Electric Success: KN Circet's Green Fleet is Miles Ahead
KN Circet, a leading provider to the Telecommunications, Transport Infrastructure and Power Sectors in Ireland, UK and internationally, introduce Electric Vehicles to their fleet in Ireland.
Key achievements
Invested €1.1m in 29 Hyundai Kona electric vans
Making savings of €8033 per month with their new electric fleet
Reduction in overall company CO2 emissions
Improved public perception of KN Circet and their goals
The Project
The company, which employs 3,500 people, and boast a fleet of over 1,500 vehicles, was looking for new ways to cut costs, improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon emissions while maintaining driver safety across its operations. Following considerable research in the area, they decided to introduce electric vehicles (EV's) to their fleet in Ireland
They invested €1.1m in 29 Hyundai Kona electric vans, the first EV's to join KN's existing vehicle line-up, making it one of the largest EV fleets in operation in Ireland today.
With such a large fleet of vehicles, making the switch to electric required time and commitment from the company.Firstly, they had to identify how suitable an electric vehicle would be for the business - this was based on several factors, including how often the vehicle would be used, the distance it would travel each day and where it was located. The ultimate vision for the company was to go fully electric and carbon free.
KN based the selection process on where they could identify the best savings along with the greatest environmental impact. They also took into consideration the availability of charging points - the company had to ensure that drivers had the technical support to successfully implement the move to electric.
Once they selected the vehicles they were going to replace, they researched various makes and models of EV's, to find the one which would best suit their needs. Key factors included vehicle range, reputation of the manufacturer and intended use. They decided on the Hyundai Kona, which currently offers a best in class range of up to 450kms on a single charge.
"We think all businesses can incorporate an element of EVs into their daily work flow. Research the facts and keep an open mind." Ray Verschoyle, Transport Manager Ireland KN Circet says.
Next Steps for KN
After experiencing the benefits of using EV's, KN Circet have ordered a further six to add to their growing electric fleet. The Telecoms company will continue to monitor opportunities where they can increase this number and further reduce their costs and CO2 emissions.
KN have also installed LED lighting in all their buildings and outside yard areas and plan to build on this in the coming months. Employees have responded very positively to the introduction of EV's and KN have now created dedicated parking points for EV's at each depot.
Originally the main goal of the project was to reduce CO2 emissions and fuel costs but the benefits have been far greater than they could have imagined.