Arval has more than doubled the number of electric vehicles on its UK fleet in the 12 months to the end of June.  

Commercial director Joel Lund said Arval’s increase in its EV fleet was the result of its efforts to heavily promote the advantages of EVs to existing and new fleet customers

The company says it’s currently registering percentages of electric cars and vans far in advance of the SMMT’s ‘true fleet’ figures and has seen a 102% growth in its EV fleet, from 11,225 to 22,630 units in the last year. EVs now represent 12.2% of its total fleet – up from 6.4% at the same time last year.  

The total figure breaks down into a 98% increase in the number of electric cars to 21,639 and a 249% rise in electric light commercial vehicles to 991.  

Joel Lund, commercial director, Arval UK, said the increase was the result of Arval’s efforts to heavily promote the advantages of EVs to existing and new fleet customers.  

“Our consultancy team have worked hard at constructing both mainstream fleet and salary sacrifice schemes that meet the needs of employers and employees, helping them to transition to electrification in a manner that maximises benefits and minimises disruption.”  

Arval’s work has also seen it open up its choice of EV manufacturers and secure supply of several major models, despite the current industry-wide supply shortages with all vehicles including EVs.  

“We are finding that when fleets and drivers make the decision to electrify, they generally want to do so within a relatively short timescale and being able to provide vehicles within a reasonable timeframe is a significant advantage,” added Lund.   

Arval has also been advising operators to open up choice lists to include a broader range of manufacturers, making the most of the available supply, in particular for lower grades, and helping drivers reduce their Benefit-in-Kind taxation levels at a time when the increased cost of living is a major concern.  

Lund also said that while take-up of electric light commercial vehicles currently trails electric cars by some distance, this situation is expected to change in the next couple of years.  

“You can see from our figures that the picture for electric vans is similar to the electric car market around five years ago. However, the introduction of some new and impressive models should help to change this situation quite rapidly, as well as a growing understanding of how to use electric vans operationally in a manner than maximises their benefits.  

“In a year or two, we expect to see a completely different picture as more commercial vehicle fleets start on the journey to electrification.”