British BT Group orders 3,500 new electric vehicles
The BT Group (British Telecommunications) writes that this is the UK’s largest ever commercial EV fleet order, which is to support the upgrade of “the nation’s largest broadband and mobile networks.” By 2026, the BT Group then plans to have the above-mentioned 8,000 electric vehicles on the road.
Currently, the BT Group has over 27,000 vehicles in its commercial vehicle fleet, making it the second largest in the UK. With around 4,300 electric vehicles already in the fleet, the BT Group now aims to become a net zero business by March 2031. The company was also one of the first major British firms to pledge to decarbonise their fleets by 2030 and supports the banning of new combustion engines by 2030.
“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,” said Simon Lowth, Chief Financial Officer, BT Group, adding: “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.”
Lilian Greenwood, Future of Roads Minister, explained how the government is helping to decarbonise commercial vehicle fleets: “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.”
Next to its EV procurement activities, the BT Group has also been active in the establishment of on-street charging in the UK and is integrating charging with existing infrastructure, such as street cabinets, an idea which was first implemented in early 2024.
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