ELECTRIC cars have so far failed to create a buzz around SMEs and company car drivers.
That’s in no small part to their limited range, tricky charging and quirky styling.
Not to mention the ever-compelling argument for their increasingly economical petrol and diesel equivalents.
But this could all be about to change.
Business car leasing specialist, Alphabet, has announced plans to launch AlphaElectric.
AlphaElectric is a new consultancy service to help businesses accurately assess the suitability of electric vehicles (EVs) like the Nissan Leaf, and range-extending hybrids like the Vauxhall Ampera, for their company car fleets.
Alphabet says the new AlphaElectric programme “will underpin the company’s low carbon agenda as part of an overall business mobility strategy”.
The scheme, run by Alphabet’s eMobility team, will include personalised EV consultancy, comprehensive and complete charging solutions at work and at home, and flexible packages to ensure that alternatives are available where electric vehicles are not appropriate.
With Renault and Nissan already ahead of the game when it comes to electric plug-in vehicles, other manufacturers are hot on their heels.
BMW is set to launch its innovative range of i cars this year (click here for more on this), while Ford is looking to reveal its plug-in Focus in the coming months.
The BMW i3 will take just a few hours to charge and is arguably the most significant entrant to the electric-car market, from an SME point of view, since the Nissan Leaf arrived in 2010. (Read our car review of the Nissan Leaf.)
Said to be an industry first, AlphaElectric aims to provide businesses with a totally impartial consultancy service from start to finish. The scheme covers all makes and models of electric business cars and is set to launch in the UK in September 2013.
Alphabet has consistently spearheaded new mobility solutions for businesses, such as its AlphaCity car-sharing club.
Ralph Morton has just driven a BMW ActiveE. Click here to find out what he thought.
