The leasing and fleet management firm has been trialling electric cars from its Leeds headquarters and Buchan says they have been impressed with the results – when the cars have been used in the right context.

He said: ‘We have been using Nissan LEAFs and we’ve been extremely impressed: they get used for local runs, picking clients up from airports and train stations or for doing various errands. The range has been around 120 miles as a result and I think that in five years' time most fleets will find a use for this type of vehicle, because they are cheap to run and also reflect well on the company – we’ve used one to promote the values of Zenith in the area and it's worked really well.’

However, Buchan believes there are still hurdles to overcome.

‘There is a lot of caution in the leasing industry over residual values, which can only be addressed over time, and uncertainty over Government grants and manufacturer strategies. Once these are all sorted and much of the doubt removed then I think electric cars will have a viable future on business fleets.’