Business News

POWERING FUTURE GROWTH WITH ELECTRIC VEHICLES

With the Government banning sales of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2030 and major cities introducing Clean Air Zones, it is not a surprise that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasing their market share fast. But how can making the switch to electric benefit your business?

MAKE SAVINGS ON YOUR OVERALL FLEET COSTS:

Electric vehicles are known for having a higher price tag, but calculating the running costs over the lifetime of the vehicle can tip the ‘Whole Life Cost’ of an EV below a hybrid, petrol or diesel model. The fuelling cost per mile of an EV can typically be between 2 to 4 pence per mile, compared to diesel (9 to 11 pence per mile) or petrol (11 to 14 pence per mile). There is no Vehicle Excise Duty for zero-emission cars and considerably lower Benefit In Kind rates for pure EVs (0-2%) compared to petrol and diesel (15-37%). Switch to electric and your fleet could be exempt from the rollout of fees in Clean Air Zones, for example, London’s Congestion Charging Zone and new zones set to launch in Bath and Birmingham in 2021.

OFFSET THE HIGHER PRICE TAG:

Grants are available from the Government’s Office Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) towards the upfront cost of the vehicle (£3,000 for cars and £8,000 for vans).

GET YOUR EV CHARGING STRATEGY RIGHT:

Where your fleet charges will dictate how much it costs to fuel. With over 21,000 EV chargers in over 13,500 public places, it is now easy to find a quick charge location on the move. Charging overnight at your workplace or employee’s home will always be the cheapest. There are grants available for the installation of the chargepoints through OZEV’s homecharge and workplace charging schemes. Develop an EV charging strategy that meets your needs as your electric fleet grows. Install the right number and type of EV chargers and secure the electricity capacity now to stay ahead as other local businesses switch and place demand on the local network.

www.rockpowerconnections.co.uk

THE CHANGES TO DATA LAWS THAT ALL COMPANIES SHOULD BE AWARE OF

All businesses have a responsibility to comply with data laws, this also includes being aware of any changes. The European Commission recently published the update to the standard contractual clauses ("SCCs"). International SCCs are one of the mechanisms which businesses can use under GDPR to transfer personal data to a third country (i.e. countries outside the UK and EEA that do not have an adequacy decision from the European Commission). This is a tool frequently used by organisations of all sectors for transferring personal data internationally. The use of these SCCs is purely voluntary and if organisations already have an existing set of processor clauses which are compliant then they may continue to use that set. The new SCCs are a much-needed update to existing SCCs in recognition of the increasingly complex international flows of data. The UK's data protection regulator (the ICO) has stated that it is currently reviewing the new SCCs so it is not yet clear as to how they will apply in post-Brexit UK. To start preparing, if businesses have not already done so, they should map all data transfers from the UK to Europe or third countries, and from Europe to third countries and also identify where SCCs are currently in place so that once the new SCCs are made available, the required changes can be made promptly. As part of the trade deal agreed between the UK and the EU, the EU has agreed to delay data transfer restrictions for at least four months, which can be extended to six months (known as the bridge). In the meantime, the UK Government is continuing to seek an adequacy decision from the European Commission to facilitate data transfers between the UK and EU going forward. If this adequacy decision is not granted before the end of the bridge, the SCCs will also be a key alternative for businesses needing to put in place safeguards to maintain the free flow of data between the EU and the UK.

www.gowlingwlg.com