| | PwC is to pilot two 100%
electric vehicles at the
firm’s central London
offices as part of a
pioneering new scheme to
lower the firm’s overall
transport emissions, the
first of its kind for a
corporate fleet.
The deal, with Hertz,
will encourage employees
to replace taxi journeys
of over six miles by
booking the cars from the
firm’s central London
offices in Westminster or
Southwark.
Bridget Jackson, head
of sustainability at PwC,
said: “The journeys our
people take at work in
central London can be to
locations with no direct
transport link, or
involve carrying
materials either too
bulky or confidential for
public transport. We only
need to convert around | |
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| | two of those journeys a
day that currently use
cabs to our new electric
vehicles to make this add
up for us.
“It’s a pioneering
initiative for PwC and
fits our commitment to
work with new
technologies, test how
they fit in our mix of
needs, so we can reduce
our overall environmental
impact. We need to
understand the day to day
reality of working with
electric cars, just as we
test any other transport
on offer, so we can lower
our overall emissions,
potentially rolling out
the scheme nationwide.”
The two five door,
small hatch cars have a
90 mile range, are 100%
electric, and provide a
live member car care
support line via the
Connect by Hertz in-car | |
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| | moving forward.
The auto industry is
responsible for 15% of
global carbon emissions,
amounting to roughly 8bn
tons annually. Although
environmental protection
has been the primary
driver for change, other
factors such as the price
volatility of fossil
fuels and energy
independence have also
helped drive a change to
alternative and renewable
energy sources.
Richard Gane, head of
automotive at PwC,
commented: “Electric
vehicles (EV) could play
a very big part in the
future of the automotive
market as firms and
individuals become
increasingly conscious of
the need to switch to
more environmental
alternatives to lower our
emissions.
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“EVs may well
represent a more
promising transport
option to reducing
vehicle emissions and
creating a more
sustainable passenger
vehicle fleet but the
sector does face its own
challenges.
“Comparative battery
performance, availability
of battery materials,
storage technology,
mileage range and the
need for a ‘smart grid’'
that can recharge
millions of EVs using
low-carbon electricity
without overloading local
distribution circuits are
all issues manufacturers
need to think about.
However, the automotive
market is ready to take
on the challenge.” | |
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| | communications system,
including statistics on
emissions and usage. The
cars will be charged at
the two PwC offices or
via Hertz’s wider
network, or Source
London’s network.
Employees can also charge
them overnight via a
three pin socket.
Research by PwC’s
automotive practice
estimates that, by 2020,
pure electric vehicles
(PEVs) could represent
between 2% and 5% of the
total output of light
vehicles. The depth and
speed at which electric
vehicles will be able to
penetrate the market will
rely on several factors,
but there remains little
doubt that this
technology will have a
significant impact on the
automotive industry | |
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