The challenges of business travel
Companies face a number of obstacles when it comes to organizing employee travel. Between high costs, the negative environmental impact of combustion-powered vehicles and mobility constraints, it's essential to find suitable mobility solutions.
Business travel: increasingly high costs
Business travel accounts for a significant proportion of a company's expenses. These costs include fuel, maintenance, tolls and parking, among others. For a company that travels regularly, these figures can quickly add up and have a significant impact on profitability.
However, electric cars offer an economical and sustainable alternative. A comparative analysis showed that the average cost of electricity needed to cover the same distance was around 30% to 50% lower than that of conventional fuel. This means considerable savings for professionals who opt for electric cars for their travels.
As well as saving fuel, electric cars require less maintenance. The maintenance costs for an electric car can be up to 35% lower than those of a combustion-powered vehicleThis is due to the simplicity of their motor and mechanics. Fewer moving parts mean less risk of costly breakdowns and less need for parts replacement.
What's more, electric cars benefit from preferential rates in many public parking lots. Electric car owners can save up to save up to 50% on parking chargesor even free parking in some cases. This represents a significant saving for professionals who travel frequently and need to park regularly.
Here is a comparative table of travel costs between a combustion-powered car and an electric car over a distance of 100 km:
| Thermal car | Electric car | |
|---|---|---|
|
Fuel
|
10 € |
2 € |
|
Maintenance
|
40 € |
26 € |
|
Parking fees* (in euros) |
4 € |
0 € |
|
Total |
54 € |
28 € |
*Average rate for one-hour parking in Paris
The alarming environmental impact of combustion-powered vehicles
Thermal vehicles have a considerable impact on the environment. They are responsible for a significant proportion of CO2 emissions, the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change. According to the French Environment and Energy Management Agency (ADEME), the average CO2 emissions of a gasoline-powered car are around 120 g/km, while a diesel-powered car emits around 110 g/km.. They also emit atmospheric pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particles.
To reduce the environmental impact of business travel, the use of electric vehicles in its vehicle fleet is a reliable opportunity. They offer a cleaner, more sustainable solution, considerably reducing CO2 emissions.
Mobility and logistics management: what solutions can be found?
Business travel is often confronted with mobility and logistical management constraints due to :
- Journey times: traffic jams are a common problem, especially in dense urban areas. Delays lead to lost productivity and increased travel costs.
- Route management: poor route management can lead to delays, extra km travelled and overall inefficiency.
- Tracking expenses and reimbursements: it's crucial to track and document expenses for fuel, tolls, parking, etc. An inefficient process can lead to errors, wasted time and reimbursement problems.
- Vehicle fleet management: maintain your vehicles, plan repairs and manage insurance to avoid additional costs and disruptions.
Also read → Last mile: reducing the ecological impact
What steps can be taken to seize the opportunities offered by sustainable mobility?
To meet these mobility and logistics management challenges, a number of measures must be taken to remedy these constraints:
- Use advanced navigation and route management solutions to optimize journeys and avoid traffic jams.
- Implementation of automated expense management systems to facilitate tracking and reimbursement of travel expenses.
- Use of fleet tracking technologies for efficient vehicle management, including maintenance planning and repair management.
What's more, the use of electric cars can help resolve some of these constraints. They often benefit from privileged access, which reduces journey times. With a suitable recharging infrastructure, electric vehicles can be used in a more flexible and optimized way.
Also read → Last-mile logistics: a challenge for companies
The advantages of electric cars for professionals
Electric cars offer many benefits benefits for businesses. In addition to their contribution to preserving the environment, these cars offer greater flexibility to reduce energy and maintenance costs, and open the door to tax benefits.
Optimum commuting flexibility
The transition to electric cars offers greater flexibility for commuting to and from workwith numerous benefits for employees and employers alike. Thanks to their range constantly improving, daily trips can be made without having to worry about frequent recharging. They also reduce journey times thanks to fast-charging infrastructures. Electric vehicles offer significant savings in fuel costs compared with conventional combustion-powered vehicles.
This saving benefits employees who regularly commute to work. They emit no exhaust fumes, which reduces pollutant emissions and improves air quality. This can have a positive impact on employee health by creating a healthier working environment. Other advantages include the possibility of recharging the car at home overnight, and access to charging stations directly at work, make the most of the flexibility of commuting for employees.
Also read → The transition to electric cars: a profitable choice for businesses
Energy and maintenance: lower costs for greater efficiency
Due to their simpler design and the absence absence of complex mechanical componentselectric cars require less maintenance than combustion-powered vehicles. Maintenance costs for an electric car can be up to 35% lower than for a gasoline-powered car over a five-year period. This reduction in costs is due to lower maintenance requirements such as engine oil changes, replacement of air and fuel filters, and transmission servicing.
Technological advances have considerably improved the lifespan of batteries electric car batteries. Depending on the manufacturer, modern electric vehicle batteries can last last between 8 and 15 yearsor even longer, depending on proper use and maintenance. With regular use, the capacity of batteries may gradually diminish, but this does not mean that they become unusable. In fact, even after several years, batteries can still retain sufficient charge capacity to meet the needs of most daily journeys. As a result, battery replacement costs are less frequent and less expensive than you might think.
Also read → How much does an electric car battery cost?
What benefits and subsidies are available?
Governments recognize the environmental benefits of electric cars and encourage their adoption by offering various tax breaks and subsidies. These financial incentives can take the form of tax breaks, subsidies for the purchase or installation of the installation of charging stationsor even reduced electricity rates for electric car owners.
Professionals can take advantage of these incentives to further reduce the costs associated with using electric cars:
- environmental bonus
- exemption from annual taxes on CO2 emissions and vehicle age
- VAT deduction
- reduced property tax
- conversion premium
- exemption from TICPE (domestic consumption tax on energy products).
Also read → 2023 tax benefits for electric vehicles
Sustainable mobility eases environmental impact
Adopting sustainable mobility solutions makes a significant contribution to reducing environmental impact. This includes the use of electric vehicles, car-sharing, public transport, active modes of travel such as walking and cycling, and the use of alternative fuels.
In particular, it enables :
- reducing CO2 emissions: greenhouse gas emissions from transport are one of the main causes of climate change. Electric vehicles emit far fewer of the gases responsible for global warming than combustion-powered vehicles.
- improving air quality: thermal vehicles emit atmospheric pollutants such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) and fine particles, which have a harmful impact on air quality and human health. The use of electric vehicles and other sustainable modes of transport helps to reduce air pollution.
- noise reduction: electric vehicles produce much less noise than combustion engines, helping to reduce noise pollution and improve quality of life in urban areas.
Here is a table showing the CO2 emissions (g/km) of the Megane e-Tech the electric SUV from Renault compared with its gasoline and diesel equivalents.
| Type of vehicle | CO2 emissions (g/km) |
|---|---|
|
Renault Megane e-Tech |
0
|
|
Renault Megane (petrol) |
120-180 |
|
Renault Megane (diesel)
|
130-200 |
Also read → Sustainable mobility: challenges and solutions
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How can we meet the needs of SMEs and VSEs?
SMEs and VSEs face a number of challenges when it comes to business travel. Due to budgetary constraints and the search for economical, sustainable solutions, these companies need to find answers adapted to their needs.
Success despite budget constraints
Electric cars offer a more economical solution in the long term, thanks to their lower running costs. In addition tax benefits and government subsidies available for available for electric vehicles can help small businesses overcome these budgetary constraints.
SMEs are often faced with significant economic restrictions when it comes to managing their business travel. These financial limitations have a significant impact on their ability to ensure efficient, cost-effective mobility for their employees. Travel and transportation costs can represent a significant proportion of their budget.
To cope with these constraints, they can, for example, use fleet management software. These tools can help SMEs optimize their itineraries and reduce travel-related expenses.
Also read → Transition to electric cars: profitable for businesses?
Finding solutions that combine economy and sustainability
SMEs and VSEs are increasingly aware of the importance of finding economical and sustainable solutions for their employees' travel needs. Electric cars meet these needs by offering low operating lower operating costs environmental impact and tax benefits. By adopting these vehicles, small businesses can reconcile their economic objectives with their environmental responsibility.
Consumers are increasingly sensitive to the environmental impact of companies. They are looking for brands that adopt sustainable practices and integrate CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) into their overall strategy. For SMEs, meeting these expectations can be a key factor in developing a positive brand image and win the trust of customers.
Customers are interested in the concrete actions taken by SMEs to reduce their environmental footprint. It is therefore essential to communicate transparently on the measures taken, the objectives set and the results achieved in terms of sustainability. They are also much more aware of the impact of their consumption choices on the environment. They look for products and services that are responsibly manufactured, use sustainable materials and minimize their carbon footprint.
SMEs can strengthen their commitment to sustainability by working with suppliers and partners who share the same values. By favoring environmentally-friendly suppliers and integrating sustainability criteria into their business relationships, SMEs can reinforce their positive impact and inspire other industry players to follow their example.
Also read → Electric cars boost your employer brand
Conclusion
The electric car represents an efficient and sustainable solution for professionals. It offers economic and environmental benefits, and meets customer expectations. By adopting electric cars, professionals can combine telecommuting with business travel.
Ready to take the plunge? Contact our experts if you have any questions. We'll get back to you within the hour.
