MOVE-ing on Up!

Last week our Director of Sustainability and Regulation, Andrew Wescott, was invited to speak at Move, one of our industry’s premier events to discuss the future of transport. He shared some thought on our transition to Electric Vehicles, and how partnerships with suppliers and with drivers are needed to make the shift work for everyone:

Addison Lee strives to be a leader in the taxi and PHV industry. This leadership was clear when we made our pledge to electrify our standard fleet by 2023. This will put us two years ahead of any of our competitors and provide our customers with a zero-emissions ground transport option. Taking this leap does come with its challenges – as well as opportunities. Being an early adopter of any new technology means that we must take on some of the pain of realising the benefits. This is something we are currently experiencing with our EV transition and we are working hard to develop strategic partnerships to help support our drivers as they take the bold step towards EV adoption.

We cannot deliver on our pledge if we work in isolation and we cannot develop partnerships if we do not broadcast the great work we are doing. Since we made our pledge back in September 2021, we have promoted it through all our communications channels and gained some excellent media coverage. This, in turn, has led to lots of engagement with stakeholders and partners across the charging industry, vehicle manufacturers and a whole host of public and private bodies keen to work with us. It has also provided us with opportunity to attend events to talk about our work.

I was pleased to be asked to speak at MOVE 2022 at ExCel London on 15^th and 16^th June. MOVE is a global mobility event, which brings together OEMs, transport operators, tech companies, energy companies, fast-growing start-ups, and policymakers. I was asked to speak about our EV transition and the importance of public and private partnerships in delivering our EV ambitions. I discussed the policy context within which we are trying to deliver our pledge, some of the hurdles to adoption and the way we have gone about developing mutually beneficial partnerships – with customers, charging providers and vehicle manufacturers – to help us get there.

The partnership I focussed on, and the one that I believe is most important to us, is the one with our drivers. Without the buy in from our drivers we cannot make the shift to EV. They must have confidence that when they swap their diesel vehicle for an EV, their ability to work and earn does not change. They need to know that we have done all we can to provide them with access to charging infrastructure so that range anxiety is less of an issue. They also need confidence that we will provide ongoing support with their EV journey.

We know our drivers are passionate about the environment. When we surveyed them last year over 80% said that the main reason for shifting to an EV was to improve air quality and the environment in London. This should not be a surprise as many of our drivers and their families live and work in London. We know we have their buy-in so its important we continue to develop and build partnerships that make driving an EV as easy as possible.

Events like MOVE are valuable for broadcasting our message. By sharing our insights and experience we can engage and networking with partners that can help us deliver our pledge to be fully EV by 2023.