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Getting EV Ready In a
Post-COVID World
Find out how we helped two Honda dealerships prepare for the arrival of their new
electric vehicle range...
The power of dreams
The power of dreams
Honda is a brand that has become synonymous with technology and innovation. So it’s no surprise that the Japanese car manufacturer known for “the power of dreams” continues to make strides with its growing portfolio of battery-powered cars.
Greenacre Honda Clitheroe has been part of the Honda franchise in Lancashire for over forty years. But as the range of cars increased, and many more customers chose Honda, the business expanded to include Greenacre Honda Blackburn in 2005. Along with the sale of new and used Honda cars, both dealerships provide a full aftersales service to the exacting standards you would expect from Honda.
Then earlier this year, with the appetite for electric vehicles increasing and the next generation of Honda electric vehicles planned for the next two years, the time was right to get EV-ready. In such a business critical year, they needed a partner they could trust to move quickly and gets things right first time.
Hassle-free charging point installations
At British Gas, we’ve been busy integrating EV charging into businesses since 2012 when we adopted electric in our own commercial fleet. It means when it comes to installing electric charging points in businesses, we know how to make things easy. For Greenacre Honda Clitheroe and Greenacre Honda Blackburn, that included overcoming a few challenges posed by COVID-19.
The first step was making sure all work could be conducted in accordance with COVID-19 safe working practices, alongside the standard construction safe working practices. Once these issues were ironed out, the installations were completed like clockwork. Graeme Edmondson, Managing Director at the Greenacre Honda, told us everything was in place in time for both dealerships to meet their fleet delivery of new EV cars ready for client demonstrations and customer deliveries.
Minimising disruption and downtime
Before work got underway Graeme shared some concerns that there may be considerable downtime, with no electricity causing disruption to phone lines, internet and computer systems at both dealerships. However, our onsite team of experienced engineers established a mutually proactive working relationship to make sure this wasn’t the case.
Routing cables, new panels and earth safety devices were installed in a busy garage workshop location at both sites. And new chargers were installed at customer access points on the dealership forecourts without disruption to the core business functions.
“The two engineers were courteous, knowledgeable and their workmanship was first-class with no downtime for us. The installation went better than we expected and exceeded our expectations.”
We know first-hand what’s involved in adopting electric. That’s why we offer end-to-end charging solutions that can take the pressure off your business. So, from charge point installation and management to servicing and repair, we’ll make EV charging easy and affordable.
With British Gas, you’ll benefit from:
- Meeting mandated dealer standards - Your installation will be completed to your approved standards
- Reassurance of a trusted brand - You can feel confident we know what we’re doing
- National coverage - We have a large network of EV experts ready to start your installation now
- Virtual audit technology - We can carry out detailed site surveys remotely, without the need for a face-to-face visit
Balancing planet and profit during unprecedented market volatility
Wholesale energy prices have experienced unprecedented levels of volatility since the end of summer 2021, with both day ahead/spot and future contracts surging to all-time highs. In the last couple of months, prices have decreased but still remain high compared to a year ago. This period of high energy prices is expected to continue for the foreseeable future (see next section). Energy prices have surged for a number of reasons: A global increase in gas demand following the ease or end of Covid-related restrictions throughout 2021. After the pandemic, economies across the world started to recover. Asian countries like China saw their imports of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) increase. This resulted in lower LNG shipments to the UK and Europe. On the supply side, the Covid-19 lockdowns pushed some maintenance work from 2020 into 2021 at a time when demand was recovering. In 2021, gas production hit a record low of 363TWh, 47TWh below the previous record low in 2013. Low production was the result of an extensive summer maintenance schedule which saw shutdowns at several major terminals, as well as the Forties Pipeline System which serves a significant proportion of UK gas and oil production. A lack of wind in the summer resulted in higher demand for conventional power. European gas storage in 2021 and Q1’22 remained far below previous years and it’s unclear how these are going to be replenished in the summer given the concerns around supply including the potential suspension of Russian gas flows due to sanctions. The 1,234km offshore Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, which was designed to double the flow of gas between Russia and Germany (and by extension the rest of Europe) has been abandoned following the invasion of Ukraine. Gas storage in the UK is extremely minimal with capacity at less than 2% of the UK’s annual demand, compared with 22% for other European countries. Whilst the UK is not heavily reliant on gas coming from Russia, it sources almost half it’s gas supply from Europe. Hence, wholesale gas and power prices in the UK are now subject to knock-on-effects from the conflict in Ukraine.
Amidst rising energy costs, digitalisation, growing pressure from stakeholders and increasing regulation, organisations may struggle to define their pathway to a low-carbon future. What can you do to protect your business’ net zero plans from the challenges of volatility? Disruption and volatility are putting organisations under pressure. Digitalisation and new technology developments continue to challenge existing business models. Its increasing dependence on energy and encouraging businesses to drive change to secure competitive advantage. And as customers, employees and shareholders look to engage with companies who understand the importance of decarbonisation, pressure is mounting to prioritise sustainability.
