Given that the Government has brought forward the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars by 5 years to 2030, it’s inevitable that electric cars will become more common.
Which means there are advantages to preparing now, rather than waiting until the end of the decade.
Not that this is a new trend.
In the ten years from 2010 to 2020, the number of low emission vehicles in the UK has risen by a massive 3,427%, and will only keep increasing in the years to come.
Whether your employees will be driving electric cars, or you’re thinking about swapping to an electric fleet, you’ll need to install EV charging points for your business.
If you’re still not sure whether investing in electric vehicles is worthwhile, check out some of these benefits of EV charging stations for business.
Cutting costs
There are plenty of financial incentives for switching to electric vehicles and providing charging points for them.
For example, the UK government offers a plug-in car grant for both consumers and businesses that pays for 35% of the cost up to £3,000 per vehicle.
The Workplace Charging Scheme pays for 75% of the cost of installing an EV charging point at your business, up to £350 per socket for a maximum of 40 sockets.
Added to the savings available with electric cars, tax benefits include 0-2% benefit-in-kind taxes until 2023 for company cars.
Electric vehicles are also eligible for enhanced Capital Allowance, so in the first year of purchase you can deduct the expenses from your profits before tax.
Since the newer road tax system is based on carbon dioxide emissions, zero-emission cars are exempt from paying any vehicle tax, and hybrids will pay much less than petrol or diesel vehicles.
On top of all these savings, it’s just generally cheaper to run an electric vehicle. Lower fuel costs and maintenance costs mean you’ll save hundreds of pounds over each vehicle’s lifetime.
Boosting your reputation
More than 77% of consumers now prefer to shop with sustainable and environmentally responsible brands.
Installing electric vehicle charging points at your workplace sends the message that you take social responsibility seriously.
Reducing your carbon footprint
Participating in carbon reduction efforts keeps you in the good graces of public opinion.
It also improves the air quality and noise levels around your workplace, as electric cars are both cleaner and quieter than petrol or diesel vehicles.
Expanding the use of electric cars throughout your business also reduces your costs.
The lower your carbon emissions, the less your business has to pay for those emissions, and the more you can avoid potential civil penalties for climate offences.
Additional revenue
In the right circumstances, electric vehicle charging cables can become another revenue source through selling electricity to electric car drivers.
You could make a small profit on the amount that users pay to charge their vehicles by making private charge points available to the public at certain times.
Peer-to-peer charging networks like Zap-Map’s Zap-Work for business users let you list your charging points and set times for public availability so people looking for EV chargers can find you on the map.
There are multiple ways to set up payments for using your charge points, and you can decide the prices.
Getting started with electric car charging points for business
As you can see, you don’t need to worry too much about the costs of going electric, because there are so many opportunities to save money and improve your business.
The pressure on UK businesses to go green is only going to intensify as the government pushes towards the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
Avoid the stress and expense of having to adapt last-minute by taking proactive steps to get your business on board with electric vehicles.
Whenever you’re ready to install electric car charging points at your business, get in touch with us at Downtown Electrical and we can help you save money through the Workplace Charging Scheme.
