The new car supply situation for some fleets is worsening and remains extremely patchy for almost all, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is reporting.
Paul Hollick, chair, explained said that feedback from across its membership showed that serious problems were persisting and causing increasing operational disruption.
“This is, of course, a worldwide problem caused by worldwide issues, ranging from demand for raw materials to semiconductor shortages through to, more recently, the war in Ukraine hitting manufacturing of key components.
“However, it is also a problem that is very much affecting fleet managers in the UK and we are hearing many stories that suggest the situation is worsening, at least for certain businesses, and show no apparent signs of improving.
“Some fleet managers are telling us that drivers are having to go through the process of choosing a new car half a dozen times before finding one for which a manufacturer will even provide an production slot – and that date is likely to be a year or more away.
“Other manufacturers have closed their order books either completely or for certain models. In general terms, PHEVs have become very difficult to acquire and it seems that production is being skewed away from them towards EVs, probably because of CAFE regulations.
“Even when cars can be obtained, they are often being delivered without meeting the order specification. The wrong colour is fairly commonplace but equipment is often missing – parking sensors seem to be a particular issue – with no resulting adjustment in price.
“All of these problems exist for petrol and diesel cars but can generally be doubled for EVs.”
Paul said that, in these situations, fleets had little choice but to continue operating their existing cars for as long as possible but with new car shortages now in their second year, there was increasing pressure on managers.
“The situation creates two sets of problems. The first is that the car is ageing and difficulties with keeping it on the road in a cost effective manner increase over time. Some cars are now being operated into their fifth year and will probably still be on the fleet in their sixth because they cannot be replaced. These are unchartered waters in maintenance terms.
“The second is an employee satisfaction issue. Drivers who are keen to move into EVs but simply cannot get hold of the right model are having to continue to pay benefit in kind on ageing and increasingly unattractive diesel models, with no solution in sight. There is no easy answer to this situation and it does cause some disruption.”
Paul added that AFP members had become adept at swapping information about vehicle availability during the last year or longer.
“One of the key advantages of AFP membership is the ability to network extensively with fellow professionals and there is certainly much conversation taking place at the moment about when and where cars are becoming available.
“It is very difficult to know when the underlying supply issues will start to noticeably improve but with the degree of order backlog that exists, we don’t expect to see any real change for at least a year or probably longer.”
The Association of Fleet Professionals Fleet Academy is now an IMI (Institute of The Motor Industry) Approved Centre for training.
Ronnie Gillman, training manager at the AFP, said: “We are delighted to have become an IMI Approved Centre.
“The aims and objectives of the AFP are closely aligned with those of the IMI and it is an important seal of approval. We work to elevate the standards of management in the fleet sector and help the current and next generation of fleet leaders put new skills and knowledge into action. We want learning and development to be available to everyone in the fleet industry – there are no qualification pre-requisites to attend our courses. They are designed to get everyone involved, enabling delegates to develop their professional skills, gain recognition and further their career.”
Steve Nash, CEO of the IMI added: “The fleet sector plays a fundamental role in the UK economy. The IMI is, therefore, delighted to see the commitment being made by the Association of Fleet Professionals to elevate the sector’s standards with its Fleet Academy which is now an IMI Approved Centre. We look forward to working together to help extend continual professional development across the sector in the years to come.”
The AFP’s Fleet Academy was launched at the start of 2022. The Fleet Academy is an evolution of the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM), with the training based on the same course structures, professional trainers and range of resources. The AFP was formed two years ago by uniting the ICFM with the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO).
Details about all of the AFP’s courses, including pricing, dates and locations, is available at Education & Training – AFP (theafp.co.uk)
Company car and van drivers need to be given practical advice on home charging, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is reporting.
Paul Hollick, chair at the industry body, said that there was often an assumption that drivers would just know how to use their domestic charger – one that was frequently proven wrong.
He explained: “In terms of the EV transition, we are seeing a lot of attention given to public charging – to whether it can be easily accessed, its costs, compatibility with apps and so on – but comparatively little is being said about home charging.
“However, we are hearing from our members that drivers often don’t know much about home charging beyond how to connect their vehicle. It does seem to be an area where parties such as employers, manufacturers, charging providers and organisations such as the AFP need to fill the gap. Simply, knowing a few basics will help drivers to get the most out of their electric car or van, as well as keeping costs low.”
The two key areas where advice was needed centred around charging vehicles overnight irrespective of whether it was needed and accessing power at times when it was cheapest.
“Our members are finding that many new EV drivers are treating their new vehicle in the same way as they might their mobile phone. They come home and they plug in their car or van overnight, no matter what the state of charge.
“This isn’t good for mobile phones and it isn’t good for EVs. You shouldn’t seek to top up your vehicle continually but let the battery run down to the point where it needs charging if your journey pattern allows. Many experts recommend keeping the charge in a 20-80% range.
“Also, charging in the early evening is usually the highest rate for power companies and is much better done in the early hours, when it tends to be a lot cheaper. Accessing the lower rate can make a substantial difference to EV fuel costs.”
Paul added that the AFP had received requests from fleets wanting to hold short orientation courses for new EV drivers covering charging and more.
“Employers want to ensure that employees know how to charge their vehicles but additionally, recognise how to adapt their driving style, such as using regenerative braking and a ‘one pedal’ approach. This can all be covered in a couple of hours. It’s obviously important that people adopting electric cars and vans develop good habits early on.”
More information about fleet electrification can be found in the members’ area of the AFP web site – www.theafp.co.uk.
The UK’s top 20 local authorities with the highest need for kerbside charging in order for company van drivers to adopt electric vehicles have been named by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).
They are headed by Birmingham City Council, City of Edinburgh Council, London Borough of Croydon Council, Glasgow City Council and the London Borough of Newham. Local authorities in London feature heavily, accounting for nine.
The findings are based on the AFP’s new national kerbside charging map, which was unveiled last month and shows – for the first time – exactly where UK businesses need kerbside charging to be installed close to the homes of their van-driving employees.
The creation of the map was a two-part exercise. First, net zero analytics consultancy Field Dynamics produced a dataset that scored each household on whether there was space to park and charge a van for the country’s 28 million homes. This was then overlaid with records containing the addresses of 75,000 van drivers employed by AFP members.
The map is aggregated to a level of the UK’s 408 local authorities and the rankings are based on the number of drivers in each area who need kerbside charging.
Paul Hollick, AFP chair, said: “The requirement for kerbside charging remains the single biggest obstacle to the adoption of electric vans for businesses. Without the ability to charge overnight, the whole operational model quickly falls apart.
“We believe that around 60-70% of fleet van drivers need kerbside charging installed near to their home in order to use an electric van. Our aim is that each of them will have facilities installed within a safe 4-5 minute walk.
“What the map does is provide our members with hard data that allows them to approach partners such as local authorities and charging providers, and show exactly where chargers need to be sited. This is a crucial step forward.
“These new rankings are a good indication of the places where most work needs to be done. What they have in common is that these are heavily populated, urban areas where there is a large proportion of homes without driveways such as terraced houses and apartments.”
Paul added that the AFP was very keen for more fleets to add their data to make the map ever more complete and would like to hear from businesses who would be able to contribute van driver information.
He said: “This data is, of course, anonymised and handled in accordance with all relevant regulations. Details are available on our web site or by e-mailing us.”
A summary of the map is available from the AFP web site at https://ev-hub.theafp.co.uk/ev-kerbside-charging/ while a detailed version can be obtained by e-mailing [email protected].
The rankings in full are:
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].
Some daily rental companies are beginning to turn down fleet business in favour of higher margin consumer bookings, the Association of Fleet Professional (AFP) is reporting.
James Pestell, AFP Director, said that businesses were finding no vehicles were available using corporate rental online portals but then discovering that if they visited a rental outlet in person, they could hire a car or van at a retail rate using a credit card.
“We’re not saying all rental companies have adopted this as a policy and we are not saying that, even within the same companies, it is happening uniformly across the country – but it does certainly seem to be happening, according to feedback from our members.
“To some extent, suppliers doing this is understandable. Most of them are operating reduced fleets in a time of high demand, so it makes commercial sense for them to be employing their assets in markets where bigger margins are available.
“On the other hand, fleets are regular and reliable customers for daily rental and often have longstanding relationships with their preferred rental suppliers. Their needs should arguably be given due consideration. Certainly, we suspect that many of our members would rather be given the opportunity to have conversations about rates than simply be shown zero availability when there are vehicles available for rent.”
James said that rental shortages were currently a regular topic of conversation among AFP members, with widespread discussions about the difficulties that were being faced.
“It’s a situation that is showing few signs of improvement and may even get worse before it improves. Rental companies – like everyone else – simply can’t access new vehicle supply in the quantities they need.
“However, it does create difficulties for fleet operators in all the usual instances when rental vehicles are needed – to cover vehicles that are off the road for repair, for new employees, for temporary contracts and more.
“Some fleets are keeping hold of vehicles that they would normally have defleeted to use as pool vehicles as an alternative but this is far from a perfect solution, with the vehicles often in the wrong locations for the current need.”
A shortage of daily rental vehicles is causing a wide range of problems for businesses affecting everything from maintenance to taking on new starters, the Association of Fleet Professional is reporting.
James Pestell, AFP Director, said that the issue had been affecting van short term hire for some time but had now started to spread to cars, becoming a common subject of discussion among AFP members.
“The problem is that many daily rental companies defleeted large numbers of vehicles during the pandemic and, because of the semiconductor shortage affecting car and van production, have found difficulty in replacing them. Even when they can get stock, they are having to pay something closer to list price, which has not historically been their business model.
“As a result, fleets have found themselves in a situation where booking rental is very difficult, prices are rising quite quickly and, even if you can get hold of a vehicle, the supplying company will often ask for it back at some point to fulfil other pre-existing bookings.
“This is happening at a time when fleets themselves are in situation where, again because of vehicle production issues, they actually need more cars and vans from rental companies. It is becoming a genuine headache on a daily basis for many operators.”
James explained that problems reported by AFP members were widespread and varied.
“Having to delay servicing and repairs is an issue because relief vehicles are often unavailable while cars and vans are off the road. Clearly, this has operational implications from a risk management point of view that require careful handling.
“Similarly, there are few rental vehicles to provide a fallback when breakdowns occur, meaning downtime is becoming a more and more serious problem, interrupting fleet operations and adding to costs over time.
“Also, getting hold of rental vehicles for use by new starters while waiting for their company car to be delivered is tricky, especially for the kind of timescales that are now needed with new vehicle waiting times often tipping into 6-12 months.”
James added that there was no immediate solution to the problem in sight and that effective fleet management strategies were few.
“Probably the single most effective thing that fleets can do is to hang on to some of the vehicles they would normally defleet to use as pool vehicles in place of rental provision but that in itself creates problems with keeping them in a roadworthy condition while they are often not stored in the locations where they are ultimately needed.
“The underlying problem is that there are simply too few vehicles around and, until production issues are resolved, the situation will persist.”
Van electrification expert Paul Kirby has been added to the speaker line-up for the Association of Fleet Professionals’ (AFP) first-ever annual conference, which will take place at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on May 18th.
He will discuss his own ideas and experiences as well as moderating a discussion called “The Trouble With Vans” which covers the issues that businesses are facing on their journey to eLCV adoption. Other speakers on the panel include Colin Hutt of Clarion Housing, Matt Hammond of Altrad, Stuart Murphy of Royal Mail, and Steve Openshaw of Eric Wright.
Paul operates his own EV Essentials company and has worked within the motor industry for more than 25 years, notably as a van specialist for a number of companies including Vanarama and LeasePlan.
AFP chair Paul Hollick said: “Van electrification is among the topics at the top of the fleet agenda at the moment with many businesses tackling a range of practical issues from charging to payload, and we are very pleased to be able to include Paul and the other panel speakers as part of our line-up. We are sure that they will have some very interesting observations that delegates will be able to take away and apply to their own situations.”
He added that Mercedes-Benz had signed up as a platinum sponsor for the AFP Conference, alongside Allstar and Mina.
“Obviously, corporate sponsors play a huge part in making an event such as this possible and we’d like to sincerely thank the three companies that have come on board in this capacity. Their contribution is very much valued.
“We’ve already had delegates fill around 60% of the available capacity. Places are limited, so we advise people to register as soon as possible.”
Registration is at https://www.theafp.co.uk/conference/ and open to AFP members only.
A special webinar about its recently-launched Dealer Standard has been announced by the Association of Fleet Operators (AFP).
Being held on Wednesday 20th April at 9.30am, it will feature AFP board members James Pestell and Ric Baird alongside Zoe Lawson, head of corporate sales at Marshall Motor Group, all three of whom were involved in the accreditation’s development.
Topics covered will include why and how the Standard was created, its aims, what it includes, the benefits to all parties involved, monitoring and feedback processes, and how fleet operators, service providers and dealers can get involved.
The AFP Dealer Standard is a 28-point accreditation designed to ensure that fleet cars and vans are delivered in a consistently good condition to the end user, who is given a comprehensive handover that covers new technology, particularly if they are taking delivery of their first electric vehicle.
Marshall, Inchcape and Sytner have become the first major motor retailers to commit to the Standard, and more look set to soon follow suit, said Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP.
He said: “We’ve been very pleased with the initial response to the launch of the Dealer Standard from across the fleet and dealer sectors. It has been extremely positive.
“Our intention was always that the accreditation should become used right across the industry by all dealers and fleets and we’ve made an excellent start towards that objective.
“Indeed, we are already hearing from some major leasing fleets that they are planning to work in the future only with dealers who commit to the Standard, which would certainly help to accelerate its adoption.
“We’ll be discussing these issues and more as part of the webinar, which will serve as an excellent introduction for any organisation interested in finding out more.”
The webinar is open to all interested parties and details can be found at https://www.theafp.co.uk/webinars/dealer-standards-launch/.
New government plans for the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure unveiled on Friday have been broadly welcomed by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP), saying they deliver “most of” the measures for which the professional body has been campaigning.
The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Strategy commits £1.6 billion to the creation of 300,000 public charge points by 2030, as well as placing new legal responsibilities on charging providers covering means of payment and other factors.
AFP chair Paul Hollick said: “We need more chargers of the right type in the right locations to support the massive EV rollout of cars and vans to which the fleet sector is committed.
“It’s an area in which we have been campaigning heavily, including conversations with the government, and we are pleased to see that most of what we have been asking for is covered in the new announcement.
“The challenge now is to ensure that the rollout that the strategy promises happens at the right pace, matching the development of the EV parc in terms of both numbers and location of charge points.
“We also need to ensure that the right type of charge points are available, especially those with larger bays that can handle larger electric vans. This is something that is essential for fleet adoption of these vehicles.”
Paul added that the AFP’s Kerbside Charging Group would be reporting within 4-6 weeks on its work into the creation of a national “heat map” showing where driver demand for kerbside charging was required.
“We’ve drawn in data covering something like 70,000 drivers of company cars and vans who live in apartments or terraced housing, don’t have the option of installing off-road charging, and need access to kerbside facilities.
“The aim of the Kerbside Charging Group is to ensure that there is a safe and secure kerbside facility within a five minute walk of their homes. The creation of the heat map is a significant step in this process, we believe, and we will be sharing the data with national and local government as well as charge point operators.
“Our intention is that the new information is fed into the new government strategy and used as a detailed guide to where charging provision is most urgently needed.”