The UK electric charging infrastructure provider, Pod Point, has signed a three-year partnership with Pendragon Vehicle Management (PVM) to become the fleet management business’ first preferred chargepoint supplier.
PVM is a division of the automotive retailer Pendragon PLC, which offers fleet funding, management and rental options, with a fleet size of almost 13,000 vehicles.
The partnership means that Pod Point will now manage the end-to-end chargepoint process – from driver referral through to installation – for all PVM EV customers. PVM reported that 80% of its current orders are for battery powered EVs (BEVs) or plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs).
New and existing PVM customers will have access to Pod Point’s smart home charging, which the company has said can charge electric vehicles (EVs) 10x faster than a 3-pin plug. The chargepoints also offer a scheduling function allowing drivers to take advantage of dual-rate tariffs by charging at specific times. This, Pod Point said, can significantly reduce the cost of charging, particularly in comparison to petrol or diesel refuelling.
Managing director of PVM, Neal Francis said: “We are seeing increasing demand for our BEV fleet and expect to see this trend going into 2023 and beyond. The salary sacrifice scheme continues to offer an attractive option for drivers looking to make the transition. As our first chargepoint partnership, we wanted to work with a trusted brand and chose Pod Point because of its reputation for excellent customer service, as well as its reliable and easy to use network.”
Pod Point also partnered with investment firm Custodian REIT in October this year to install rapid EV chargers throughout the UK.
There a number of schemes in place to help incentivise the purchase of EVs in the UK. This includes the benefit in kind rates for EV company cars being only 2% compared to 37% for petrol or diesel equivalents, a rate expected to be maintained until 2025.