The contract hire and salary sacrifice specialist says the uptake has been driven by a growing awareness of the benefits of electric power amongst its drivers as well as the introduction of the new BMW i3, which has claimed 56% of all Tusker’s new EV orders since November 2013.

Tusker’s directors are also firm advocates of electric power and to underline their commitment, three have ordered new BMW i3s with one opting for the Nissan LEAF. Two of the directors have already clocked up considerable mileage testing out various EV models in the last six months.

To encourage their staff into a wider take-up of EVs, Tusker has installed four charging points in the company car park of its new offices in Croxley Green, Hertfordshire. Electric cars are now available to Tusker’s eligible staff on its company car scheme at all grades and to non-car eligible staff on its salary sacrifice scheme.

Tusker added that expects the trend towards EVs to continue as awareness of the financial and environmental benefits increases and the charging network continues to grow.

CEO David Hosking said: ‘Electric cars are definitely coming to the fore. Clearly, the investment in infrastructure over the last 12 months and the increase in the number of charging stations available have helped.

‘We expect uptake of EVs on salary sacrifice and contract hire schemes to grow this year as more models come onto the market and awareness continues to grow amongst end-users.’

He added: ‘There is little doubt in my mind that EVs have a use within a corporate environment. They are ideal for the daily commute of under 70 miles per journey where there is access to a charging point during the day,’ he said.

‘There is a belief in some quarters that EVs are only suitable for short, occasional journeys but my view is that they are more relevant and extremely cost effective for repeated journeys. In terms of wider fleet use, for a sales person working from an office in a city with only short journeys to see clients, and with ready access to recharging, an EV would be ideal,’ he concluded. 

BMW will be one of a number of carmakers appearing at this year's Fleet Show at Silverstone in the UK on Wednesday 9th April and will be bringing models including its new i3. For more details, visit: http://www.thefleetshow.co.uk/