DriveElectric tests ‘try before you buy’ EV scheme

Following a successful ‘try before you buy‘ loan scheme for electric vehicles in Nottingham, DriveElectric the offer could “act as a blueprint for cities across the UK”.

The trial scheme served to provide practical experience to help transition as well as allay range anxiety and similar fears, said DriveElectric. During the trial, businesses and public sector organisations in Nottingham could test drive an electric car or van for a 30-day period. The vehicles in the test fleet included the Hyundai Kona, the Kia E-Niro, Renault Kangoo and Nissan e-NV200.

DriveElectric makes the argument that their scheme hits where government loans do not extend to and could be used to help cities struggling with the implementation of Clean Air Zones (CAZ). As Mike Potter, managing director of DriveElectric puts it: “Most organisations need to experience electric vehicles before making a decision to purchase. Fully-funded month-long EV loans are not readily available through dealerships, manufacturers or any other source”.

And indeed, the offer was quite successful, as a total of 52 organisations took advantage of the scheme, testing 72 electric vehicles over the past 18 months. This resulted in 20 new electric car purchases.

This should only be the beginning, however, as the clients are generally reported to be adapting their fleets over time. For example, the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust purchased two vans as part of the scheme but admitted to plans to potentially purchase another 40 electric vans.

motoringresearch.com, fleetworld.co.uk, drive-electric.co.uk