Mitie has welcomed the 4,000th electric vehicle, a Volkswagen ID Buzz, to its fleet. This milestone underscores Mitie’s commitment to creating a zero-emission fleet. Over the past year alone, Mitie has added more than 1,000 new EVs, solidifying its position as one of the largest electric fleets in the United Kingdom.
The vehicle was unveiled by Matt Western, member of Parliament for Warwick and Leamington at National Grid House. He serves as chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on EVs and learned how Mitie is decarbonizing Britain through sustainable transport, from deploying EVs to its partners and customers, to installing thousands of EV charge points across the nation.
The 4,000th EV is one of 650 new Volkswagen ID Buzz’s ordered by Mitie. These long-range EVs will cater to a wide range of Mitie partners, including cleaning operatives, landscaping entities and mobile engineers traveling between sites. The vehicle is part of a new multi-million-pound partnership between Mitie and National Grid, with Mitie delivering facilities management services at over 260 National Grid sites.
With 60% of its fleet now electric, Mitie is on track to meet its target of electrifying its fleet by the end of 2025. This journey started in 2020 with the launch of Plan Zero, a wider initiative aimed at reaching net zero operations in the same timeframe. A large component contributing to Mitie reaching this objective has been implementing a robust EV roadmap, replacing internal combustion engine vehicles with EVs across its contracts and own estate.
Mitie is also ensuring the UK has access to the clean, renewable energy it needs to power the EV revolution, having installed over 2,800 charge points at’ homes and customer sites. It is also supporting many of its customers, including National Grid, with their own EV strategies, from rolling out EVs across fleets, through to the installation and upkeep of charging infrastructure.
“Reaching our 4,000th EV is a major milestone on our journey to reaching a zero-emission fleet by the end of 2025,” says Heidi Thompson, group fleet manager, Mitie. “The vehicle joining our fleet at National Grid will serve a crucial role for our cleaning operatives on the contract. It was a pleasure to be joined by the local MP, Matt Western, who in his role as the chair of the APPG on EVs is driving forward the importance of fleet electrification, championing UK businesses to embrace EV strategies.”
“It was great to have the opportunity to welcome Mitie’s 4,000th electric vehicle to its fleet and hear from the team about the important work they are doing,” adds Western. “It is seriously impressive how Mitie is leading the way with one of the largest electric fleets in the UK. Businesses have a significant role in reducing transport emissions, and I encourage all businesses to look at decarbonizing their fleets.”