Pictured: Tusker directors with their new EVs: (left to right) David Brockwell, Iain Carmichael, Mark Sinclair and David Hosking
As the market for electric cars accelerates, the executive board of directors at UK contract hire and salary sacrifice provider, Tusker, have all taken delivery of new electric vehicles as their company cars.
Chief Executive Officer, David Hosking, Chief Operating Officer, Mark Sinclair, and Chief Commercial Officer, Iain Carmichael, have all opted for BMW i3s, while Chief Financial Officer, David Brockwell, has chosen a Nissan Leaf.
This initiative comes at the same time as Tusker itself has seen an upsurge in orders for EVs, with an incredible 250% increase in EV orders since promoting them to customers of its award-winning SalarySacrifice4Cars (SS4C) scheme over the last four months.
Tusker’s directors are firm advocates of electric power and, to underline their commitment, have already clocked up considerable mileage testing various EV models.
At the same time, to encourage staff into a wider take-up of EVs, Tusker has installed four charging points in the company car park of its new offices in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire. Electric cars are now available to all company car drivers at all grades and to non-car eligible staff on its salary sacrifice scheme.
While three of the directors opted for BMW i3 range extender models, CFO David Brockwell selected the Nissan Leaf to provide a mix of vehicles for comparison purposes.
“We wanted a reasonable mix of EVs to enable us to compare different models, and I have been pleasantly surprised by the performance of the Leaf. Once you have overcome any range anxiety issues, it’s a different way of driving: pleasant, smooth and quicker than I anticipated. I’ve driven up to 75 miles on one charge and have had a home charge point installed for easy re-charging,” he said.
COO Mark Sinclair, one of the three BMW i3 drivers, said:”I absolutely love the driving experience with the i3 and, in many respects prefer it to a conventionally ICE-engined car. I have found it ideal for my commute to work, both in stop-start traffic and on motorways.
“From a running costs point of view, the i3 has worked out far cheaper than the 520D I was driving, with a saving of around £560 per month in BIK and fuel.
“Overall, I have found it more fun, more relaxing and more satisfying to drive. It is not the perfect company car for essential users who drive around the country to a number of different locations, because of the re-charging issue. But for a regular daily commute to work of a set and known length, it is ideal,” he said.
CCO Ian Carmichael said: “Coming from a motor manufacturer background, my decision to have an i3 has surprised many. But in the ‘real world’ of BIK and paying directly for personal fuel, it is completely rational because, with a 120-mile daily commute, my monthly fuel saving alone is over £250, even allowing for home charging – and there is the added benefit of BIK savings as well!
“And it is no hardship with the i3 which offers a comfortable, rapid and easy commute with the addition of the range extender alleviating any concerns around range anxiety. If I have the need for longer personal trips, then the fuel savings alone offer me the opportunity to hire a conventional car and still be in pocket. So even with an annual mileage of around 30,000 miles, the i3 Range Extender makes perfect sense.”
Collectively, the Tusker directors expect the trend towards EVs to continue as awareness of the financial and environmental benefits increases and the charging network continues to grow.
CEO David Hosking added: “Electric cars are definitely becoming more of a mainstream item in the fleet market with orders increasing day-by-day, and we have shown our commitment by opting for EVs for our executive board.
“The experience of us all has generally been a very positive one, while the increase in the number of charging stations available has certainly helped. The new charging stations in our car park have made the re-charging process very straightforward.
“We expect uptake of EVs on salary sacrifice and contract hire schemes to continue to grow this year, as more models come onto the market and awareness of the savings and practicality of EV’s grows amongst end-users in line with an expanding recharging network and infrastructure,” he said.
