A report published by Alphabet has found that the UK national lockdown and social distancing rules led to the transformation of the urban centre, especially when it came to transport and travel. Not only did travel and traffic decline throughout the country but many people’s habits changed. The adoption of electric cars and vehicles continued to accelerate throughout the pandemic leading to a record market share of new vehicle registrations in August and September.
Alphabet’s research found that 24 percent of consumers said an electric vehicle (EV) or plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHEV) would be their next vehicle, while 40 percent were strongly considering an EV or PHEV their next car. This is a dramatic increase from 19 percent at the end of 2019.
The research also found that people would like businesses to follow suit with 55 percent saying they felt delivery vans should be electric. One in three respondents said they would be happy to pay extra for this.
Alphabet also found that companies who adopt electric fleets not only experience lower running costs, but benefit significantly in terms of brand perception and preference. There are also increased incentives available for companies that switch to electric.
Nick Brownrigg, Alphabet CEO, said: “The pandemic has had a huge impact on people and businesses, fundamentally changing how we move around and use our cities.
“While we can’t be sure of the long-term impact, it’s clear a lot of these changes are here to stay, and for fleet managers’ flexibility becomes ever more important. People are adopting new habits and behaviours so it’s key that digitalisation and sustainability are central to any fleet strategy.”
