Ohme: Van Fleets can Reduce Costs by going Electric

Renewable energy service Ohme is encouraging more van fleets to go electric, in order to help reduce their transportation costs. 

2024 electric van sales have seen a rise in sales by 14.7%, compared to 2023. Yet the choice of electric vans on the market is bigger than ever. 

For fleet managers who are considering switching their van fleets to electric, Ohme also encourages them to consider the additional potential benefits of providing their van drivers with home chargers as well.

Ohme's Smart charging solutions for cost-effective EV driving

Ohme’s technology can integrate with off-peak EV tariffs, such as those from Octopus and OVO, to help EV drivers to reduce their running costs by charging both at the times that are cheapest and when renewable energy generation is at its highest – so low cost and low CO2. Ohme is the official charging partner for several OEMs, including the Volkswagen Group, Mercedes-Benz, Polestar and Volvo. Ohme has partnered with Motability, the UK’s largest fleet operator, which helps drivers with disabilities and their families.

Ohme’s smart chargers can connect with the grid in real time, automatically adjusting to optimise the cost of charging and accessing all the times of the smartest, greenest and lowest cost energy tariffs. 

In addition, Ohme provides drivers with the option to charge their vehicle when renewable energy generation on the National Grid is at its highest, to also reduce their CO2 impact.

Ohme: Charging at home will always be the cheapest option

Peter McDonald, Director at Ohme, knows that many car fleet managers understand the cost benefits of switching their fleets over to electric models, but many van fleets have been notably slower to make the change. 

“That’s for a host of, largely practical reasons, but the reality is that making that switch can equal substantial savings for them, particularly if they choose to fit chargers to the homes of their drivers,” said McDonald. “Charging at home will always be the cheapest option, which is an immediate obvious saving. A typical rapid public charger is more than double the price of the current domestic standard variable tariff. Those savings are greater still if they can charge the van at home on an off-peak tariff.

“Lastly of course, as the driver knows they can charge at home, there’s no searching or waiting for a public charger at either end of the day and they always start a day with a full charge, so the savings in employee time and efficiency alone could be even greater than the actual charging savings.”

Mercedes-Benz has a longstanding commitment to technological innovation and in 2023, the company partnered with Ohme. 

“Ohme’s technological innovation and excellent approach towards customer service and professionalism align with the core values of Mercedes-Benz,” says Jason Allbutt, Head of Product and Planning from Mercedes-Benz UK. 

Now, all Mercedes-Benz customers will be recommended Ohme’s smart chargers as the home charging solution, while Ohme Home Pro chargers will be showcased in Mercedes-Benz showrooms for customer viewing.

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