5 reasons why EVs are a smart choice for eco-conscious businesses

We’ve recently been diversifying here at Intack Self Drive – so when you choose us to hire a car or hire a van, you’ll not only have a great range of ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles to choose from, but a variety of electric vehicles too! They’re particularly useful if you’re pondering buying electric vehicles for your own business, effectively giving you a chance to try before you buy. And if you’re thinking about long-term usage of electric vehicles, here’s why they could be so valuable to you, whether you’re planning to Flexi hire one of ours, or even buy one of your own!

Reduces your carbon footprint

This is one of the biggest points, and arguably the most obvious one. First and foremost, electric vehicles provide an excellent way to reduce your carbon footprint as a business, helping you to do your part in saving the planet. It also leads to a reduction in air pollution, which is a closely related but distinct issue from carbon emissions.

Essentially, while cuts in carbon emissions help to make things healthier for the planet, cuts in air pollution (especially with nitrogen dioxide and tiny particles known as fine particulate matter) can make things directly healthier for you, your drivers, and anyone surrounding them. Reductions in your carbon footprint an also great for helping you to meet your internal environmental targets if you have long-term sustainability plans.

Cost savings

Now this one is a little more subjective, because it can vary so much between different organisations. However, in general, the lower running costs of an EV can go a long way towards offsetting its higher purchase price, and the relative simplicity of electric drivetrains means that there are fewer moving parts to service, and therefore less intensive maintenance. (Although, of course, you don’t need to worry about purchase prices and maintenance when you hire from us – we take care of all the maintenance of our vehicles in-house!)

It can also end up saving you a lot on fuel too. More often than not, it’s cheaper to charge than to fill up, although that’s subject to a lot of variables.

Regulatory compliance (e.g. ULEZ)

While we’ve probably yet to see the majority of laws that will come in with regards to transport emissions, we’re already starting to see some of the main forms these law will take. Right now, that’s evident in the growing number of low emissions zones being enacted across the country – and the biggest, of course, is London’s Ultra Low Emissions Zone.

Essentially, the idea is that your vehicle has to reach certain emissions standards, and if it falls below them, you’ll have to pay a daily charge to operate in the city, even if you’re only driving through it. If you’re a national business (or a local London one), those charges can quickly start to stack up. Happily though, EVs are emission-free, which can help you dodge the worst impacts of the charges.

Improve your CSR and ESG ratings

These are slightly different things, but both relate to the same broad concept – the idea of a business’ ethics, including its duty to its staff and the wider community. CSR stands for Corporate Social Responsibility, and it’s generally agreed to refer to internal company policies (such as self-enforced sustainability plans), which means it can vary widely. ESG, on the other hand, is a more objective standard used by outside observers (including potential partners or investors) to judge how well a business is progressing towards certain widely-agreed sustainability goals.

That’s where electric vehicles can come in handy. Whether you’re buying them or renting them, they’re a good measure of a definitive and demonstrable commitment to environmental matters and sustainability, which can stand you in good stead with potential partners, investors and consumers. Consumers are especially important – studies in recent years have repeatedly found that most people would prefer to shop with environmentally friendly businesses over those without an obviously high priority on sustainability. That alone can give you a valuable edge over your competitors.

Long term viability

EVs have been something of a political football in recent years, and to be honest, they’re likely to remain so for some time yet. But make no mistake – we are moving towards a world of electric cars, however quickly or slowly we end up getting there. That means you can end up saving yourself a lot of hassle (or even get one over on your competitors) by making sure you adopt the technology early, aligning your business with growing infrastructure and consumer preferences.

Those are just some starting points – if you want to experience some of these ideas in practice, you’re in exactly the right place! We’ve got a great range of electric vehicles to choose from already, and eventually, we’re looking at expanding our fleet with even more vehicles – so you can also enjoy more choices than ever before for electric and hybrid car hire here at Intack.

Our electric vehicles are the latest additions to more than 450 cars, vans, and minibuses – so if you’re a business user looking for vehicles to meet your company requirements, or just a private customer looking for a personal vehicle for short-term use, you can count on us to have exactly the right vehicle at exactly the right price. Feel free to give us a call on 01254 57811, and we’ll be happy to help however we can!