6% of fleet operators plan to invest in electric vehicles

Six per cent of fleet operators intend to invest in electric vehicles, a week-long poll by comparison website TrackCompare has revealed.

Kjell Anderton, a director of the company, said: "We were surprised to find that only six per cent would consider investing in electric vehicles. We don't believe EVs have become mainstream enough for them, which is a shame. Perhaps it's just a lack of education.

"However, we had some interesting responses. One person told us they didn't want their drivers finding ports and then 'charging for hours on end.' Another, at a rural location, was worried about the availability of charging points, and others said they were too old-fashioned to consider electric vehicles or didn't consider they were something they needed. One told us 'maybe, not sure – it's not something we have thought about recently.'

"Of course, there's still plenty of time to improve people's knowledge of the potential benefits of electric vehicles. Things take time and maybe in a few more years they will warm to the idea of investing in them.

"The government is to invest £500 million between 2015 and 2020, which is a move in the right direction and should grab people's attention. One of its main aims is to encourage the uptake of ultra-low emission vehicles."

• The poll was held from 30 April – 7 May. Visitors were asked Do you plan to invest in electric vehicles? Six per cent said yes.

TrackCompare.co.uk launched in 2009, represents more than 50 tracking and telematics companies across a wide range of technologies.

The company's online service is backed by a team of experienced fleet consultants, who help more than 2,000 new fleets every month.

TrackCompare.co.uk assists organisations large and small to identify the most effective tracking and telematics solutions for their operations