As part of its commitment to become a net zero organisation, Centrica, owner of British Gas, has committed to electrify its 12,000 strong operational fleet by 2025, five years earlier than originally planned and will be making further orders with Vauxhall for electric vehicles as soon as they are available. Centrica has also committed to make its 1,500 company cars EV only in the same time frame.
In addition to the 1,000 purchased last Summer, the Vauxhall purchase represents the largest commercial battery electric vehicle order in the UK to date. All 3,000 electric vehicles will be on the road by 2022. While engineers can volunteer to have the new vans during the rollout, the company is prioritising high pollution areas to help lower emissions.
British Gas engineers will install all chargers at engineer homes and is accelerating EV adoption in the UK for homes and businesses with charger installs and innovative EV tariffs. The company is currently increasing the EV engineer workforce through training existing engineers, recruiting new engineers, and creating 1,000 new engineering apprenticeships by the end of 2022.
Chris O'Shea, Chief Executive of Centrica, said: "Everyone needs to act now to lower carbon emissions and help the UK reach net zero. We are leading from the front by not only lowering emissions for our customers and our communities, but by lowering our own emissions, and by increasing the speed at which we do this. Fully electrifying our fleet will make a big difference.
Paul Willcox, Managing Director of Vauxhall Motors, said: "I am delighted that British Gas has added to its initial order of fully-electric Vauxhall Vivaro-e vans that now represents the largest electric vehicle order for a commercial fleet in the UK.