Delivering an electric or PHEV car during lockdown

Can you deliver an electric or PHEV car during lockdown?

Many of us had the fortunate opportunity to tune into Boris Johnson’s announcements on Saturday, as it was formally announced that the local restrictions across the UK (Tier 1-3) were being replaced with new national restrictions; the so called “Lockdown”.

With fears of a second wave, apparent hospital pressures and scientific conjecture, the Government have decided to take an approach which many of us wanted to avoid at all costs. As a business, we are often faced with difficult situations but 2020 has almost certainly been a seismic year for challenges.

Our personal thoughts were that the economy needed to attune to the new environment and lockdown-style measures could force many SMEs out of business permanently. The disappointing decision made by our Government has confirmed this and the fallout in the business community will be incredible.

Any business which relies on footfall, face-to-face discussion and human interaction is becoming an almost redundant proposition. Granted, we are an online business and with social distancing/emails/telephone calls we are almost immune to these restrictions. However, we need a number of businesses to support us who unfortunately cannot adhere to the new resections.

What's next for the electric car leasing industry?

So can the electric car leasing industry continue? Under the new guidelines, people are effectively required to stay at home where possible, avoid social gatherings with those who you do not live with and certain businesses must close. Our ombudsman, the BVRLA, has contacted the Government to confirm the position, in particular to clarify that vehicle rental outlets (and similar) can stay open. According to Government guidelines, all “Vehicle Showrooms” must close but does this apply to us?

Well we have two thoughts on this matter - 1) the delivery of vehicles is an essential good and service to the UK (some of our customers are key workers and cannot carry out their jobs without transport); 2) non-essential retail businesses can remain open for click and collect service.

In the case of the latter, a customer of ours will interact with our website and speak with one of our colleagues online/email. The steps that take place thereafter are carried our via emails, WhatsApp and telephony, culminating in the delivery of the goods in a click and collect approach. Why is what we do any different from ordering a package from Amazon - if they are allowed to open and deliver goods, then why would our industry be any different?

Indeed, the lease on an EV would be far safer than procuring a good from Amazon - a package will handled by a number of human beings (without cleaning or sterilisation) and then it will be placed in a van with various other similar packages.

That delivery driver will then interact with 50-150 different human beings every day before eventually handing over your goods. But they wear gloves and a mask? It is quite a laughable proposition to think that these indeed assist in making these deliveries safe.

Wearing masks/gloves in a non-sterile environment do not make your Amazon experience a “COVID-safe” one. Contrast this with our process, where a car is thoroughly cleaned before ONE driver delivers it to ONE customer and you can see it clearly makes for a safer experience. Common sense will prevail (we hope) and electric car leasing can continue!

Our latest BMW Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) delivery

A thank you to our business leasing customer, from Liverpool, for taking delivery of their new Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV).

The PHEV, like EVs, has seen continued growth during 2020 with both personal and business customers. This is very much a conduit to purely electric vehicles, as the vehicle contains both a combustion element and a small lithium-ion battery which requires an external charge.

Many PHEVS offer 25-35 miles of pure electric driving and so are ideal for cities and congested urban areas in order to minimise pollution. Should you run out of charge, the vehicle will continue to operate via the combustion element.

For business users, the lower CO2 will enhance their BiK position, and provide much less tax exposure compared to a diesel or petrol equivalent.

With Mercedes combining diesel with their lithium batteries, you may have a more well-rounded solution for those high mileage leasing customers who are not yet comfortable to jump into an EV.

BMW 5 SERIES SALOON 530e M Sport 4dr Auto (Plug-in hybrid Electric Vehicle - Petrol)

• Carbon Black Metallic paint
• Dakota leather- Ivory white/Black world with exclusive stitching
• Aluminium rhombicle interior trim with pearl chrome finish
• 19" M double spoke light alloy wheels - style 664 M +Run flat tyres
• Sun Protection glass

A standard the car includes acoustic glazing, heated windscreen and washer jets, rain sensors, CSC, DTC, hill start assist, leather upholstery, M sport braking, 20-GB hard drive, BMW live cockpit with a 10.25” screen, navigation, eDrive settings.

Auto dimming rear view mirror, electrically adjustable/heated door mirrors, DAB, Bluetooth, body coloured externals, LED daytime lights, ambient interior lighting, M specific accessories, gearshift paddles and alarm.

In terms of additional options, consider the sun protection glass, reversing camera and powered tailgate.

On the technical side, company car and business users can note the P11d at £49,605.00 and CO2 at 38gkm. The 1998CC 8-speed petrol engine is coupled with a 9 kWh lithium-ion battery.

This offers circa 30 miles of pure electric driving and WLTP FC weighted MPG of 148 plus 0-62 times of 6.1 seconds too. Service intervals on a BMW 5 series PHEV are every 24 months or 18,000 miles, whichever lands sooner.