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Read Full ArticleFreefoam’s George Langley has been driving a fully-electric Skoda Enyaq since last year in his Anglian sales region, sometimes covering hundreds of miles in a week. He is chuffed with its performance.
He says: “I wouldn’t go back to a diesel car. Electric cars are the future and it’s something that we should be doing now. In the UK, 27% of CO2 output comes from domestic transport. We need to reduce CO2 and company cars are a great way to do it without much change to infrastructure.”
Freefoam is incorporating sustainability and circular economy principles into its cladding and roofline business.
Alongside the benefits to the environment, there’s a cost advantage to businesses with electric cars. For Langle’s Skoda Enyaq, the cost per mile currently works out to be just over half when compared to his previous diesel car. Road tax is a lot less and electric vehicles only have to be serviced once every two years, independent of milage, while his previous vehicle had to be serviced every 12,000 miles, which worked out around three times a year.
Charging
Langley says: “Don’t believe the horror stories about waiting for charge stations, the worse situation I have ever found myself in was having to wait 10 minutes. Most of the time you just turn up and tap and go. Charge stations are easy to use and I can use most of them.
“I normally get around a 220-mile range in the summer. It’s a little less in the winter. On long journeys, you do have to plan stops but for me as an area sales manager, I should be doing that anyway. There are handy Apps out there, like Zap-Map, that tell you where charging stations are and there are always facilities available for a coffee and a comfort break.
“I normally allow between 20 and 30 minutes for a charge and while I wait, I catch up on a big chunk of my day-to-day emails and queries, which I then don’t have to manage when I get home. It's a more relaxed journey and I still get home at a similar time to when I had a diesel car – it’s a no-brainer.”
Working better
Colin St John, Commercial Director at Freefoam, says: “Sustainability and carbon reduction considerations have become part of our daily thinking across the whole of our business. Introducing electric cars is a logical step for us to take. They will bring a CO2 reduction for the company, benefiting the environment, as well as the company and our teams. Of equal importance was how going electric has changed George’s work pattern for the better.”
“Thank you to George for trialling our first electric car; we are looking to move forward with a fully-electric fleet.”
Picture: George Langley and his Skoda Enyaq.
The Skoda Enyaq at a charging point.
Article written by Cathryn Ellis
23rd March 2023