Two Big U.K. Utilities Pledge to Adopt All-Electric Fleets

(Bloomberg) -- Two of Britain’s six biggest utilities pledged to switch their entire vehicle fleet to run on electricity by 2030, adding momentum to the shift away from traditional engine technology.

Centrica Plc operates the third-biggest company owned fleet in the U.K., with 12,500 cars and vans. SSE Plc has 3,500 vehicles and also said it will install charging points for its employees to use, according to a statement released by the two through the The Climate Group, a a non-profit group working with businesses to accelerate climate action.

The targets follow a cross-party effort backed by the government setting a goal to reduce net fossil-fuel emissions to zero by 2050. Energy companies led by utilities have been at the forefront of efforts to shift toward renewables, and utilities are anticipating profitable opportunities in developing electric cars and the networks that support them.

“Decarbonization is at the heart of what we do, and low carbon emissions from transport is critical if the U.K. is to meet its net zero targets,” said Brian McLaren, SSE’s director of group change.

SSE said it has invested $15.4 million on energy efficiency measures in its buildings and depots which have seen energy use at SSE’s data center sites drop by 22% since 2016.

Facilities services provider Mitie Group Plc also pledged to transition its 5,300 vehicles to electric including a commitment to switch two thirds of the fleet by the end of next year and install 800 new charging points. The firm said that its vehicles are responsible for 93% of its carbon footprint.

“We want to ensure our sizable fleet is as green and sustainable as possible,” said Simon King, Mitie’s fleet and procurement director. “It is challenging, but we all need to take responsibility for actions and commit to change.”

(An earlier version of this story corrected the size of Centrica’s fleet.)

To contact the reporter on this story: Jeremy Hodges in London at jhodges17@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Reed Landberg at landberg@bloomberg.net, Andrew Reierson, Lars Paulsson

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