‘Soaring’ fleet interest in kerbside charging prompts new AFP webinar

A new kerbside electric vehicle charging webinar is to be run by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) on the back of soaring fleet interest in the subject.

Taking place at 9am on Wednesday 15 December, the event will see AFP chair Paul Hollick lead a discussion featuring members of the industry body’s new Kerbside Charging Group – formed in October to solve the ‘last stumbling block’ in fleet EV adoption.

The group includes fleet managers from many major organisations that are committed to rapid electrification of their operations, such as Royal Mail, Centrica, OpenReach, ISS, DEFRA, Kier, Mitie, VM O2, Marston Holdings, Capita, National Grid, SSE, Speedy Hire, J Murphy and Clarion Housing.

Paul Hollick said: “Since the formation of the new group in October, we have received massive interest from all kinds of fleets. It is no exaggeration to say that we are seeing interest in kerbside charging soar.

“There is a fundamental reason for this – for many businesses, it is the single largest hurdle to EV adoption, especially when it comes to electric vans. If a driver lives in an apartment or a terraced house with no driveway, the installation of kerbside charging is crucial.

“The group believes that although it is generally believed 40% of drivers do not have a driveway, that for commercial vehicle drivers, this figure is closer to 70%.”

The core task for the group – and likely the main focus of the discussion at the webinar – is the creation of a national map showing where kerbside charging is needed, based on data from operators. It will provide a guide to future provision priorities.

Hollick added: “This is, we believe, an essential task and should open the door to much more widespread fleet EV adoption, much faster, than would occur if government and charging companies were simply trying to estimate where provision was required.”

To register for the webinar, click here.