BT Group order 3,500 new electric vehicles
The BT Group has announced the UK’s largest ever commercial EV fleet order, having ordered around 3,500 new EVs which will be delivered over the next two years.
The order, which will be delivered by will be delivered by Ford, Stellantis, Toyota, and Renault, will take the group’s total electric fleet to almost 8,000, the largest in the UK by some distance.
BT’s total fleet is made up of more than 27,000 vehicles which are used used by engineers across the country. The order of the new EVs represents part of a larger delivery of 6,000 new vehicles, with more than half of the vans being EVs.
Simon Lowth, Chief Financial Officer, BT Group, said: ‘By integrating yet more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK’s transition to a greener future. As we extend our full fibre build from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient, sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at pace to our next generation networks. Our modern fleet will help us to be more efficient and deliver a better service for our customers.’
Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads Minister, said: ‘Businesses have a crucial role to play in driving the transition to electric cars and vans. That’s why it’s fantastic to see that BT Group have made the most of our plug-in van grant to order 3,500 brand new EVs – which means they will have the largest electric commercial fleet in the UK.
‘We want to help more businesses decarbonise their operations, and we’ve extended our plug-in van grant with £120m funding to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads – part of our £2.3bn to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success”.
In October we reported how the BT Group had switched on its first self-powering mobile site, in the Shropshire Hills, where around 70% of its energy needs are expected to be generated by the on-site solar panels and wind turbine. The Group have also identified ‘hundreds’ of additional locations – primarily in coastal or hilly areas – with the potential to generate power from on-site renewable sources.
