ALD Automotive UK is using its latest experiences of testing electric vehicles to help fleets looking to go green.

ALD further broadens EV experience at MPG Marathon

The fleet management and leasing specialist has already run a number of in-house hybrid and Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) vehicle trials – including a current pilot of 20 Mercedes C350e PHEVs – as it looks to help its customers make practical and well-informed decisions on rolling out such vehicles on their own fleets.

And now a team from ALD Automotive UK has exceeded the manufacturer’s NEDC rating on the fully electric Hyundai Ioniq. Driven by ALD’s Chris Britton and Hannah Dunsdon at last week’s ALD/Fleet World MPG Marathon, the Ioniq achieved an average of 6.2 miles per kilowatt-hour over a 352-mile route; an improvement of 14.8% compared to the official 5.4 miles per kilowatt-hour.

Compared to the official 174-mile range, this equates to a potential range of almost 200 miles to a full charge, enabling the Ioniq reach 168 miles on the first day without needing to stop for a recharge and with range to spare.

Hannah Dunsdon, ALD’s marketing communications executive, commented: “We were fully expecting to have to stop for at least one rapid charge of 10 to 15 minutes or so, but the car was extremely efficient when using each of the different driving modes, and we quickly exceeded the predicted range. This removed any range anxiety we may have had and gave us the confidence that the car would complete the whole day without a charge.”

ALD’s Chris Britton added: “Our experience in the MPG Marathon opened my eyes to just how far the technology has come and has empowered the ALD team to talk confidently to fleets and their drivers about the benefits of going fully electric. As with our recent Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) trials, we’re not just advocating alternatively fuelled vehicles at ALD; we’re actually proving the benefits.”