Mitie has started the roll-out of its electric vans – part of plans to build the UK’s largest fleet of electric vehicles.
The new vans will join the 98 electric cars that Mitie already has in its fleet, following its commitment to switch 20% of its 3,587-strong car and small van fleet to electric by the end of 2020, equating to 717 vehicles; which will create the UK’s largest fleet of EVs while saving 4,000 tonnes of CO2 a year, according to the firm.
Mitie’s eco commitment, already recognised in Gold Certification from Masternaut, will see some 200 Mitie EVs due to be on the roads by the end of this year and a further 300 already on order, putting it firmly on track to meet this target. This will be supported by the installation of around 800 electric vehicle charge points at employees’ homes, Mitie offices and customer sites.
And the facilities management giant has also committed to switching its full fleet of 5,300 vehicles to electric by 2030, subject to the availability and affordability of the right vehicles and adequate public charging infrastructure, as part of the EV100 campaign.
Simon King, fleet and procurement director, Mitie, said: “We’re delighted to see Mitie’s first-ever electric vans join our fleet, as our electric vehicle commitment rapidly becomes reality. Given that we run one of the UK’s largest fleets, with our 20% by 2020 pledge I’m proud that we’ve already set an ambitious target that sees us at the forefront of EV adoption.
“While we’re well on track to meet our goals, we all need to go further faster, if we want to limit the impact on climate change. We’re already looking ahead past cars and small vans, to see how we can get every other Mitie vehicle, from larger vans to scaffolding trucks and gritters, switched to electric as soon as possible.”
