Electric Vehicles

The public charging point is growing significantly throughout the UK, with chargers now at motorway service stations, petrol stations, public car parks, shops supermarkets etc. Some areas of the UK are better served than others, so it is worth researching the areas you live in or regularly travel to (zap-map.com) is a good source of charge point information, which includes the UK network.

The public charging network is owned / operated by a number of different companies and as such you may need membership for each one or sign up to a fuel card provider that has access to more than one supplier. If you have a membership with a particular fuel card provider they will just produce the electric recharging costs in the same way as you currently pay for your fuel.

It is worth researching , which one operates in the areas you will want to charge and the speed of chargers you require. There are some larger network operators such as Podpoint, Chargemaster, Polar, where you can access charges without needing membership. Using this method, should only be as a last resort, as this would increase the number of vehicle expense claims made by your drivers, which in turn creates another internal management system.

Most electric vehicles have two sockets, one for AC Charging and one for DC Charging.

1) AC Charging can be classified as slow or fast and these chargers can be installed in the home, workplace, and public areas.

2) DC Charging, also known as “Rapid chargers” are bigger dedicated charge points found in some workplaces and public charging areas, for example motorway service stations.

Slow chargers – up to 3kw

Slow chargers are typically home chargers that are best used overnight for charging and charge at 3 to 6kw. This will typically take 8 – 12 hours to charge an electric vehicle to full.

Slow AC Charging is a method of electric vehicle charging with a non-dedicated 3 pin domestic socket. Slow chargers with a traditional plug at one end, charge very slowly (2-3kw). We would not recommend using this type of charger , as 3 pin sockets are not designed for extended periods of charging. It would be better and safer to install a dedicated EV charger at your home or workplace.

Fast chargers – 7 to 22kw

Fast chargers are capable of providing a full charge in 3 – 4 hours, charging at around 7kw and are likely to be found at public charging points up and down the country, and car compatible with nearly all electric cars and vans.

Fast AC Chargers are purpose built dedicated chargers, installed in homes, businesses or public places. These are the main types of chargers Type 2, UK home owners purchase for charging their electric vehicle.

All UK fast chargers have a Type 2 connection and the majority of the UK EV’s and Phevs have type 2 connections. All new electric vehicles are normally supplied with a Type 2 connection cable with each vehicle.

Rapid Chargers – 50kw 50 150kw+

Rapid chargers are the quickest and most powerful chargers, charging at a rate of between 43kw to 300+kw and will only take around 30 – 45 minutes to charge a vehicle to 80%. Not all electric vehicles can handle this much amount of charge, so please refer to the manufacturer’s guidelines.

Rapid DC Chargers (known as CCS chargers) are super-fast chargers, and you will not need your Type 2 cable for Rapid DC chargers as they usually have tethered cables attached to the charging point. These are most used charging types to ensure less downtime for your employees or drivers.

The battery warranty for an electric plug in vehicle are typically 5 - 8 years and 80,000 to 100,000 miles. The warranty will easily exceed the anticipated fleet life of the vehicle. Most manufacturers expect the life expectancy of the battery to be over 10 years and 150,000 miles, so there should be no issues in regard to replacing the vehicles batteries, during your lease period.

Check the manufacturers specifications to determine its towing capacity. If you intend to tow a heavy plant trailer, please check with the vehicle supplier or manufacturer to determine its towing capacity, before placing an order, as pure electric vehicles normally have a lower towing or gross train weight capacity.

Ensure the weight of the trailer and its contents do not exceed the EV’s specified towing capacity, exceeding this limit can put stress on the EV’s drivetrain and affect safety.

Towing a trailer will reduce the range of your EV. The additional weight and aerodynamic drag from the trailer require more energy, which can significantly reduce the mileage range of your vehicle.

Clean Air Zones & ULEZ

Clean Air Zones are areas that target emissions as part of the Governments Clean Air Strategy to improve air quality by discouraging the use of the high polluting vehicles: These are referred to as CAZ’s, which is to address pollution such as nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter, emitted by cars and vans.

Local authorities have been given powers to introduce four types of CAZ and also whether or not to impose charges and penalties on road users who enter them in a non-compliant vehicle.

ULEZ

Most fleet operators will be aware of London’s existing Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) which was introduced in 2008. The Ultra Low-Emission Zone (ULEZ) is an additional area that enforces tougher emission measures introduced in April 2019, that has now been expanded from the 29th August 2023, to cover all London Boroughs.

Driving in a clean air zone

Your company car or van drivers may need to pay to drive in a clean air zone, If your vehicle does not meet the emissions standards.

Click on the link to check if your vehicles are compliant, https://tfl.gov.uk/modes/driving/ultra-low-emission-zone, for further information.

Whatever you need, whenever you need it. Daily rental from Fleet Dynamic stands for reliability and flexibility.

Fleet Dynamic is a leading provider of vehicle rental solutions, no matter the period we have the rental solution. Our comprehensive rental service includes car hire, small, medium, and large vans for hire.

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Short term rental enables you to meet one-off requirements, while long-term rental tends to offer lower daily rental rates. Shorter rentals allow you to change vehicles as frequently as you need, in order to meet your business needs but if you don’t see your needs changing in the near future, then longer term rentals are likely to offer the best value for money.

Choose the make and model of van according to the amount of internal space there is, as well as features like fuel consumption. Choosing a smaller van may mean that you save on monthly hire costs, but it could also increase the number of trips you have to make which will increase upkeep and petrol charges and could lead to late deliveries.

Although you can typically enjoy van rental over a 3 to 4 year period, or even opt for daily and weekly rental periods, you should consider your future vehicle requirements.

If you are currently expanding, then you may have need of additional space in the coming months. Preparing for this when you take out your business van rental contract means less hassle in the future.

Minibuses are used for transporting groups of people. You can transport employees to work sites, or you can offer a transport service using these vehicles, as long as you have the right insurance in place.

Choose your minibus hire according to the number of people you will regularly need to transport, and also whether you need to transport any other equipment or items. Minibuses have up to 9, 15 or 17 seats, allowing you to transport much larger groups of people at a time.