A new national map that shows – for the first time – where UK businesses need kerbside charging close to the homes of company van drivers has been unveiled by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
The map shows where drivers employed by AFP member companies need kerbside charging in order to adopt an electric vehicle (EV). The underlying database contains 75,000 records and the map and statistics are aggregated to local authority level.
Key findings include that nearly four out of 10 homes (38.7%) are without off-road space that would enable chargers to be fitted for an electric panel van. Overall, 65-70% of AFP van drivers need kerbside charging installed.
Paul Hollick, AFP chair, said: “As businesses move to electrify their company vehicles ahead of the Government’s 2030 deadline, the high number of drivers without space available off-road to have a charger installed is a major obstacle to electrification. This is especially the case for electric vans, whose drivers are much more likely to live in a terraced house or apartment and lack this kind of parking.
“In these locations, kerbside facilities need to be installed in order for crucial overnight charging to take place – and the new map has been created in order to show national and local government, as well as charging providers, exactly where these new chargers are needed by our members.
“It means that fleet operators can engage in conversations directly with these partners about how quickly charging can be installed. It’s very much a situation where, until facilities are available, it is very difficult for electric vans to be adopted. Our aim is for kerbside charging to be made available within a safe 4-5 minute walk for all of these employee drivers.
“The situation is exacerbated by the fact that many publicly available charging points are simply not big enough to take a panel van. For electric vans to become widely used by fleets, a massive upgrading of the general infrastructure is essential. “
The map was produced by net-zero analytics consultancy Field Dynamics. Partner Charlie Gilbert said: “We’ve created the data based on a driver having space for a typical electric van – in this, case, a Vauxhall Vivaro E – looking at 28 million homes in 408 lower level local authority areas. The map shows overall driver footprint demand with more detailed statistics about higher and lower kerbside charging need areas.
“We’ll be updating the map on an ongoing basis and are looking for it to be used by as many interested parties as possible.”
Paul added: “We’re very keen for more fleets to add their data to make the map ever more complete, and we’d like to hear from businesses who would be able to contribute their van driver information. This is, of course, anonymised and handled in accordance with all relevant data regulations. Details are available on our web site.”
The map was unveiled at the AFP conference, which centred on electric vehicles and was held at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon. It attracted more than 230 delegates.
A summary of the map can be seen here while a detailed version can be obtained by e-mailing [email protected].
An initial line-up of speakers has been announced for the Association of Fleet Professionals’ (AFP) first-ever annual conference, which will take place at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on May 18th.
They include David Fisher of Virgin Media O2, Charlie Gilbert of Field Dynamics, Matt Hammond of Altrad, AFP chair Paul Hollick, Colin Hutt of Clarion Housing, Stuart Murphy of Royal Mail, Lee Jackson of Marston Holdings, Fleet Manager of the Year Steve Openshaw of Eric Wright, James Rooney of Centrica, Stewart Taylor of Police Scotland and Duncan Webb of ISS. More will follow.
The sessions planned cover EV Charging Infrastructure – looking at EV hardware and software solutions for fleets; The Trouble with Vans – a panel session covering the issues fleets are facing when deploying electric vans; Kerbside Charging Activities – presenting data gathered by the AFP from the UK’s top 20 fleets; Delivering a Smart EV Highway Charging Solution for Your Vehicles – using data and telematics to monitor EV use and optimise your fleet operations; and Salary Sacrifice Deployment – how to deploy a success EV “salsac” scheme to your employees.
Coronavirus has prevented the industry body from holding an event of this kind since its formation from the merging of ACFO (Association of Car Fleet Operators) and the ICFM (Institute of Car Fleet Management) in March, 2020, explained chair Paul Hollick.
“The AFP finds itself in the unusual position of being a major industry body that has never been able to provide its members with the opportunity to all meet in the same room, so we are very excited about the conference.
“Not only will it be a chance for fleet managers to get together, network and swap best practice ideas, but the speakers we have been able to secure so far are among the most knowledgeable in our sector.
“We’re concentrating on EV (electric vehicle) adoption and operation as our subject area because it is the overriding fleet topic of the moment and we are sure that anyone who attends the conference will learn a wealth of useful information.”
Awards will also be presented on the day to members who have achieved AFP accreditations since the organisation was launched and there will also be sessions from Allstar Business Solutions and MINA, who are event sponsors.
Registration is at https://www.theafp.co.uk/conference/ and open to AFP members only.
AFP membership options start at £99. Find out more about the benefits of joining the AFP here.
Marshall, Inchcape and Sytner have become the first major motor retailers to sign up to the new Dealer Standard from the Association of Fleet Operators (AFP).
The 28-point accreditation – launched at the end of February – is designed to ensure that fleet cars and vans are delivered in excellent condition to the end user, who is then shown the fundamentals of how to operate the vehicle and always treated courteously.
Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, said: “We’ve been very pleased with the initial response to the launch of the Dealer Standard and to have three such large and well-respected motor retailers become part of the initiative so quickly is very gratifying.
“Our intention was always that the Standard should become used right across the industry by all dealers that work with fleets and the commitment of these organisations represents an excellent start towards that objective.”
He added that a number of other major dealer groups had also expressed a strong interest in joining the programme and their names would be announced as they signed up in the coming weeks.
“Furthermore, we are also talking to a number of vehicle leasing companies who are keen on making the standard part of the obligations of their preferred dealer supplier networks, which would create substantial additional momentum”
Marshall served as part of the consultancy process when the AFP was creating the Dealer Standard, and Zoe Lawson, head of corporate sales, said that they were delighted to now commit to its requirements.
“From the outset, we believed that this was an excellent idea that would help to ensure that fleet customers across the motor industry received an excellent level of service and we’re very happy to now be part of the scheme following its launch.”
Motor retailers who are interested in joining the Dealer Standard should visit www.theafp.co.uk/afp-dealer-standard/ or e-mail [email protected] for further details. On committing to meet its requirements, they pay a fee and become a member of the AFP. The Dealer Standard logo can then be used in marketing materials and tenders to promote their participation in the programme.
Wow, what a night for many AFP Committee and Board members at the Fleet News Awards!
Huge Congratulations to:
AFP Board Director Debbie Floyde of Bauer Media, who was inducted to the illustrious Hall of Fame.
Committee Member, Steve Openshaw of Eric Wright Group for winning Fleet Manager of the Year and Fleet of the Year 251-1000
Committee member Gareth Jones and the team at Speedy won Excellence in Fleet Safety and Compliance
AFP Board Director Lorna McAtear of National Grid who won Wellbeing, Diversity and Inclusion in Fleet
And lastly well done to committee member Heidi Thompson and the team at Mitie for winning Fleet of the Year – more than 1,000 vehicles
And it doesn’t end there! Well done to committee member Lee Jackson and all at Marston Holdings who were highly commended for Most Improved Fleet and Fleet of the Year – more than 1000 vehicles. Congrats to both Lorna McAtear, National Grid and committee member Aaron Powell, Speedy Asset Service who were were highly commended in the Fleet Manager of the Year category. And further congratulations to Heidi Thompson and all at Mitie who were highly commended in the Excellence in Fleet Safety and Compliance and Environmental Fleet Trailblazer categories.
Quite the night!
You can see all the winners here. Congratulations to all of you!
We are saddened to hear of the death of Vic Barnes, who passed away on Friday 25th February. Vic was 89.
Vic had a long and distinguished career in the fleet industry, principally with CMA Auctions (now Manheim) in Leeds.
Vic was a strong supporter of ACFO, and held the post of Regional Chairman of the North-East region for many years; Vic also served as a Director of the Association. He retired from the Board in 2003, but continued as a very active member of the North East Region for a number of years.
Vic was largely responsible for organising a number of very successful Regional Balls for ACFO which raised thousands of pounds for a range of worthy charities.
We will share information about Vic’s funeral once known.
Have your say! Read about the campaign we’re involved in with BVRLA and Fleet News to urge the Government to maintain confidence and clarity on BIK and future tax rates for battery electric vehicles (BEV) https://www.bvrla.co.uk/resource/fleet-industry-warns-that-lack-of-tax-certainty-could-stifle-ev-adoption.html. Get involved by downloading these documents and take action.
BiK certainty letter – employer
BiK certainty letter – employee
Fleets should think carefully before buying new company cars that have had safety devices removed from their specification because of the semiconductor shortage, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is warning.
The organisation says that there are a number of issues to be considered – from ethics to risk management responsibilities to future residual values.
Paul Hollick, AFP, chair: “We appreciate that the semiconductor shortage is leaving manufacturers with some tough production decisions to make and some have decided to delete what might be described as non-core safety equipment such as lane departure warning and rear parking sensors.
“Our view is that fleets should think carefully before buying these vehicles. From a risk management point of view, there is a moral and potentially also a legal issue in terms of operating some vehicles that are known to be potentially less safe than would normally be the case.
“Similarly, although safety equipment has not historically had a significant effect on vehicle residual values, the trade will know that these are ‘decontented’ cars and are likely to price them according in three or four years at disposal time. The impact on overall operating costs is difficult to assess.”
Paul added that ongoing vehicle shortages caused by the semiconductor shortage were prompting a range of issues for fleets.
“There are predictable problems such as ensuring that cars and vans that are being operated for longer are maintained to a level that ensures they remain fit for purpose. This is relatively simple but can be expensive and does require a lot of attention to detail.
“However, probably the most frustrating issues are the delays that are being caused to fleet electrification programmes. There are relatively large numbers of drivers with an EV on order who are facing the prospect of driving their existing diesel for another 6-12 months.
“Not only is there annoyance at the enthusiasm for EV adoption that exists being hindered but the practical fact that much higher benefit-in-kind taxation bills are being paid for much longer than expected. Additionally, many of these new EVs will now have life cycles that end beyond the current benefit-in-kind taxation tables, which adds a further layer of uncertainty.”
Driving at Work has been the fleet industry ‘bible’ for legal risk management standards for many years, so any change is significant, and these revisions do mark quite a major shift. They mean that any business that uses gig economy workers or contractors now have the same responsibility for their drivers and vehicles as any other part of the grey fleet – and that means, of course, they are on the same footing as for their own company cars and vans.
This is potentially impactful. Increasing numbers of vehicles have been operated for businesses outside of usual fleet bounds in recent years, especially as we have seen massive growth in all kinds of home delivery, ranging from internet retail giants to fast food. All of these drivers and vehicles now clearly fall under the same area of legal responsibility as any other company car or van.
Really, the big question here is the degree to which these businesses will move to comply? Levels of grey fleet compliance are arguably not that high and it is perhaps unlikely that your local sandwich delivery business will quickly adopt all of these measures. At the other end of the scale, there may also be resistance from people such as large internet retailers, who might pursue a similar third party argument to that used by Uber in terms of employee rights.
The AFP sees grey fleet as a major area of focus, with webinars and guides being produced in this area, as well as having a specialist Risk, Compliance and Health Committee. This new development makes all of this work even more relevant. However, it should be noted that this is an area where fleet managers can struggle to take control because of lack of support from their board or other departments, who are often slow to acknowledge the need for compliance.
A new electric vehicle (EV) charter and accompanying training course have been launched by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
The charter commits the organisation to fast-tracking the adoption of EVs in the UK, supporting members through electrification with a helpline and administrative assistance, providing best practice documents and education, and lobbying government on the conditions needed to reach the 2030 cessation of the sale of petrol and diesel cars.
The EV Fleet Manager Training Course lasts one day and will be held for the first time online on 16th March, 2021. It covers topics including evaluating your current fleet and assessing the potential to electrify, analysing the cost and carbon benefits of transitioning to electric, developing the infrastructure to support electrification, and how to measure ongoing progress. The cost will be £349 for AFP members and £449 for non-members, and it will be repeated regularly based on demand.
Also, the AFP has launched three core best practice documents for fleets looking to switch to EVs. The first is aimed at employees and is called Myth Busters, designed to explain the benefits of driving an electric car. It is accompanied by EV Policy Deployment Hints and Tips, and EV Policy Wording and Guidance, the latter intended for insertion into individual fleet organisational policies.
Paul Hollick, AFP chair, said: “We believe that 2021 will be the year of fleet electrification and, as the fleet industry’s leading professional body, we fully intend to play our part.
“There has been a lot of work going at the AFP in recent months to produce the charter, the new course, and the new documents – especially from our electric vehicle committee – and these developments should be of considerable practical assistance to fleet managers beginning to transition to EVs in real world conditions.
“We are placing a great deal of emphasis on the outstanding EV expertise that exists within the AFP and believe that it will attract more fleet managers to join the organisation over the next few months.”
All of these initiatives were launched at a webinar entitled “Introducing Electric Vehicles – Upgrading Your Policy and Implementing Your EV Roadmap” which was attended by more than 100 delegates late last week.
Paul added: “The high level of attendance for the webinar shows the level of interest that exists for EVs in the fleet sector. There is genuine enthusiasm and a thirst for knowledge from fleets of all types and sizes.
“Our first EV documents have been concentrating on electric cars but we are now preparing similar initiatives for electric vans as more models start to become available during 2021. We are very fortunate to have both our LCV Committee and our EV, Alternative Fuels and Low Carbon Committee looking into this topic.”
To find out about the fleet charter and the new training course, please contact the AFP Administration Hub on [email protected]. The three new fleet documents can be downloaded HERE.
Fleet owners have the opportunity to join in on 3 days of learning and networking through the completely virtual event for FREE!
Simply register here: and join us for some fantastic sessions from some excellent speakers form around the world