Octopus Electric Vehicles has signed up Fleet Assist to help manage its EV fleet, including supporting its servicing, maintenance and MOT requirements.

Karen Ewer, Fleet Assist’s head of business development

The move coincides with the launch of Octopus Electric Vehicles’ new salary sacrifice scheme, building on its existing work in EVs; the firm says it’s the only company to run an all-electric fleet.

The launch of its inhouse leasing business – dubbed Electric Dreams – arrives just after the introduction of the new BiK rate of just 1% on fully electric cars for the 2021/22 tax year, and 2% for the subsequent three years.

Already, 15 fleets have gone live on the Electric Dreams salary sacrifice scheme, including Huel and Purplebricks. The scheme enables drivers to save 30-60% off their monthly car costs on a salary sacrifice mechanism; the first clients are saving over £10,000 over a three-year term. It’s also been designed to be simple and zero-cost.

“With incredibly low company car tax rates on EVs, demand has never been higher – our enquiries from businesses have risen seven-fold in the last year alone,” explained Natalia Peralta Silverstone, head of propositions at Octopus Electric Vehicles.

Octopus appointed Fleet Assist to provide SMR as more than 75% of its garage network and nearly 4,000 garages are ‘EV-ready’. This means garages qualify by meeting its minimum competencies which includes the technicians having completed, as a minimum, the IMI Level 2 qualification in Hybrid Electric Vehicle Operation and Maintenance and have suitable facilities.

Peralta Silverstone said: “We appointed Fleet Assist based on its track record of managing a large ‘EV-ready’ garage network combined with its class-leading service booking services and technical expertise.

“EVs require a different mindset when it comes to servicing and maintenance and this is an integral part in supporting our customer requirements today and in the future as demand continues to grow.”

Karen Ewer, Fleet Assist’s head of business development, commented: “We have spent a great deal of time getting our network EV-ready and we are delighted that Octopus Electric Vehicles has recognised this by appointing us as its network partner especially with its core focus on customers and giving them great service. We look forward to an increasing number of EVs going through our network as Octopus grows its fleet.”