LeasePlan speeds up transition to electric mobility

EV100 is a new global business initiative designed to fast-track the uptake of electric vehicles and infrastructure.

LeasePlan, which manages 1.7 million vehicles on behalf of customers around the world, made the announcement to coincide with the UN General Assembly in New York.

As part of the commitment, LeasePlan said its global employee fleet will target a transition to electric cars by 2021 – the first major fleet management company to do so.

EV100 was launched by The Climate Group in New York as business and government leaders gathered for Climate Week NYC.

Organisers of the EV100 initiative claim it is the only one of its kind to encourage global business commitments on electric transport, with members committing to transition their petrol and diesel fleets to electric vehicle fleets by 2030.

LeasePlan is one of the 10 founding partners of EV100.

Other EV100 partners include Baidu, Deutsche Post DHL, HP, IKEA Group, Metro AG, PG&E, Vattenfall.

LeasePlan CEO Tex Gunning said: “We are delighted to become a founding partner of the EV100 initiative and to work with some of the world’s largest companies on speeding up and facilitating the switch to electric mobility.

“Together, we can have a significant impact. Over half the cars on the road today belong to companies.

“We’re also very proud to announce that LeasePlan’s own employee fleet will be going electric, making us the first major leasing company to make the switch. Our ambition is to have all our employees driving electric cars by 2021.

“We encourage other companies to do the same. Making the transition to an electric fleet is one of the easiest ways for businesses to lower their emissions and to help tackle climate change. LeasePlan is fully committed to facilitating other companies who would like to make that shift.”

LeasePlan’s sustainability strategy aims to achieve net zero emissions from its total fleet by 2030.

Other key elements in the strategy include educating customers on the future of low-emission vehicles, facilitating their uptake and leading the development of a strong second-hand car market for EVs.