First Mile has opted for Octopus Group’s Transport-as-a-Service (TaaS) fleet offering, to provide it with electric vehicle charging infrastructure installation without the initial cost burden.

First Mile operates a fleet of electric vans, while Octopus Group has provided the infrastructure to facilitate going electric

London-based recycling company, First Mile, chose Octopus Group to help with the installation of electric infrastructure, allowing it to charge its electric van fleet. Octopus financed the infrastructure installation for the company, and then recoups the cost via a ‘pay-as-you-drive’ repayment scheme, thereby allowing the fleet company to avoid the initial cost investment for going electric.

The new chargers have been installed at First Mile’s west London depot, while Octopus Energy for Business will supply the company with guaranteed fully renewable electricity to power its fleet of electric vehicles, under its Electric Juice offer. Electric Juice allows customers to choose from four, flexible tariffs, and makes use of data-led analysis to help guide businesses on the tariff best suited to their usage.

Zoisa Walton, CEO of Octopus Energy for Business, said: “In 2018 transport accounted for a third of all carbon dioxide emissions in the UK, it’s an incredibly responsible move for fleet providers to begin switching their vans to electric transport and their supply to clean, green, renewable energy.”

Octopus offers commercial fleet operators with flexible solutions to help them go green. Octopus’ Transport-as-a-Service solution for fleets includes ‘pay-as-you-drive’ payment for zero-emission vehicles, charging/fuelling infrastructure at depots, and reinforcement of the local energy network to ensure sufficient power capacity is available. It can optionally include vehicle maintenance and battery storage as required. Octopus additionally provides fleets with real-time data that can be used to optimise operational efficiency of an electric fleet.

Daniel Saunders, investment director at Octopus, added: “Providing businesses with the support to transition towards EV fleets is key for the UK to meet our ambitious emission targets in the transport sector.”

First Mile began switching to an electric fleet in 2017, initially with cargo bikes and shortly after with its first electric vans. The company has since added a further five electric vans to its fleet.

Michal Szuminski, transport manager at First Mile, said: “Our partnership with Octopus has allowed us to take [going electric] one step further, with our new charging infrastructure also being supplied by fully renewable energy.”

First Mile and Octopus’ news follows Octopus Electric Vehicles launch of a new EV ‘transition bundle’ at the Great British Fleet Event 2020.