23 July 2021
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2 min read
Credit: ASDA
Following feedback from staff on its company car offering, the supermarket said it would ensure only electric vehicles are leased to employees by 2025
Asda plans to switch its entire fleet of over 600 company cars to electric vehicles over the next four years, in a move expected to save over 2,400 tonnes of CO2, the supermarket chain announced yesterday.
The decision would make the firm the first major supermarket in Britain to move its whole company car fleet to electric vehicles, which it said would save equivalent emissions to that generated by driving over six million miles in an average petrol car.
It means all petrol and diesel vehicles will be eraditcated from Asda's fleet by June 2025, five years before the government's 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel vehicles comes in to force.
Asda said its decided to make the switch after research found 85 per cent of its staff who opted for a company car as part of their benefits package had chosen an EV over the past year and
Simon Bell, senior manager at Asda's reward team, said he was "delighted" by employees' enthusiastic reaction to the opportunity to drive an EV.
"Reducing our carbon footprint is extremely important to us and our customers so we are always looking at ways in which we can make a difference and be a more sustainable business," he said.
Asdas staff based both in shops and the head office will be able to choose from a variety of EV models, including the Audi Q4 e-tron, Mercedes EQA and EQC, Tesla Model 3, Polestar 2, Volkswagen ID.3 and ID.4 and the Volvo XC40 Pure Electric, the supermarket said.
The move to an all-electric car fleet is being supported by leasing provider Zenith, which said has managed Asda's car and commercial fleet for over 20 years.
"We worked closely with the team at ASDA to model the impact of this move and ensure it met the needs of the business and colleagues," said Jon Smith, relationship director at Zenith. "Transitioning the fleet to BEVs [battery electric vehicles] creates a significant carbon saving for the business, which supports Asda's sustainability agenda and gives colleagues access to a wide range of BEVs that provide the latest technology and cost-effective motoring."
The announcement comes after Asda recently revealed it reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by more than 16 per cent last year. The company has pledged to reduce Scope 1 and 2 emissions 50 per cent below 2015 levels by 2025, and to become a net zero carbon business by 2040.
