A national business energy supplier based in Ipswich is set to make it easier for companies to switch to electric vehicles (EV) by setting up charging points and providing support.

Drax Group, which owns Haven Power in Suffolk, has helped its first EV customer, SES Water, through the process with 16 new charging points. SES will start by replacing 10 of its 120 strong fleet of diesel vans with electric vehicles, resulting in a carbon saving of 43 tonnes of CO2 a year.

Haven provided a comprehensive service, including charging infrastructure and operating software, the leasing of EVs, supporting devices such as vehicle telematics, and the renewable electricity needed to power the vehicles.

MORE - Firm’s solar roof reflects its ‘zero carbon’ ambitionsDrax, which is the biggest supplier of renewable electricity to businesses in the UK, will also supply SES Water with telematic systems to allow usage data from the trial to be monitored, paving the way for a broader roll out.

The service also includes expert advice to determine what kind of vehicles and systems will work best for customers, analysis of different charging methods to minimise fleet downtime as well as data to help companies use their fleet efficiently.

Drax Retail chief executive Jonathan Kini said: “We know from supplying energy to our customers that no two businesses are alike, so a ‘one size fits all’ approach won’t deliver what they all need.

“Instead, we are working with customers like SES Water as an energy partner, to offer each of them a solution tailored to their specific needs. Giving them the optimal EV package will result in lower carbon emissions and costs, helping them to grow better businesses.”

According to research from Arval, so far just 14% of businesses in the UK have switched at least one vehicle to electric, but this is set to increase to 42% within 3 years.

Mr Kini added: “EVs are still a relatively new technology and making the switch can be daunting. We can take the stress out of the process, so customers have confidence that the decisions they’re making will be good for the environment, as well as their business.”