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Drax launches service to help firms switch to EVs

The Drax Group has launched a new bespoke service to help companies switch their fleets to electric vehicles (EVs).

The new service includes expert advice to determine what kind of vehicles and systems will work best for firms, as well as data to help them use their fleet more efficiently.

It will also offer charging infrastructure and operating software, EV leasing and the renewable electricity needed to power the vehicles.

The service already has its first customer – SES Water – which has invested in 16 new charging points and is initially replacing ten of its 120-strong fleet with EVs.

According to research from leasing specialists Arval just 14 per cent of British businesses have switched at least one vehicle to electric so far. However, this is set to increase to 42 per cent within three years.

In January, new research from Deloitte predicted that EVs would become as cheap to own and operate as their petrol and diesel equivalents on a worldwide basis by as early as 2022, and in the UK a year earlier in 2021.

That prediction was based on the annual ownership cost of a mid-sized car driven almost 8,000 miles each year.

“We know from supplying energy to our customers that no two businesses are alike, so a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t deliver what they all need,” said Drax Retail’s chief executive, Jonathan Kini.

“Instead, we are working with customers like SES Water as an energy partner, to offer each of them a solution tailored to their specific needs. Giving them the optimal EV package will result in lower carbon emissions and costs, helping them to grow better businesses.”

SES Water’s energy and carbon manager, Henriette Stock, said: “Every day we use enough energy to power 13,000 homes so we are always looking at ways to balance the environmental impact of our essential activities and support the investment in renewable generation in the UK.

“We have already significantly reduced our carbon emissions over the last year and working with Drax has enabled us to create a bespoke EV solution so we can understand exactly how to save the most energy, further lowering both our carbon emissions and our costs.”