The regulatory context: what do you need to know?
The process of electrifying a company car fleet must take account of the regulatory context linked to mobility, and meet the requirements of existing regulations.
In particular, there's the Loi d'Orientation des Mobilités (LOM Law), which comes into force on December 26, 2019, and will aim toframe and promote the switch to electric vehicles among private individuals and professionals.
Feel free to read our article dedicated specifically to the subject of the LOM Law.
For more information on the regulatory context, and in particular the LOM law, please see our complete guide to electric vehicle fleets.
You can also find all the government's information on the LOM law on the dedicated page at ecologie.gouv.fr.
How do you convince employees to buy an electric vehicle?
The first way for a company to equip its employees with electric vehicles is to convince them of the relevance of this acquisition. In fact, before you start renewing your fleet of vehicles, it's essential to find out what your employees think about switching to electric vehicles, and whether they agree with this approach.
The challenge is to convince your employees of the benefits of switching to electric vehicles, both for your company and for them, as users of these vehicles.
If your company's employees are sensitive to the deployment of a Corporate Social Responsibility(CSR) policy, then it's a good idea to highlight theecological and environmental benefits of acquiring a fleet of electric cars.
In addition, the strengthening of the regulatory framework in favor of the development of clean cars is a key variable to communicate to your employees, to highlight the need to make the transition to electric vehicles.
To find out more on the subject, take a look at our article on ways to convince your employees to buy an electric car.
Obstacles to electrification
Nevertheless, it is possible that some of your employees are against going electric for various reasons:
- Non-belief in electricity
- Unfamiliarity with the electricity market
- Reluctance to change vehicles
- Concerns about recharging time and vehiclerange
- Complexity of the switch to electric
- Lack of financial capital
These are just some of the reasons why employees may be reluctant to purchase an electric vehicle.
Also, at Beev, we developed the article 10 myths about electric cars.
The challenge for the company is to overcome this reluctance and offer its employees solutions that suit them.
Our support at Beev
At Beev, we offer a turnkey solution that will enable you to :
- make up for the current lack of information on the electric vehicle market
- defuse the complexity of switching to electric power
So we're with you every step of the way, with the aim of simplifying the complex process of electrifying a company fleet.
Determining the best electric vehicle model for your employees
The type of electric vehicles you choose for your employees will depend on various factors linked to their needs:
- their use
- their function
- the nature of their movements
- the price of the vehicle
- delivery times
In fact, the choice of electric vehicle model will depend on the functions carried out by employees, according to the nature, frequency and duration of their journeys.
If your employees are accustomed to making long journeys as part of their duties, it would be worthwhile turning to a utility vehicle such as the Peugeot e-Expertor the Citroën ë-Berlingo Van or the Nissan Townstar Electric.
On the other hand, if your employees use their company cars for more limited journeys, mainly in town, for example, to make local trips to other company offices, they won't need an electric van.
In fact, if employees' travel needs are limited to local journeys, it will be more interesting to equip them with an electric city car adapted to city driving, such as the Renault Twingo ZE, l'Opel Corsa-e or the Peugeot e-208.
The price of the vehicle is also a variable to be taken into account, depending on the budget you have available for renewing your vehicle fleet. The budget also depends on the number of employees requiring a company car for business travel and, once again, on the nature and length of these journeys.
At Beev, we also offer electric vehicle leasing, with various rental options for professionals:
- LOA (Lease with Purchase Option)
- long-term leasing (LLD )
- LMD (medium-term rental)
In addition, the current problem of longer delivery times for electric vehicles, mainly due to the shortage of semiconductors, may also be a factor to consider if your company's business requires electric company vehicles within a fairly tight timeframe.
This variable can lead you to choose one vehicle rather than another, depending on availability at the time of purchase.
Take a look at our article on the 8 electric cars immediately available from Beev.
Determining the most suitable charging solution
Once you've decided which model of electric vehicle to choose, you'll then need to decide which type of recharging system you'd like to offer your employees, based on the characteristics and specific features of your fleet.
You'll need to determine :
- type of charging station (single or double, connected or unconnected, free-standing or wall-mounted...),
- terminal power
- the location of your recharging points (in your company car park/at the employee's home),
- use of charging points (free/paid)
When you install charging stations in the workplace, you can offer a free recharging solution accessible to all your employees. In this case, the cost of recharging will be deducted directly from your energy bill, enabling you to limit the cost of recharging points.
However, it should be noted that in the case of on-site installation, and if the building housing your company parking lot is concerned, you will also need to take into account the pre-equipment phase. This is a compulsory step to prepare the parking lot for the installation of charging stations for electric vehicles.
In the case of installation of a charging station at the employee's homeyour company will need to be able to reimburse the cost of its professional use, which may entail higher costs.
Tax benefits for your company
There are also tax advantages to electrifying your company fleet, and it's important to be aware of them. In fact, the purchase of electric vehicles for your employees is accompanied byfinancial aid.
This aid covers both the purchase and leasing of electric vehicles, with the introduction of an ecological bonus for professionals, and a conversion bonus that can be combined with the ecological bonus. They also cover the purchase or leasing of electric vehicles, and the installation of charging stations for these vehicles.
There's also the Advenir subsidy, available to professionals and enabling companies to cover 20% of the cost (excluding tax) of supplying and installing charging points. What's more, switching to electric vehicles offers undeniable savings over the use of combustion-powered vehicles.
In fact, according to the results obtained by the UFC-Que Choisir association and reported in an article published byAvere-France, the savings achieved through use, combined with purchase subsidies, make an electric car "up to 5% less expensive than a combustion-powered equivalent, even 28% for a second-hand model and up to 37% for a third-hand vehicle".
To find out more about the particularities of fleet electrification, read our complete guide to the subject and ensure the success of your electric transition.
Conclusion
Equipping employees with electric vehicles represents a number of challenges that need to be addressed and thought through in advance. First of all, it's important to explain the importance of switching to electric vehicles to your employees, to get them on board and facilitate the electrification process.
It's also vital to find the right support to ensure the success of the project, and to renew your fleet in the best possible way, without difficulty. This means finding the right type of electric vehicle for your employees' professional needs, as well as the most suitable type of charging station and recharging solution.
That's why our Beev experts are here to advise and support you in the renewal of your fleet.
Have you answered all these questions? If so, you already have a clear vision of your project and the steps you need to take to equip your employees with electric vehicles.
We'd be delighted to answer any further questions you may have, and to support you in your transition to electric vehicles. Don't hesitate to call on us to make your project a reality.
