Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 25th April 2024 Issue no. 1111
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Mitie launches electric fleet in fight against climate change
Mitie has become what it believes is the first major facilities management company to announce that it will launch an electric fleet. The organisation has pledged to run at least 20% of its company small van and car fleet using electric vehicles within the next two years.
Mitie, which runs 3,587 compact vans and cars, has promised that 717 of them will be electric by the end of December 2020, to hit demanding emissions targets by 2030 helping avert a climate change disaster.
The liveried vans are a common sight on UK roads, but soon some will be powered by the latest Electric Vehicle technology. The company has already ordered a 400 electric small vans and cars to phase out polluting petrol and diesel vehicles as quickly as technology allows. The first electric models on order include Nissan E-Nv 200 vans and Renault Zoe, Hyundai Kona and VW e-Golf cars.
Mitie will install more than 800 charging points at its offices across the UK and at suitable home addresses of its drivers in a major infrastructure commitment. It is also in discussions with suppliers to negotiate a deal for renewable energy, which it plans to make available to its electric vehicle drivers, as well as using at Mitie offices, if energy suppliers support the approach.
The company has written to its fleet drivers confirming that in future, they will be expected to take an electric company van, wherever possible. It is also promoting the benefits of going electric across its workforce, encouraging people who have a company car as part of their benefits package to switch to electric. As well as being positive for the planet, it is positive for the pocket too as drivers of electric company cars are expected to pay a fraction of the tax on conventional vehicles, within the next few years.
The facilities management and professional services company also intends to help its customers to achieve similar transformations of their own fleets.
The recent climate change report by the UK Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned that there are just 12 years left to limit climate change catastrophe. The report said that limiting global warming to a maximum of 1.5C is necessary to cut the risk of extreme heat, drought, floods and poverty.
The Government has committed that 25% of its own fleet will be Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEVs) by 2022 and 100 % by 2030. Its Road to Zero Strategy aims for half of all new cars - and up to 40 % of new vans - to be ULEVs by 2030.
"As the UK's leading facilities management and professional services company, we want to drive change in our industry and this is an important step in the effort to combat climate change," explains Simon King, head of fleet and procurement, Mitie.
"We have a large fleet which we want to ensure is as green and sustainable as possible and show other companies making the switch to electric vehicles is the right thing for their people, the planet and their pockets over the long term.
"We know this will be a challenge, but Mitie is determined to pioneer this transformation and we are keen to take our clients on the journey with us by supporting them to make similar moves for their own fleets."
Mitie employs 54,000 people across the country, looking after a large, diverse, blue-chip customer base, from banks and retailers, to hospitals, schools and government offices.
7th February 2019