THE fully electric smart brand will be offering SME fleets business car leasing with maintenance underwritten by the leasing company ALD Automotive. The full leasing service - available online through the smart website and its retailers - will start in Q1 2023 when smart launches its new premium compact SUV (pictured above in concept form). smart says it wants to support customers make the electric switch easily and quickly. The leasing service will be fully digital from credit assessment to contract e-signing. Dirk Adelmann, CEO of smart Europe, said: “ALD Automotive’s broad and wide-ranging ..read more

THE leasing company, ALD Automotive, will provide the business leasing facilities for Tesla, offering SME fleets lease agreements for company cars with full maintenance. The leasing facility will be available across the four models in the Tesla range: Model 3, Model Y, Model S and Model X. The agreements will cover everything from from tyre changes, to breakdown assistance, insurance and vehicle registration, as well as maintenance via Tesla approved locations. John Saffrett, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of ALD commented: “We are proud to launch this new accessible and flexible le ..read more

FIAT Professional’s new E-Ducato all-electric van features innovative Recovery Mode technology, extending driving range for business customers. With a range of up to 175 miles on a charge for the longer-range 79 kWh Fiat, or 88 miles (WLTP Combined) for the 47 kWh version, the new E-Ducato features three-to-five battery modules, depending on the model. By arranging these in parallel, Recovery Mode allows each battery module to work independently of the others when required, making the most of the range available to drivers. Recovery Mode is fitted as standard to both 47 kWh and 78 kWh models ..read more

TOYOTA has given the world debut of its Toyota Corolla Commercial Van today at the CV Show (31 August-02 September 2021). Quietly kept under wraps until until the first day of the show, the Corolla Touring Sports 1.8 Hybrid based model has the rear seats removed and replaced with an accessible load area while the rear windows have been blacked out.  The new Toyota Corolla Commercial Van will be built at Toyota’s UK Burnaston plant and uses the same hybrid petrol-electric technology as the Corolla passenger cars, allowing it to run in pure EV mode for limited periods. Its introduction furt ..read more

LEASEPLAN will showcase the ground-breaking Arrival electric van at the EV Summit, which takes place at the Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, from 01-02 September. The leasing company will have a strong presence at the leading industry event around decarbonisaiton, as LeasePlan’s UK Director, Alfonso Martinez, will also be speaking on the Sustainable Fleets panel. Now in its fourth year, the EV Summit gathers together a number of the world’s leasing e-mobility leaders. With 10 panels across two days, the summit tackles the core business issues in the e-mobility market. Earlier this y ..read more

A NEW charging tariff from energy provider OVO Energy is set to save business and company car drivers hundreds on their home-charging costs. Called Drive + Anywhere, the tariff offers drivers a flat rate of 5p per kWh to charge their car, regardless of time of day.  Electricity customers regularly switch to an Economy 7 or Economy 10 tariff, reducing electricity costs overnight, and thereby keeping how much it costs to recharge their EV under control. However, the new tariff means customers can save around 70% on charging costs, with the EV-tailored package. By using smart charging techno ..read more

THE issue for businesses or company car drivers wanting to switch to an electric car (EV), can be hampered if there is no off-street charging available. But a new trial in Oxford aims to overcome that and connect a domestic supply to on-street charging. The trial involves 30 on-street electric vehicle charge points across Oxford and Cherwell. Funding comes from Innovate UK and the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles, while the trials will be delivered by Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford Direct Services, a Local Authority Trading Company owned by Oxford City Council. The tests will involve a ..read more

THE former Fleet Director of Vauxhall is stepping up to a much larger role within the new Stellantis UK organisation as B2B Director. With this new appointment, Taylor will be responsible for a coordinated approach for the large fleet customers of the Stellantis brands Alfa Romeo, Abarth, Citroën, DS Automobiles, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Jeep, Peugeot and Vauxhall. He reports directly to Paul Willcox and functionally to Alison Jones. He has most recently been General Sales and Marketing Director for Vauxhall Motors. Paul Willcox, Stellantis Senior Vice President, and Managing Director Vauxhall ..read more

A HUGE 1000 van fleet order for the Vauxhall Vivaro-e has been placed by OVO Energy, an energy provider committed to net zero carbon emissions. The award-winning Vivaro-e offers zero emissions, low maintenance costs and there's no VED to pay, as well as being eligible for the government grant Plug-in Van Grant which pays 35% of the purchase price, up to a maximum of £6,000. The Vivaro-e has a range between 143-205 miles depending on the choice of battery (50kWh or 75kWh). OVO Energy says that its users will save 9.5kg of CO2 daily, based on a 40 mile trip. READ ABOUT THE NEW VAUXHALL ELECTRIC ..read more

DIRECTORS of SME firms that have switched to the Tesla Model 3 electric cars for environmental and tax saving reasons, are being warned that tyre replacement requires specialised lifting equipment for simple jobs such as changing a wheel. Most service centres will not have the specialised rubber pads needed to lift the vehicle safely without risking damage to the expensive under-floor located battery. The new rubber pads, which include a locating pin that fits into the car’s underside, allow for the safe jacking of vehicles such as Tesla’s Model 3, where the positioning of the electric vehicle ..read more