Corporate fleets: How to prepare your employees for electrification

Adopting electric vehicles for company fleets is a key step towards decarbonised mobility. But many employees have never driven an electric vehicle before and may have concerns about autonomy, charging, and new driving habits. How can you support your employees and ensure they adopt the right habits?

As you electrify your corporate fleets, it’s important to remember that electrification isn’t only about buying electric cars and installing charging stations. Another very important part is employee education. Providing training about driving and charging EVs early on will avoid frustration and mistakes in the future. 

Educate on the EV basics

For many employees, driving an electric vehicle means discovering a totally new driving mode. To make this transition smoother, you can offer practical guides in the form of brochures or explanatory videos. You can also organise a short online or in-person training to answer employees’ questions and allow them to familiarise themselves with their new vehicle. 

The training should clearly explain the fundamentals of driving an electric car, such as the automatic transmission. Secondly, it’s important for your employees to understand how to charge, whether it is at work, at home, or at a public station (with the use of an RFID tag or a mobile application). Explain the difference between AC and DC charging and give step-by-step instructions on how to start and stop charging.

Encourage eco-driving to boost vehicle range

Driving an electric vehicle efficiently requires a different approach than driving an ICE car. Share some eco-driving techniques with your employees to prolong the battery life and reduce energy consumption.

Some of the main principles of eco-driving include progressive acceleration, the use of regenerative braking, and the adoption of a flexible driving style.

It’s also important that your employees understand the impact of air conditioning and heating on the vehicle’s range and that they learn how to plan their journeys effectively.

Raise awareness about good charging practices

Ensuring efficient use of your charging stations can be challenging. But with a few rules in place and proper training for your employees, you can make it a smooth process.

The first rule is to ensure that no ICE vehicle occupies the parking spaces reserved for charging. We recommend installing visible signage and marking parking spaces where charging stations are located in bright colours such as blue, green, or orange.

Next, emphasise the importance of moving the EV once charged to let others access the charger. To avoid the phenomenon of EVs remaining unnecessarily plugged in after reaching their maximum charge, you can put different policies in place. A progressive pricing policy where charging is free or less expensive during the first few hours and becomes more expensive if the vehicle stays plugged in too long can encourage employees to move their cars when charging is complete.

Distribute a guide to good charging practices to each employee when they receive their new EV. Here’s a summary:

• Do not occupy a charging space without plugging in your vehicle.
• Unplug and move your vehicle as soon as charging is complete.
• Leave your contact visible if necessary.
• Prioritise home charging when possible.

Overcome resistance to change

The truth is that not all employees might be immediately enthusiastic about the idea of switching to electric. Some may perceive this change as a constraint and be concerned about the availability of charging stations or the loss of comfort compared to their old petrol car.

Here, you can offer to install home charging stations for employees who drive long journeys or guarantee easy access to fast charging stations, either by installing them at your company's site or by subscribing to a charging provider with a wide fast charging network.

The electric vehicles you offer your employees must also meet their specific needs. If your employees regularly drive long distances, it’s important to provide them with a model with sufficient range. At the same time, avoid offering oversized and too-energy-consuming vehicles.

Implement a continuous education strategy

The education process should be a continuous effort. Companies can organise regular training sessions to keep their employees informed of technological developments and good practices.

Creating an internal community of EV drivers is also a good step. This community can provide a space for drivers to share their experiences, ask questions, and help each other overcome any difficulties.

Finally, you can also monitor driving and charging behaviours and reward employees who adopt the best eco-driving and charging practices.

The success of your company's EV adoption depends on the good driving and charging behaviour of your employees. By providing them with appropriate training, introducing clear rules for charging, encouraging eco-driving, and responding to their concerns, you can ensure a smooth transition and establish a true culture of sustainable mobility.