Making Electric Cars Attractive for Businesses

Electric cars are on the verge of entering the motoring mainstream, if they haven’t already managed it. An electric motor produces no emissions directly; it’s cheaper to run, and it won’t contribute to climate change in the way that a traditional internal combustion engine does.

With all of that said, there remain some significant obstacles to widespread adoption, especially among risk-averse business. Transitioning the economy into this brave new world of battery-powered transport means assuaging these concerns, and providing businesses with the tools and insights necessary to manage them. But what does this mean in practice?

Extended range and charging infrastructure

Range anxiety has long prevented motorists from making the switch to electric. The thought of being stranded at the side of the road, miles away from any charging station, and with no way of getting back home that doesn’t involve a tow truck, is enough to give anyone second thoughts.

Thankfully, there are two ways to address this problem. The first is to make batteries more efficient and capacious. This is something that is already happening: a Tesla Model 3 can travel hundreds of miles on a single charge – something that would have been impossible for the electric cars of yesteryear.

The other part of the solution comes in the form of the charging infrastructure. If businesses can be confident that there is a charging point nearby, in the same way that we can all now be confident that there’s always a filling station nearby, then the anxiety will begin to dissipate. Some businesses might take things a step further, and actually install charging points on their own premises.

Denbighshire is one of many North Wales authorities looking to invest and improve public access to electric vehicle charging points, with the largest multi-electric charging hub recently coming to Rhyl  (pictured above).  As more and more authorities and visitor attractions follow suit, North Wales is fast becoming an attractive destination for EV owners.

Competitive pricing and total cost of ownership

Another major problem is money. Electric cars, as yet, are not quite as affordable as their counterparts. This goes even when we account for improved efficiency and the cost of a basic car service.

However, the balance is shifting – and when electric cars do become feasible for the majority of motorists, it’s like that we’ll see a rapid transition, as battery-electric manufacturers are able to scale up production rapidly, and thereby slash their per-unit costs.

Incentives and tax benefits

The current Conservative government is committed to slashing the nation’s carbon emissions. It’s likely that an incoming Labour government would be even more ambitious. One of the most important levers they have to pull is the road tax system. As it stands, the amount we pay is strongly linked to the emissions we create. Vehicles that don’t have exhausts will pay very little, if anything. On top of that, there are the Clean Air Zones being rolled out in major cities. For businesses based in and around these cities, these new charges make the decision to switch to electric that much simpler.