So says David Watts, fleet consultant at the vehicle leasing and fleet management company Arval.
Watts says the ideas being implemented by the Go Ultra Low cities are not radical, but are intelligent and provide “genuine benefits” to EV drivers that are bound to effect on fleet decision making.
“The Milton Keynes scheme to make public parking free for EVs, which came into effect in July, is a good example,” states Watts.
“Anyone who has ever worked in Milton Keynes knows that most of the parking is publically operated and quite expensive, so free parking is a genuine benefit,” he continues.
“Similarly, the Nottingham and Derby scheme to offer EVs access to bus lanes is something that costs the council little but gives a genuinely useful advantage to EV company car drivers or fleet operators.”
Watts says the Go Ultra Low schemes were not designed to encourage overnight, fleet adoption of EVs but will be another factor in their favour.
“We are at a stage where there is widespread interest in EVs but relatively few fleets have bitten the bullet and acquired any,” he observes.
“However, momentum is building. There is growing awareness of how to operationally manage the limited range of EVs and the circumstances in which they are most appropriate for businesses.”
The first Go Ultra Low cities - Nottingham, Bristol, Milton Keynes and London - were chosen in January to share £40 million of government funding to encourage EV uptake and are now starting to put their schemes into effect.