Businesses will play a vital role in reducing New Zealand’s carbon emissions through the transition to more sustainable transport. And with the launch of the Clean Car Discount scheme on 1 July 2021, the NZ Government has kick started the journey for many New Zealand businesses with the introduction of the rebate for eligible low emission vehicles.
New Zealand vehicle leasing company, FleetPartners, has seen a huge increase in interest in PHEV (Plug in Hybrid) and BEV (Battery only) vehicles since the announcement.
Even though FleetPartners has been transitioning larger businesses to low or zero carbon vehicles for a few years already, it hadn’t seen the take-up or interest from the small business market in New Zealand, and that’s because generally EVs have been a lot more expensive to purchase or lease than their ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) equivalents.
Melanie McHardy, Team Leader for FleetPartners’ Business Direct team who look after their small business customers says, “The Clean Car Discount has now allowed more businesses to consider hybrid and electric vehicle options for their business vehicles.
“Previously, these conversations were few and far between, but now 90 percent of our conversations are about leasing a PHEV or EV. Before, it just wasn’t on their radar due to the perceived cost barriers.”
FleetPartners will pass on the Clean Car Discount rebate to customers that lease an EV or PHEV by way of reduced monthly lease rentals. FleetPartners will manage the rebate directly with NZTA, making the process hassle-free for customers with operating leases.
FleetPartners’ Director Dennis Kelly says “It’s been great to see the action taken by the NZ Government with the Clean Car Discount rebate. It has sparked a huge amount of interest and many of our customers want to do it, but they don’t know how to get started.
“From our experience in this space with transitioning some of our larger customers like NZ Post for some years now, we know that transitioning your fleet is not a simple ‘replace with EV’ approach.
“It requires a carbon strategy, an understanding of your fleet’s mission or purpose, selection of the right vehicles for the job, designing the right charging solutions, and bringing your team on the journey.”
Kelly says, “Not only is there a positive impact on the environment, but there is a strong business case for switching to hybrid electric vehicles (HEV), plug-in hybrids (PHEV) and BEVs with potentially lower fleet operating costs and an enhanced reputation for the business as it becomes more sustainable.”
Ahead of the Clean Car discount announcement, FleetPartners combined their expertise into the format of a guide to help their customers with an overview of the step’s businesses should take in switching fleets to EVs.
Director Dennis Kelly says, “The 5 Step Journey to Carbon Zero guide covers all the things a business needs to consider when transitioning to EVs and was created using our experience helping customers transition to sustainable fleets.”
Many studies show that battery electric vehicles (BEVs) produce about 80 percent less CO2 emissions over their lifetime (including manufacturing and recycling) compared to an ICE vehicle.
Transitioning to a lower carbon fleet is becoming more of a focus for boards, executive teams, entrepreneurial start-ups and fleet managers, as EV and hybrid make and model availability grows and charging infrastructure reach increases.
Kelly says “We are finding that customers value the informed advice we can provide.
“In many cases now we are doing a detailed assessment of the customers current state of a fleet in terms of CO2 footprint. We then map out a transition plan to a future state with a shift in mix of vehicles that are still fit for purpose, but which results in much lower carbon footprint.
“This analysis and resultant information often ends up at Board and shareholder level as a strategic initiative for the business to implement.”
The 5 Steps to Carbon Neutral contains information that is relevant for any fleet manager or business owner looking to transition from ICE vehicles to hybrid and electric alternatives, whether you have one, 20 or more than 500 vehicles.
You can download FleetPartners’ Get on the Journey to Carbon Zero eBook at https://content.fleetpartners.co.nz/carbonzero-ebook
