Vauxhall opens orders for Astra Sport Tourer
GSe stands for Grand Sport Electric and is the new performance sub-brand from Vauxhall, integrating electric performance credentials with sharp handling and styling. From launch, there are three GSe variants: Grandland GSe, Astra GSe, and Astra Sports Tourer GSe.
Vauxhall to be fully electric by 2028
Vauxhall’s growing electrified range already features five fully-electric passenger car models, including Corsa Electric, Mokka Electric, Combo Life Electric and Vivaro Life Electric. These vehicles have recently been joined by Astra Electric, which is available to order now, and will be joined by the Astra Sports Tourer Electric later this year. This will be followed in 2024 by the all-electric successors to the Crossland and Grandland, completing the fully-electric offering for the brand.
Essential cost control strategies for fleet managers
As the overseer of your own commercial fleet, effectively controlling your costs is vital for the continued success and profitability of your operations. With fluctuating fuel prices, maintenance expenses, and [...]
bp expands access to EV charge points for Fuel & Charge customers
Announcement follows research commissioned by bp in 2022, which found that nearly half of fleet managers (43%) and fleet drivers (41%) thought they would begin the transition to EVs within two years, demonstrating the level of ambition within the industry to embrace change. However, despite growing confidence, over half of fleet managers (53%) and fleet drivers (52%) say that charging on-the-go is still a concern.
Osprey opens Devon hub
Osprey has installed as many chargers in the first quarter of this year as it did during the whole of 2022. From January to March this year, 142 new rapid Osprey EV charging stations went live in 10 weeks, equaling the number of charge points installed throughout 2022.
‘i’ Performance – BMW i4 eDrive35
The BMW i4 certainly adds to the competition in the sporty EV world, an area Tesla once claimed for itself. The Beemer certainly measures up against the Model 3 and Polestar 2 in terms of performance while in my view it just edges things in the 'looks' department.
IBMG halves its carbon footprint with Fleet Alliance
By sticking stringently to its policy for the last two years, the Group has been able to reduce its fleet carbon footprint by 55%, from an average of 109g/km of CO2 per vehicle to an average of just 49.5g/km. The expectation is for this figure to continue to fall as the policy spreads more widely across the Group.
Thousands of pounds to be won by Britain’s best fleet drivers
Launched in April, the Elite Driver Championship gives drivers who consistently achieve the Lightfoot Elite Driver standard the chance to win £1,000 every single month, as well as the opportunity to enter the mid-year bonus bonanza, where three drivers will win between £500 - £2,000.
EV purchasing becomes “normalised” as buyers recognise longer range potential
Gains made by EVs are mostly at the expense of diesel, the traditional fuel of choice for higher mileages. Two-thirds of buyers planning on purchasing a diesel model expect their main journeys to be just 20-100 miles, dropping to 26% for journeys of 100-200 miles and just 10% for journeys over 200 miles.
EV battery advances could be double-edged sword for fleets
A step change in battery technology could cause substantial harm to residual values (RVs) on existing EVs. A manufacturer who has access to better batteries is going to want to make them available as soon as possible in order to gain a competitive market advantage but this is going to affect EVs already in use.
EV charging is becoming the ‘new maintenance’
In the last few years, maintenance has been the main everyday issue facing fleet managers. The fleet car and van parcs have been ageing at a fairly rapid pace while workshop capacity has been stretched and parts availability has been patchy. However, we now seem to be in a position where charging is taking over and there’s a wide variety of reasons for this.
Fleet managers critical to business success as cost pressures mount
Fuel is the biggest target for cost savings, cited by a third (33%) of fleets, with more than two-thirds planning to introduce new fleet fuel strategies. This is closely followed by vehicle financing (29%), and drivers’ wages and overtime (28%). Three-quarters also said they were more likely to opt for cheaper tyres on their next purchase.
EV values starting to rally say BCA
Underlining that EVs are becoming increasingly affordable following the price realignment late in 2022, average values of £23,047 in May 2023 are significantly down on values seen at the peak of the market (calculated across a similar basket of product).
South Central Ambulance Service manages driving risk with DriverCheck
The Trust operates a mixed fleet of around 1,200 vehicles including around 380 frontline blue-light ambulance response ambulances and solo response cars, mainly Mercedes Sprinters, Fiat Ducatos and Skodas, some 580 Patient Transport vehicles and around 280 company cars and vans, plus a number of HART (Hazardous Area Response Team) vehicles and some special response units up to 7.5 tons.
Charging hub opens in Croydon town centre
Located just off Waddon Marsh Way, next to Valley Retail Park, the new charging hub will offer an important EV charging resource to the people of Croydon including local businesses, taxi drivers and visitors to the area. The ChargeYard will deliver fast, accessible and affordable charging and will support an estimated 45% of EV drivers who are unable to charge their vehicle at home.
Ohme is new charging partner for the Norton Way Group
Norton Way Group has nine brands across 14 dealerships with the Honda, Kia, MG, Mazda, Nissan and Peugeot brands. The Group also includes the Carverse Used Car Supermarket, which opened in April 2022 and also Skoda and Citroen aftersales sites as well.
Nationwide Vehicle Contracts appoint Lundie as FD
In his new role as Finance Director, Lundie will contribute to Nationwide Vehicle Contracts' compliance and regulatory framework, ensuring the company operates within the highest standards of financial governance. He will also play a key part in strengthening commercial operations and nurturing relationships with funders, manufacturers, and dealers, providing valuable insights and strategic guidance.
LeasePlan tackles EV charging etiquette with launch of dashboard timer
Launch follows the recent move by Aberdeen and Sheffield city councils to charge drivers who stay too long in EV chargepoints. More local authorities are expected to follow suit in a bid to cut down long queues caused by the growing number of EV registrations.
Finding an EV-qualified technician is a postcode lottery
Data reveals the greatest proportion of EV qualified technicians in the automotive aftermarket workforce in some obvious locations such as London and the South East. However, it is a concern that there are also some big gaps in much of the central part of England as well as a number of London Boroughs
Restrictions on E Vans causing issues for operators
A special concession was created by the Department of Transport for electric light commercial vehicles in 2019 to recognise the extra weight added by batteries. However, fleets are finding that a range of other restrictions still apply. Because the van is classed as an HGV, it needs an MOT test after 12 months and is also speed restricted, while tachograph regulations come into effect if the vehicle travels more than 100kms from base.
