A new voluntary industry standard covering dealer deliveries of cars and vans to fleet customers is being launched today by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).

The AFP Dealer Standard consists of 28 points covering pre-delivery standards, the condition of the vehicle on handover and familiarisation with its key functions.

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, explained: “The Dealer Standard is quite simple in its intent – to ensure that the vehicle is delivered in excellent condition to the fleet end user, who is shown the fundamentals of how it works and treated courteously.

“The need for this kind of benchmark has become apparent over time as a number of factors have emerged. Probably the most significant is that cars and vans have been rapidly becoming more complex. The time when a driver could sit in the seat of a new model and work out all the key functions in a couple of minutes are long gone.

“Modern vehicles require a degree of familiarisation on handover – especially in instances where drivers are adopting an electric model for the first time – in order to be used safely and effectively.

“At the same time as this requirement has become essential, issues such as the pandemic and supply issues have placed dealers and the logistics sector under considerable pressure, meaning that handover standards have varied considerably. What we hope to encourage is a high degree of consistency in important areas such as ensuring that vehicles arrive with a high level of charge.”

Paul said that the AFP intended for the Dealer Standard to be rapidly adopted as an industry benchmark on a voluntary basis.

“Dealers can sign up to the Standard for a fee by getting in touch with the AFP and committing to meet its requirements, at which point they also become a member of the organisation. They can then use the Dealer Standard logo in marketing materials and tenders to promote their participation in the programme.

“We have, of course, been talking to major dealers as part of the creation of the project and there is a high degree of interest. They recognise the importance of getting this crucial element of the fleet customer experience right and the first few who have decided to take part should be announced within a few weeks.”

Further details about the AFP Dealer Standard can be found here.

Making grey fleet operations low-carbon is going to one of the major challenges of the next few years, says the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP).

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, said that the contrast in emissions between rapidly-electrifying company car schemes and employee’s own vehicles was becoming increasingly marked.

“By the end of this year, and certainly looking into 2023, it’s likely that many major fleets will have something like a 30-50% rate of EV penetration. They are well on the way to becoming zero emissions fleets.

“However, the rate of change for grey fleet is much, much slower. Among private motorists using their car for work purposes, those opting for PHEVS and EVs are still very much the outliers and that situation may well persist for a while.

“For organisations who are determined to work towards low-carbon and net zero futures, this is a genuine issue and, we believe, one of the major challenges for fleets over the next few years.”

Paul said that there were actions that fleets could take and make part of their fleet policies in order to attempt to accelerate change.

“Probably the most obvious solution is a EV-based salary sacrifice scheme. These are currently very attractive while electric car taxation remains low and represent an attractive potential benefit to many employees. Also, because they are operated by third parties, they require little additional resource from the fleet department.

“It is also essential to ensure that infrastructure and reimbursement to support grey fleet EVs is being properly managed. That might mean helping grey fleet drivers who are keen on PHEV or EV adoption to install charging at home or, if they don’t have a driveway, to access charging elsewhere. It also means ensuring that reimbursement for charging is being carried out correctly, something that current AER rates don’t always cover.”

Paul added that, ultimately, fleets might need to take greater control over grey fleet vehicles that are being used for company business in order to achieve their environmental aims.

“It may be that, over time, you have to set standards so that only vehicles that meet ever more stringent emissions targets are used as part of your grey fleet operations. However, it is difficult to know what will happen to petrol and diesel vehicle prices and residual values as we head towards 2030, and the financial impact on employees will very much need to become part of your calculations over time. They may not be able to afford to make the transition.

“It may well be it is inevitable, towards the end of the decade, that fleets have to use more rental and pool cars as a substitute for grey fleet in order to ensure that only low and zero emissions vehicles are used on company business.”

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has announced its first-ever annual conference, to take place at The British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on May 18^th.

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, explained that the Covid pandemic had prevented the industry body from holding such events since its formation in early 2020.

He said: “The timing of the creation of the AFP and the arrival of coronavirus means that almost all of our events to date have been digital, so we are very pleased to be able to unveil the plans for our annual conference and to see everyone in-person.

“It is open to all AFP members and will focus heavily on a range of topics surrounding the adoption of electric cars and vans, which is very much the headline subject of the moment.

“This will include a look at the EV charging infrastructure at home and in the office, how to reimburse your drivers for home charging costs, delivering a smart EV highway charging solution for your vehicles, salary sacrifice deployment, and using data and telematics to optimise your fleet and monitor your EVs.

“Mercedes-Benz is on board as our first sponsor and we hope to attract interest from a range of businesses to support the conference and become involved in the event.

“We’ll be announcing more details about speakers soon, as well as how to register, but May 18^th is a date that all serious fleet operators should be adding to their diary, we believe.”

Poor electric vehicle (EV) supply is becoming a major threat to fleet electrification plans and the situation is unlikely to improve in the near future, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) is reporting.

The issue is significantly affecting electric cars but the situation for vans is even more acute and means that some businesses are even considering adding petrol and diesel vehicles back onto their choice lists, said Paul Hollick, AFP chair.

“We are in a position where many company car drivers are placing huge pressure on their employees to move them into EVs because of the current benefit in kind advantages but the supply to satisfy that demand is very frequently unavailable.

“Some manufacturers are even asking fleets to take certain EVs off choice lists because they simply do not know when any orders might be able to be fulfilled and, to fill the gaps, some employers are considering readopting ICE (internal combustion engine) vehicles, which seems like a deeply retrograde step but might be the only practical solution.”

The situation was leading some fleets to employ unusual methods in order to attempt to obtain stock, Paul added.

“Because their usual supply sources are failing, they are using social media such as LinkedIn to issue general appeals for any leasing companies that can provide vehicles of the type they need. This creates a potential issue by taking them outside of trusted supply arrangements.”

Similar issues were especially threatening industrywide efforts to begin adopting electric vans during 2022, he explained.

“Many of our members were expecting that this year would provide a genuine opportunity to begin electrification of their light commercial vehicle operations but it appears as though supply is even poorer than for cars with delivery dates for many models unavailable.

“This creates a real conundrum. Ongoing supply issues mean that many are now operating vans that are sometimes more than six years old. They really need changing for basic reliability and safety reasons but delivery times are unavailable for the electric replacements that businesses want to acquire.”

A final problem was being encountered by some fleets and their drivers finding it difficult to get home charging installed because of similar supply issues to those affecting vehicles.

“Semiconductor shortages are at the heart of most EV supply disruption and the same is true of chargers. Some drivers who have been able to get cars or vans are therefore unable to charge them effectively. This is creating a further layer of frustration.

“Certainly, there is a view emerging across our organisation that the current situation makes the government’s 2030 rule for complete production electrification look increasingly optimistic. The nearest time that it appears supply might normalise is well into 2023 and it would now require a huge effort to meet the official deadline.”

Advice on car and van electrification from the AFP can be found at https://ev-hub.theafp.co.uk.

Field Dynamics has been appointed as the data partner to the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) for its recently-announced national electric vehicle (EV) kerbside charging demand map.

The online resource, expected to be launched at the end of Q1, will show where fleet drivers reside who need kerbside charging, generally because of living in a property with no drive, meaning private charging cannot be installed.

Charlie Gilbert, partner at Field Dynamics, explained: “This project will involve harvesting, cleansing and processing information largely provided by the AFP’s project team members, who are supplying data from their fleets at postcode geographies.

“We will then develop a methodology to compare this fleet footprint data with information about on- and off-street households to provide a view of which fleet drivers are in local authorities where there is high kerbside charging demand.

“The online map we then construct will be public facing and available for everyone to query and interrogate.”

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, added: “We’re pleased to be able to appoint Field Dynamics to this project and start to move forward with construction of the map, which we aim to promote to central and local government, charging providers, power companies and others.

“Initially, we expect to use data from AFP major fleets operating EVs totalling about 160,000 drivers but have also issued a general data call from any businesses across the country that might be able to contribute.

“Every day we are hearing from fleets, especially van fleets, that want to speed up the electrification of their operations but are being hampered by the problem of charging for drivers who do not have off-road parking or any other access to a charger.

“This is generally thought to be about 40% of drivers across all fleets but, when it comes to light commercial vehicles, we believe the figure to be nearer 70%. That means good availability of kerbside charging is essential if van electrification is going to be a success.”

Field Dynamics is a leading net zero data analytics consultancy that performs advanced data science and spatial analysis, as well as creating bespoke modelling solutions. Much of its work is delivered using its cloud intelligence platform, the Accelerated Insight Platform.

Its projects span both the public and private sector with clients covering leading management, strategy and transport consultancies, distributed network operators, charge point operators, government departments and local authorities.

Fleet operators interested in contributing data to the AFP project should visit https://ev-hub.theafp.co.uk/ev-kerbside-charging/ to indicate their interest and a member of the AFP will call them to discuss how the process works. All information provided will be anonymised to avoid breaching GDPR regulations.

For more information on the Kirbside charging project, click here.

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has unveiled the new AFP Fleet Academy with an extensive programme of training for 2022.

The launch marks the moment when the AFP takes over all professional tuition activities from the Institute of Car Fleet Management (ICFM). The AFP was formed almost two years ago by uniting the ICFM with the Association of Car Fleet Operators (ACFO).

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, explained: “The launch of the AFP Fleet Academy is effectively the last remaining business from the merger between ACFO and the ICFM, and is a very exciting moment for us.

“Over the last year, we have been integrating all of our courses and bringing ICFM members into the AFP. We are now ready to launch our new programme, which we believe provides an outstanding framework for fleet professionals looking to enhance their skills.

“Interest in training across the fleet sector has been increasing in recent years, especially since the start of the pandemic, something that has been prompted in part by a desire to keep on top of emerging trends such as mobility and electrification. We are well-placed to meet this demand.”

The AFP’s 2022 core training programme, based on the previous ICFM structure, offers professional accreditation at three levels – Introductory, Strategic and Advanced – while there are also specialist courses covering electric cars and vans.

Introductory Fleet Management is provided online specifically for new entrants to the industry, enabling them to develop an understanding of vehicle management and policies. It is delivered as online self-paced learning and those who complete the course receive the Introductory Certificate in Fleet Vehicle Management.

Strategic Fleet Management is the benchmark standard for those employed in the co-ordination and management of vehicle fleets, structured around five core competencies – managing communication, establishing processes for administration, understanding fleet vehicle funding and finance, vehicle acquisition and remarketing, and interpreting legislation.

This course leads to the Certificate in Strategic Fleet Vehicle Management as well as Professional of the AFP (PAFP) status, equivalent to the ICFM’s MICFM. It can be taken as self-paced online learning or as a trainer-led face-to-face course consisting of three, two-day modules for groups of up to 12 participants. The latter take place in Tamworth on 22-23rd February, 5-6th April and 7-8th June; and in Leicester on 10-11th May, 5-6th July and 18-19th October; with a further cohort starting in November to be confirmed.

The Advanced Fleet Management course is designed as the ultimate professional standard, helping develop the advanced knowledge and skills required to run complex fleet operations with modules covering leadership, vision and achievement, planning and delivery, managing finance in complex projects, and developing teams.

It leads to the Diploma in Strategic Fleet Vehicle Management, along with Fellowship of The Association of Fleet Professionals (FAFP), equivalent to the ICFM’s FICFM accreditation. Trainer led face-to-face teaching takes place in three, two-day modules for groups of up to 12 participants. Dates are available by contacting the AFP.

The two electric vehicle (EV) courses each last for one day and are designed to help businesses plan their transition to electric cars and vans, enabling participants to develop a structured approach that is right for their individual business.

For car operators, Making the Switch to Electric Vehicles takes place at locations across the country on 9th February, 13th April, 7th June, 4th October and 23rd November. For their van counterparts, Transition to eLCV Fleet will be held on 8th February, 12th April, 8th June, 5th October and 22nd November.

Details about all of the AFP’s courses, including pricing, dates and locations, is available at www.theafp.co.uk. Both of the electric vehicle courses can also be booked online.

Electric vehicle (EV) charging in rural areas and during storms that cause power outages were just two of the issues that fleets said they were attempting to resolve at an Association of Fleet Professional (AFP) webinar held today (15th December).

The session centred around the real world charging experiences of members of the industry body’s Kerbside Charging Group and featured James Rooney, fleet engineer, Centrica; David Fisher, fleet manager, Virgin Media O2; Dale Eynon, director, DEFRA Group Fleet Services; and Simon Gray, head of fleet and travel at SSE.

Dale explained that operating a fleet that largely functioned in rural places was presenting particular challenges: “Large parts of the areas that we need to reach have literally nothing in the way of charging facilities. The public infrastructure is currently very much based around motorways and A roads.

“There are potential solutions, however. One promising avenue is charger sharing, which means that we may be able to access private charging points on a pay-per-use basis using an app. We are also looking at increasing our return-to-base charging capacity, although this has limits.”

Simon explained the issues that the recent Storm Arwen had highlighted in terms of using EVs to respond to emergency situations.

“We had 700 engineers on the ground during Arwen who were trying to restore essential power to homes and businesses. The situation did raise a fundamental question – how do you keep EVs running during a power outage?

“We’re looking into answers to this conundrum and alternative resources may include options such as mobile chargers. Our view is that there will be solutions to this issue but that we just need to identify them.”

The meeting was also told about the AFP’s plans to draw up a national heat map showing where kerbside charging was needed. Based on feedback from 160,000 fleet drivers, this should be available early in 2022.

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, said: “Every day we are hearing from fleets, especially van fleets, that want to speed up the electrification of their operations but are being hampered by the problem of charging for drivers who do not have a drive or access to a charger.

“This is generally thought to be about 40% of drivers across all fleets but, when it comes to light commercial vehicles, we believe the figure to be nearer 70%. That means good availability of kerbside charging is essential if van electrification is going to be a success.

“We are in the process of a massive data gathering exercise among operators from both within and outside the AFP to gather postcode information for potential and existing EV drivers who need access to a kerbside charger.

“This is, we believe, an essential task and should open the door to much more widespread fleet EV adoption, much faster, than would occur if government and charging companies were simply trying to estimate where provision was required.”

The AFP’s next webinar takes place at 9.30am on Wednesday 19th January. Called “Alternative Forms of Transport Usage in Your Fleet Policy,” it is designed to help businesses taking their first steps towards adopting mobility solutions.

Anyone who would like to attend any AFP webinar can register through the organisation’s web site at https://www.theafp.co.uk/webinars.

Some unwelcome news today for fleets that are looking to buy EVs in the near future – the Government has suddenly and without notice cut the grants available to support their purchase.

The new measures mean that the car grant is now only available for cars costing less than £32,000, and falls to 35% of RRP up to a maximum of £1,500.

For light commercial vehicles, the grant has fallen to £2,500 for vans under 2.5 tonnes and £5,000 for vans 2.5-3.5 tonnes – or again, 35% of RRP. There is also a ceiling of 1,000 LCV grants for each fleet, although this doesn’t apply to leasing companies.

As long as any current car and van orders have already been logged with the manufacturer, the previous grant arrangements should apply but it is probably worth calling your dealer to ensure that this is definitely the case.

We’ve criticised previously the abrupt nature of these changes – the Government should be providing as much stability as possible around its policies when it comes to EV adoption – and this latest announcement, just 10 days before Christmas, very much illustrates why. While we understand there is not an unlimited pot of money available and grants will fall over time, the suddenness and relatively large reduction creates confusion and uncertainty at a time when businesses are taking electrification ever more seriously.

Further details will be provided as and when we have updates.

NEW FLEET BURSARIES ADDED TO AFP CORPORATE MEMBERSHIPS FOR 2022

 

A range of new fleet bursaries have been launched for 2022, designed to add value to corporate memberships offered by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) as well as increasing access to the organisation.

They mean that service provider members will be able to offer a number of AFP memberships to their own fleet operator customers free of charge. At platinum service provider level, four bursaries are included; at gold level, two; and at silver level, one.

AFP chair Paul Hollick said: “This move will add value for our corporate members, allowing them to provide a benefit with genuine value to a number of their own customers with a need for the kind of specialist support the AFP provides.

“However, the bursaries should also simply allow more people to join us. We’ve been having a debate within the AFP for a while about the fact that there is a huge demand for the services and support that we offer but quite often, those individuals that most need our help can’t get the membership fee signed off, even though it is as low as £99 for individuals. 

“The bursaries will provide a valuable new route into the AFP for some of those people.”

AFP corporate memberships for fleet service providers are priced at platinum (£2,000), gold (£1,000), silver (£500) and bronze (£299) levels offering graduated benefits including the number of individual registrations provided, discounts on training and other activities, and the degree of presence on the AFP web site.

There are also two levels of fleet operator membership. The £99 AFP Individual Membership is for single applications from individuals employed in any fleet operator role while the AFP Fleet Operator Membership at £299 is for companies that directly manage car or light commercial vehicle operations and provides membership for a single individual plus registration for other employees within the business who have a fleet stakeholder interest.

Membership benefits include use of the Member of the Association of Fleet Professionals (MAFP) designation and full access to the AFP and ICFM website member area that provides best practice process and procedural guides, an online library of reference material, and access to the AFP Fleet Directory. There is also support from the AFP helpline and unlimited attendance at AFP webinars, seminars and the annual national member conference.

Paul said: “We’ll be having something of a recruitment drive in 2022 for fleet managers because it does feel as though with issues such as post-pandemic fleet management and the drive for electrification, the AFP has a genuine responsibility as a professional industry body to make our expertise available to whoever needs it.”

Further details about joining the AFP can be found at theafp.co.uk.

AFP AND BVRLA CLAIM WIN FOR FLEETS AS  AER RATES INCREASED BY 25% 

 

News today that the Advisory Electricity Rates (AERs) for electric vehicles (EVs) have been increased by 25% have been greeted as a win for fleets by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) and British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association (BVRLA). 

The AER has been increased to five pence per mile, according to the HMRC’s web site, following intensive conversations with the two trade organisations.  

Gerry Keaney, Chief Executive, BVRLA, said: “The EV market is maturing and is no longer a niche. We need a mileage recompense rate that can adapt to energy prices and charging trends, so we are pleased to see HMRC respond so swiftly to the lobbying from AFP and BVRLA.  

“The AER for electric vehicles had not changed since 2018, this uplift is a positive move and shows that the Government is serious about providing a supportive environment for the push to zero emission motoring.” 

The previous AER specified was just 4ppm which, added Paul Hollick, AFP chair, which generally failed to cover reimbursement of fuel costs when most individuals are now paying closer to an estimated 18 pence per kwh even when charging at home. 

“We very much welcome this move by HMRC. In truth, 5ppm is probably still too low – recent research among our members saw 6-7ppm mentioned as an appropriate rate – but it does represent an increase of 25% in one step, which is quite substantial. 

“Importantly, it establishes the principle of revisiting and revising the AER rate as part of conversations between industry bodies and HMRC, which is an important development.”