Fleet and business vehicle operators could collectively save more than £17m a year in London Congestion Charge payments by switching to plug-in cars and vans.
A Freedom of Information request by Citroën to Transport for London found that TfL collected £17,422,351 in business payments for use of the Congestion Charge zone between October 2019 and September 2020 – equating to more than £1.4m per month. That’s despite a freeze in the Congestion Charge from 23 March to 17 May 2020 due to the pandemic.
And the charge actually went up in June, increased 30% from £11.50 to £15 and with extended operating hours and now operating seven days a week; part of the conditions for a government bail-out.
Plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles are currently exempt from the daily payments, providing significant savings, although only pure EVs will be exempt from 25 October 2021 onwards.
As such, Citroën says its 100% electric ë-Dispatch van and ë-C4 C-segment hatchback are ideal for businesses operating in London, not only cutting Congestion Charge payments in London but also other running costs; according to Citroën UK’s analysis, the total cost of ownership for a new ë-Dispatch van could be less than 50% that for an equivalent diesel van.
Eurig Druce, managing director of Citroën UK, said: “Electric vehicles such as new ë-C4 and ë-Dispatch van are ideal for business and fleet users. Not only do they suit a variety of driving conditions, their zero emissions capability results in no Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) payments. As our latest research shows, businesses also stand to make significant savings in other areas – including Congestion Charge zone payments.”
