OVO pledges to deliver all-electric fleet by 2030
Energy giant signs up to EV100 and EP100 initiatives, as company beefs up Plan Zero decarbonisation strategy
Energy giant OVO has pledged to deploy a fully electric fleet and double its energy productivity by 2030, as the company today moved to strengthen its Plan Zero decarbonisation strategy.
The firm marked World Environment Day by confirming it has joined The Climate Group's EV100 and EP100 campaigns, committing to transitioning its fleet to electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030 and installing charging infrastructure at its work locations to support electric vehicle uptake by employees, while also doubling its energy productivity across its operations by the same date.
The move follows the launch last autumn of the company's Plan Zero strategy, which saw it set a target to fully decarbonise its own operations and help halve its members' carbon footprint by the end of the decade.
"We all need to take action towards a world beyond carbon and businesses need to lead the way," said Kate Weinberg, Director of Sustainability at OVO. "In our sustainability strategy, Plan Zero, we pledge to achieve net zero carbon emissions from our operations by 2030. So we're proud to sign up to EP100 and EV100 crystallising our commitments to electrify our fleet and improve energy productivity."
The company also today announced that it has planted over one million trees in five years through its partnership with The Conservation Volunteers, surpassing a target set in 2015.
The partnership sees OVO plant three trees on behalf of every customer signed up to its OVO Beyond tariff. The programme is currently on target to plant another 370,000 trees before 2021, the company said
Helen Clarkson, CEO of The Climate Group, welcomed the latest addition to the organisation's fast-expanding EP100 and EV100 initiatives. "We're delighted that OVO are the latest major energy services supplier to join both EP100 and EV100," she said. "With demand for clean transport on the up, energy companies are looking to electric vehicles and charging infrastructure as the next frontier of investment in the clean and flexible energy system. As with smart energy measures, there are huge business opportunities for those who get ahead first and every major company should follow their lead."
One of the primary aims of the EV100 campaign and the new UK Electric Fleets Alliance - which The Climate Group launched alongside BT this month - is to demonstrate to manufacturers that there is significant and growing demand for electric cars and vans.
To date companies committed to switching to 100 per cent EV fleets claim their efforts have been hampered by long waiting lists for electric models as supply has struggled to keep up with demand.
On September 30th BusinessGreen will host the world's first Net Zero Festival - a three day virtual summit committed to celebrating and advancing the net zero transition.
In support of the Race to Zero campaign we are offering one VIP pass for the digital event to any business or organisation that has a net zero target in place.
To apply for your VIP pass please send a link to your net zero pledge to [email protected] by Tuesday 9th June.
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