THINK British Gas and a range of products and services will probably spring to mind. Energy supply, boilers, central heating and home insulation are just a few of the areas in which the company specialises.
But there’s another area where British Gas is playing a leading role: The adoption of electric vehicle technology in the UK.
British Gas has been chosen to work with several major motor manufacturers in this crucial and ever-growing area, and is ‘walking the walk’ itself, with all-electric Nissan LEAFs used as pool and company cars, and plans afoot to introduce hundreds of electric LCVs into its fleet of vehicles in the very near future.
It’s exciting stuff and British Gas claims to be way ahead of other energy companies in this area.
But why would British Gas be into electric vehicles? Surely it’s a departure from their traditional home-based offerings?
Dan Taylor, director of new ventures at British Gas, and the man who oversees all EV activity at the company, told us: ‘We see electric cars as a market that is really going to grow over the next few years. We have witnessed increased pressure over CO2 emissions, huge investment by car manufacturers and significant advances in technology.
‘That’s all beginning to add up – for certain customers, not all – and we think this market will start to take off.
‘We’re obviously very supportive in that respect but our mission is very much around looking after customers and looking after their world. EV is a great new way of helping them save money, manage their fuel costs and become greener.’
A strong range of products
British Gas has a range of charging solutions available for EV drivers and can work with car buyers to work out which is the right one for them.
‘We’ve got a strong range of products,’ said Dan Taylor. ‘And we have that ability to be technologically agnostic – ie have more than one charging solution.
‘We’ll come out and do a free no-obligation survey. That’s for both residential and commercial customers. People don’t realise that every home is different – they all have different wiring, they park their cars in different places – actually there may be different solutions required for two houses that look quite similar.’
The role British Gas can play as electric vehicles become more and more popular cannot be over-estimated.
Says Dan Taylor: ‘It’s really important for dealerships who are selling EVs to have somebody like us to be able to help customers and provide advice. And don’t forget we can put charging points into dealerships too.’
All in all, British Gas have spotted the potential electric vehicles hold for the future – and they’re fully involved in the EV revolution.