UK 2030 BAN FOR PETROL AND DIESEL PERFECT FOR BUSINESS (AND OUR ENVIRONMENT)

In mid-November, Boris Johnson announced that any vehicles powered entirely by petrol or diesel would no longer be sold in the UK from 2030. In a move to accelerate the switch to alternative fuels, the Prime Minister outlined a wider 10-point plan for a ‘green industrial revolution’ and here at EVHire, we couldn’t be happier.

Launched in 2017, EVHire recognised the need to encourage consumers towards more environmentally friendly vehicles. At the time, the choice of performance electric vehicle (EV) models was singularly a Performance Tesla Model S P100D rental. EVHire then expanded the fleet with a number of Performance Model X P100D rentals when they too became available. 

But the lack of performance car choice on the EV market forced founder Daryl Pearce to sustain the business in a less than ideal ways. Pearce explains,

“We bought a Lamborghini Huracan and Ferrari 458 Italia. While these were popular cars, and arguably good for business, they simply weren’t attracting the kind of clientele we were looking to target. We’re not a supercar experience company. We’re on a mission to help commuters break the monotony of their weekend drives with new experiences.

Since those weekend drives are usually to places around the UK of outstanding natural beauty, we want our business model to reflect our commitment to the environment as well as the future of electric mobility.”

The news of the ban has Pearce excited. His initial experience of the Tesla Model X is one he feels every driver should put on their bucket list. Indeed, many of the customers that hire the electric vehicles EVHire has on fleet, which now includes the multi-award-winning Jaguar I-Pace, use the service as a ‘try before they buy’. 

So far as Pearce is concerned, the decade-long anticipation of the ban will galvanise a focus on improving infrastructure, increasing the range of choice in models and broaden the education piece needed to convince consumers to switch. 

“EV ownership is different from traditional car ownership aside from it being much cheaper in terms of fuel and maintenance, post-purchase of course, you rarely visit a ‘service station’ environment, be it petrol station or other forecourt.”

Pearce says this is because the majority of daily miles can be fulfilled on a home charge. The right planning for days out or longer drives means familiarity and volume of destination chargers (chargers found in places where ‘dwell time’ is high, such as shopping centres or national parks) will be better. Though such planning arguably requires a change in consumer behaviour, Pearce believes this is where EVHire really comes into its own, enabling customers to see if an electric car fits into their lifestyle at a fraction of the cost to buy one. 

“Being a part, albeit small, of that education piece is really great for our business. The sooner we can all be driving zero emission vehicles, the better for us and the environment.”

All these positive steps is only good news for EVHire. Since the eventual goal of the business is to be fully electric, the next decade enables his team to phase out the stylish, though fuel-thirsty fleet of luxury SUVs, including the Mercedes G63 AMG and the Lamborghini Urus and replace them with the raft of exciting all-electric options coming through, such as the Porsche Taycan Turbo S rental.

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