5 reasons why leasing an electric vehicle makes sense
DriverIf showing your commitment to the environment, and not breaking the bank while doing so is important to your business, leasing electric vehicles is something you might consider for your business.
Electric vehicles (EVs) are an excellent solution for any Kiwi business wanting to reduce their carbon emissions without compromising their processes or affecting their bottom line.
Electric vehicle leasing is a great way to update your fleet and set your business apart from your competitors by showing the world your commitment to the environment, without the potential risks or costs of buying an EV outright.
5 reasons why leasing an electric vehicle makes sense
Considering updating, or expanding your fleet? With transportation accounting for 20% of our emissions in New Zealand, EV technology advancing rapidly, and benefits available through the Clean Car Discount, there’s never been a better time to build a fleet of EVs.
With an increasing number of choices out there, we’ve tried to make it simple; here are 5 reasons to consider electric vehicle leasing for your business.
1. Reduce costs
When you lease an electric vehicle, you are likely to pay less over time, compared to buying a vehicle outright. This is because when you lease an electric vehicle, you only pay for the use of the vehicle during the operating lease term and not for its entire useful life.
Your business doesn’t need to fork out a lump sum to buy a fleet of vehicles, and with set monthly operating lease fees, you can easily forecast your fleet’s expenses – no need to pay for fuel cards, petrol, diesel or road user charges either. Operating leases include maintenance and repair costs, so you don’t have to worry about any unexpected bills on your leased electric vehicle.
2. Good publicity
Signwriting your leased electric vehicle not only shows your potential customers who you are and what you do, it shows them what’s important to your company. Potential customers are more likely to come to you if they already know their values are aligned with your organisation when they see your business is doing its part to reduce emissions on the road.
It’s well-known that Kiwis care about the planet, and we’re not afraid to put our money where our mouths are. With more and more New Zealanders choosing to spend their hard-earned money with companies doing their part for the environment, leasing an electric vehicle could help you stand out from your competitors, and ensure that you attract customers who care about the planet just as much as you.
What could be better than electric vehicle leasing to show your customers how your values are ingrained in everything you do?
3. Do good for the planet
As a business that cares about the planet, this is probably the most important point. Since electric vehicles generate no tailpipe emissions, they’re much better for the environment than petrol or diesel cars. Not only that, electric vehicles are also significantly more efficient compared to petrol and diesel models. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, while gasoline-driven vehicles are only able to utilise a maximum of 36% of the energy from their fuel to drive, EVs boast more than 77% efficiency from battery charge to drive power, thanks to only 18% losses to the drive system, vs an average of 70% energy lost to the engine in petrol and diesel vehicles. Since over 80% of energy in New Zealand is produced from renewable sources, there are plenty of options for clean, green energy so that you can feel good about not burning fossil fuels to drive your fleet.
According to a study in 2021 that looked at the average age of vehicles in 30 of the top 50 GDP countries, the average age of cars on New Zealand roads sits at 14.5 years, which puts us as having the 27th oldest fleet as a country. As the country with the highest number of cars per capita, switching your business’ fleet to EVs will help upgrade our country’s fleet to newer, more efficient vehicles and reduce our combined road emissions.
4. Safety
Electric vehicle leasing periods typically last three to four years. This means that the latest safety features will protect your team, should the unthinkable happen. Having a newer model of vehicle every few years also ensures your team isn’t driving a vehicle overdue for maintenance or repairs so, compared to older vehicles, the likelihood of accidents on the road due to automotive defects is reduced.
For example, a Suzuki Swift GLX 1.2 Hybrid comes with a five-star safety rating compared to a four-star rating on the petrol Suzuki Swift GL, moving your fleet to EVs doesn’t just help the planet, it helps to make New Zealand roads safer. Electric vehicle leasing means you can take advantage of all the best safety features, and there’s no need to compromise on comfort or style, which your team will thank you for.
5. Flexibility
As your business grows, your fleet needs change too. Leasing gives your business the flexibility to add more vehicles to your fleet when required. Without having to commit to purchasing vehicles, you also have the freedom to downsize your fleet, if your needs change, and you won’t have to go through the rigmarole of buying and selling.
Electric vehicle leasing gives your business the flexibility needed to grow and change, to do good for the planet, lower your emissions, cut out upfront and fleet maintenance costs, and look good doing it!
It’s easy to see why electric vehicle sales globally have grown year on year. In 2021 sales were double that of the previous year, reaching a new high of 6.6 million sales. In the first quarter of 2022, sales were up 75% on the same period of 2021, so it seems likely we’ll be seeing more and more EVs on our roads. Gone are the days when New Zealanders were limited to a select few options if they wanted to reduce their transport emissions and make the switch to an electric vehicle. Now there is an electric vehicle to suit every business, no matter what your requirements are.
Electric vehicle leasing allows your business to give electric vehicles a go, without committing to purchasing and maintaining a whole fleet. With more and more companies across New Zealand, and the world, moving to electric vehicles, there’s a good chance you won’t look back.
Whether you’re looking for passenger vehicles, SUVs, or even heavy vehicles, reach out to SG Fleet today and we’ll show you how electric vehicle leasing would suit your business needs.
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