Orders for battery electric vehicles (BEVs) have overtaken those for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles for the first time at Zenith.

Ian Hughes, CEO, car and van division at Zenith

The independent leasing and fleet management company saw the transition to BEV in cars account for 54% of orders in June compared to 32% in the same month last year.

And for the year to date, 41% of orders were for BEVs.

Demand for electric vans also increased in June to account for 69% of van orders compared to 1% in June 2020. Over the last 12 months, demand for fully electric vans has built to account for almost one in three van orders.

Zenith said the rise of sustainability agendas within businesses has accelerated carbon reduction plans, and this in turn has driven a significant shift in orders for fully electric cars and vans.

Salary sacrifice is also helping company car drivers to transition to BEVs. In one scheme, 85% of orders have been for BEVs, with the remaining 15% for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, resulting in an average saving of 372 tonnes of carbon for each year the vehicles are on the road.

Customer uptake of EVs has also been driven Zenith’s work in partnership with customers to plan and build their bespoke transition to EV in the most cost-effective way whilst focusing on infrastructure planning, vehicle utilisation and providing the strategic advice needed to support their business goals. Zenith is a member of the EV100 initiative by the Climate Group and will convert its own fleet to 100% EV by 2025 – five years ahead of the target date required by EV100.

Ian Hughes, CEO, car and van division at Zenith, said: “Customers are planning for a positive, greener future and, in the hoped-for post lockdown bounce-back, we’re seeing increased ordering as the wider economy is reopening.

“In June, year-on-year total car orders almost doubled and, we have seen an almost nine-fold increase in total van orders as customers invest in fleet and fast-track their journey to net zero through the adoption of new technologies.

“Company car and salary sacrifice car scheme drivers continue to be attracted to the significant Benefit-in-Kind tax savings that can be made when choosing an EV, the ever-growing choice in vehicles and confidence in the charging infrastructure.”