clamp down’ on some of the urban myths preventing drivers from considering transitioning over to an EV model, writes Ciarán O’Neill, commercial director at Radius Vehicle Solutions
Ciaran O’Neill
With many companies looking to adopt an EV majority fleet going forward, getting employees onboard and squashing misconceptions often associated with electric vehicles will need to be a priority and require clear internal communications.
Although modern EV batteries are designed to last a significant number of years with warranty generally around eight to 10 years and 100,000 to 120,000 miles, there is often a misconception that they have a short lifespan. Today’s lithium-ion batteries are far more durable than older technologies used when EVs first came about and are capable of sustaining long-term use.
Battery life is influenced by various factors including temperature, depth of discharge and charging speed. Understanding these factors can help users maximize the lifespan of their EV batteries.
Charging times and charger locations are also a common concern among potential EV users, with false impressions leading you to believe it takes excessively long to charge your EV and chargers themselves are few and far between.
Although most drivers will only place a small reliance on the public charging infrastructure, there are approximately 465 public charge points in Northern Ireland and 1,500 in the Republic of Ireland currently.
Similarly to the advancements in technology for batteries, charging points have also developed significantly in recent years, vastly reducing charging times for many EVs. More fast charging stations are becoming available and with innovations such as DC fast charging and Tesla’s Superchargers, EV users are no longer spending as long waiting for their car to charge, which is a huge benefit of the newer technology.
Rapid AC units typically charge an EV to 80% in 20-40minutes and standard fast chargers are around three to four hours. The average 7kwh home charger adds approximately 25-30 miles of charge per hour and takes between four to eight hours with EV users rarely charging from 0% to 100% in one go.
With many of our clients taking to the roads on long-distance journeys, an understandable concern is whether EVs are a suitable alternative to a traditional petrol or diesel cars due to range. However, the average range of most electric vehicles is now 227 miles and recent statistics show the average NI commute is 28 miles.
There are many benefits for companies and employees to switch their company cars to electric vehicles such as aligning with the values of environmentally conscious consumers, reaching corporate social responsibility targets, reducing carbon emissions and pollution which is crucial for combatting climate change and improving air quality.
The employee in turn, has their own benefits if opting for an EV such as a lower benefit in kind value, meaning less income tax to pay, but if the common myth conceptions are not addressed and reassured, businesses may find they receive pushback from employees who aren’t ready to take the step.
