Hexagon UK, a leading provider of sensors and digital reality technologies, is seeing high numbers of company car drivers and former cash takers go electric thanks to a new sustainable fleet policy.

Hexagon’s fleet policy offers a more generous allowance for drivers who select a plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle, alongside an employer-funded home charge point to make it easier to switch

Developed in close collaboration with LeasePlan’s consultancy team, the policy offers a more generous allowance for drivers who select a plug-in hybrid or fully electric vehicle, alongside an employer-funded home charge point to make it easier to switch.

Almost all orders so far are plug-ins, including “challenging” applications on field teams, and drivers are opting back into the company car scheme instead of taking a cash allowance.

Hexagon partnered with LeasePlan following a tendering process in 2020 focused on cutting cost across its global operations. On the back of this, LeasePlan secured an international supplier agreement for the 1,400-vehicle fleet.

In the UK, Hexagon operates 130 job-need company cars across a diverse user group, from management, sales and software engineers to field-based service teams with specific equipment-carrying needs.

Previously, CO2 targets and vehicle allowances were tailored towards efficient petrol and diesel vehicles, but finance director Ollie Campbell saw opportunities to encourage drivers into low- and zero-emission alternatives, aligning with wider company sustainability goals.

Campbell explained: “I took it upon myself to work on the group and change the basis of how the policy was put together, and base it more on sustainability. The idea was also to unlock the possibility of electric vehicles for our drivers, and for them to take the tax breaks that go with it. So we redrafted the policy with that philosophy in mind.”

Building the business case for EVs required robust modelling of potential savings based on Hexagon’s TMC-logged fuel card data, showing that they could offset the higher lease costs. This was supported by LeasePlan consultants, who gave advice on National Insurance advantages, technology and tax developments, helping to design a policy which would protect the company from risk, and also promoting the benefits to employees.

Hexagon’s work on charging in collaboration with Pod Point has further supported this; alongside the employer-funded charge points at drivers’ homes, Pod Point is also installing 7kW and 22kW units at Hexagon’s facility in Telford, enabling all charging sessions to be logged within a single account and captured by TMC, validating the business case for both vehicle types.

The approach has worked well and Campbell says the accessibility of electric vehicles – including from premium brands – is already influencing driver behaviour.

“What we started out doing at the end of 2020, and what we went live with at the end of last year, were two different views. We have 130 drivers and the vast majority want electric vehicles and are really finding ways to make it work. How often can you say one person has had the chance to really influence that? It’s been a great, uplifting experience really pushing people to the EV business model,” commented Campbell.

Chris Black, commercial director at LeasePlan UK, added: “It is very rewarding to see Ollie’s hard work pay off, delivering a more sustainable company car policy which has instantly resonated with drivers. LeasePlan’s consultative approach draws on experience working with a variety of organisations as they electrify their fleets, and we are pleased that this has helped build a genuine business case which also supports Hexagon’s ESG goals.”