Supporting EV transition with workplace charge points at Arval

As one of the leading sustainable mobility providers, Arval made a conscious decision to enable its staff to talk from first-hand experiences of driving an electric vehicle (EV), adapting its workplace in the process so that other organisations could understand the steps involved in transitioning to an electrified company car fleet One of the key influencing factors for Arval in the electrification of its own company car fleet was the ability for its employees to charge their EV at the workplace. This case study explains the journey that it undertook, in order to help other organisations better understand the entire process it went through in installing 50 chargers at its UK headquarters in Swindon.

• 130+ Arval drivers signed up and still growing

• 50 charge points installed at its Swindon office (43 for Arval plus 7 for other tenants on site)

• More than 50% of eligible employees have already switched to an EV

• Average fleet CO2 reduced from 78g/km to 37g/km in 2020

THE MOTIVATION

As one of the UK’s largest sustainable mobility providers, Arval UK has an influence over the vehicles that its customers select, and is committed to supporting energy transition. At the same time, its market is changing as demand for more sustainable vehicles grows. In this context, the aim was to introduce charge points for Arval employees and visitors to the Swindon site to use. In doing so, it hoped to encourage adoption of sustainable vehicle technologies and help ensure that drivers of plug-in vehicles were charging them regularly.  Within the Arval Group, a charge point installation had already been completed in the Netherlands, which provided a useful precedent for this project. 

HARDWARE

The 43 charge points which NewMotion, Arval’s specialist partner, fitted were 22KW chargers with Type 2 connecters. A Government subsidy covered the cost of 20 of the EV points; not the licenses or installation, but just the hardware (at the time of installation the Office for Low Emission Vehicles provided a Grant of up to £500 towards the cost of the EV point to a maximum of 20 points per company). They were positioned towards the front of the car park, within 100 yards of the actual office building, on concrete parking spaces. Because its offices are shared with other companies, it was important that the points were sub-metered. This was so that Arval and the landlord could accurately measure electricity usage from the points.

THE PROCESS

Starting in February 2019, the end-to-end process took around 4 months, from planning, through implementation and into go-live, with the first-points being operational in May of the same year. Throughout the planning phase, Arval built a working group of key business stakeholders to ensure business buy-in, awareness and support. The project also had the support of its Executive Committee and was sponsored by the HR Director. During this process, it communicated regularly with the landlord and other companies in the building, as it was also aware of the potential impact to them. 
The actual installation process took 4 weeks. This meant restricting access to the spaces where the points were being installed. A phased approach was taken to minimise disruption and reduce the number of parking bays which were inaccessible at any one time. 
Something it had to consider as part of the installation was loss of building power – for periods across three weekends, the electricity was shut down as part of the install process. This was because a new cable had to be fitted into the building’s power board. Staff downtime was of course a consideration, but restricting the shut downs to weekends helped to mitigate this. 
The installation was followed by a two-week period of testing before the full roll-out. This was essential in working through practicalities and minor issues within a controlled, but real-world, environment. 

PRE-LAUNCH

In parallel, an internal communications programme was used to engage with employees. A programme of awareness emails supported roadshows to introduce employees to the charging sites, the surrounding framework, and the practicalities of how they would work. It generated interest, understanding and demand ahead of launch. Employees who signed up were issued with a charge card which could be used on the Arval points, the wider NewMotion UK network, and more than 150,000 charge points across 35 countries. They needed to sign up to activate this, with further instructions and drop-in sessions provided for anyone having issues.

THE IMPACT

Human Impact

Employees responded really positively to the installation, with very little resistance. For existing staff and new starters, it meant that alongside free onsite parking, Arval could now also offer onsite EV charging. 
It also took the decision that employees would be able to charge at work for free for the first six months from go live. This decision was made to encourage engagement and usage, and it has since made the decision to roll this on for at least a further 12-month period (although COVID-19 has dramatically reduced usage as many employees work from home). 
An interesting spin off is the development of an internal EV community, which seems to have informally developed, with employees sharing points and cables, agreeing switch-over-times, and working together to ensure that everyone gets a chance to charge their vehicle, even at peak-times. 
Although limited, any negativity came from employees not able to benefit from the points because they weren’t driving a plug-in vehicle. But with a new salary sacrifice scheme in place, a revised company car scheme, continued low Benefit in Kind taxation, and as more plug-in vehicles move into the used market, it is likely that more EVs will become accessible to a broader demographic. 
Mindful of employees not being able to park near the front of the building, as many of these spaces are now allocated to EVs, it was also decided that any spaces not being used by the afternoon would be made accessible to the wider employee base. Although with more EVs now on fleet, occupancy is growing all the time (or at least it was until COVID-19 had an impact).

Environmental Impact

In the first year after launch, Arval had saved more than 32 tonnes of CO2. With around 60% of employees living within 15 miles of the office, they have the potential to complete their weekly commute purely on electric, and those with home chargers can do this from even further away. Eco-challenges have also ensued, as one employee in a plug-in hybrid with a home charger set a personal challenge to complete as much of their driving as possible on electric, therefore avoiding the need to refuel. Over a 7-week period, charging at home, at work, and at selected public charge points, they used less than a tank of fuel (petrol) and completed 1,415 miles. Arval has also been able to use this initiative to increase awareness and understanding of the benefits of plug-in vehicles across its employee base. The tangible impact is hard to measure, but it hopes it will make a positive difference and it’s seen a dramatic increase in employees opting for an EV as their company car, since it rewired its existing company car scheme to boost fleet electrification.

Financial Impact

As mentioned previously, Arval covered the cost of charging in 2019-20 and took the decision to extend this approach into 2021. Following consultation with HMRC, it was confirmed that there is no BiK impact for employees at the present time. If it were to start charging employees for the use of the EV points (which may happen in the future), a fair tariff would need to be set, consistent with the price paid for the electricity. 
There was a significant up-front investment for Arval in installing these points. However, with research already available, notably from the International Council on Clean Transportation, suggesting that EVs cost less to operate than petrol and diesel cars, it hopes to prove the cost and practicality arguments for itself. Key to this is providing drivers with convenient access to charge points so that they don’t need to deviate from their route, or spend considerable downtime charging.

Considerations before embarking on a project like this

Who owns the property:

If you don’t own the building, it’s essential to gain the right permissions from the landlord. Where you operate in a shared building, it’s important to identify the impact on other tenants, be clear on potential disruption and share that information in advance. 

Location

A site survey by the supplier is crucial to understanding the electric capacity, current site demand, number of charge points that can be installed and the optimum locations. On a practical level, you need to locate the points fairly near to a mains electric point to minimise cost. That’s one of the reasons why charge points are often located close to buildings. 

Demand:

With the growth in plug-in models available on the market and taxation driving people towards lower emission cars, it’s important not just to plan for current demand, but also to try to anticipate future demand. Installing the points in a phased way, using a modular approach, is a good idea so that capacity can grow as demand does. 

Fledgling Technology

As software and hardware evolve, and especially if the technology is new to you, it is important to work closely with your supplier to ensure a smooth integration process. 

Electricity Availability:

There were no issues at Arval as there was high availability into the Swindon building, but in other areas the grid can be restricted. For this reason, it’s important at the planning stage to look at electric contracts and to contact your electricity provider for advice. 

Policy

You don’t need to have all the answers on day one. Arval spent a long time working on a policy to manage and police the points. Howev er, there’s no substitute for adapting to real world behaviours and taking a creative approach to solving any issues which arise.

RESULTS AND NEXT STEPS

• More than 32 tonnes of CO2 saved in the first year
• Increased employee satisfaction 
• Over a 7-week period an employee used LESS than half a tank of fuel 
• 112 of an eligible 200 employees have now opted for a full electric vehicle

From this project, Arval UK has seen a dramatic increase in demand for more sustainable vehicles within its own fleet of company car drivers, where 112 of an eligible 200 employees have now opted for a full electric vehicle. It also expects this number to accelerate in the coming years, as model availability, choice and infrastructure continue to increase. 
Since the Swindon launch, the landlord at its Manchester office has also upgraded and increased the number of EV points using NewMotion. Monitoring and reporting will be ongoing and Arval continues to learn. As usage grows and availability reduces (which it anticipates over time), it is likely it will be required to mandate the use of a NewMotion app. This can be used to prompt employees to move their car once it’s charged, and make waiting employees aware of free spaces. 
Arval, as part of the BNP Paribas Group, supports the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the blueprint to achieving a more sustainable future for everyone. Through the activity detailed in this case study, we have supported SDGs.