The critical importance of having champions in your business or local authority for fleet electrification was highlighted in a panel session today at the Fleet Electrification Forum.
Assistant Director of Corporate Fleet at Islington LBC, Chris Demetriou, spoke to Contracts Manager at Westminster City Council Ed Yendluri, and Business Development Manager at the Energy Saving Trust, Laura Atkinson, about the progress so far at local authorities.
Demetriou said he was a “firm believer that local authorities should lead the way on decarbonisation”, and asked Yendluri about Westminster’s journey, which will result in a 100% electrified fleet by the end of next year.
Yendluri said it was key to get alignment across all the stakeholders. He added that when the local authority started the process it “was an uphill struggle”.
According to Yendluri, it was important to get the drivers of the vehicles involved, as they became champions of electrification – including at union meetings, and helped drive the transition.
Laura Atkinson added that a fleet manager needed to be an “internal advocate who is a credible manager” for the transition, and who can bring everyone together.
When asked by Demetriou about what challenges local authorities still had, such as the initial ‘frightener’ of upfront costs, she said it was important to start work early in the process.
She added: ” Thinking ahead is absolutely crucial. Look at your energy requirements throughout the day.
“Do the analysis of the existing fleet and then work out what it will look like for a decarbonised fleet.”
Yendluri agreed, and said you “need to do a lot of homework”, making sure you have the background on the numbers, on the total cost of ownership, and on the impact on air quality.
