South: Taylor Made welcomes new electric cars to fleet

A Hampshire IT firm has powered up its green credentials with the arrival of six brand-new electric cars. Taylor Made Computer Solutions, based in Fareham, has welcomed six new BMWi3s, marking its move towards electrifying its entire fleet.

Founder and managing director Nigel Taylor said: “The entire team was so excited about the arrival of the new electric cars and couldn’t wait to see them pull up outside the office. We’re well-known for our branded cars and can’t wait to get these new, greener vehicles, out on the road.”

With the Government planning to ban the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars from 2040, an increasing number of businesses are starting to switch to electric cars. Taylor Made prides itself on being an early adopter and has even installed three charging points at its Cams Hall Estate headquarters to ensure the i3s are ready for action at any time. The vehicles will be used as ‘pool cars’ for the company’s 115 employees, who need to be ready to dash out and help clients at a moment’s notice.

“Our customers span across the entire south of England, from Poole in the west to Brighton and London in the East,” Nigel said. “We’ll be able to use our chargers before we leave and top up with rapid charges on the road if necessary for longer journeys.”

Taylor Made has a fleet of nearly 50 vehicles and plans to transition the rest of its cars to electric in time.

Phil Page from Compass Leasing in Portsmouth, which helped Taylor Made make the switch, said: “We are seeing a real rise in demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles here in Hampshire. We’re only expecting that to rise as manufacturers start producing more and more electric vehicles, with greater range and battery capacity.

“It was our pleasure to help Taylor Made start its electric car journey and hope it’ll encourage other businesses to follow suit.”

Taylor concluded: “Our current vehicles have relatively low emissions but we’re keen to take our carbon footprint down even lower. Making a positive impact on the world around us is important to all of us here at Taylor Made.”

There are currently an estimated 126,000 electric vehicles on the UK’s roads. According to the latest figures from the SMMT, more than 41,000 new alternatively fuelled vehicles have been registered so far this year, up around a quarter on the same period last year.

New figures released by Go Ultra Low show company car drivers could save £7,376 over three years by switching to a 100% electric car.