Europcar Mobility Group UK is driving a number of initiatives to help motorists transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) to electric. Rental, whether for a few days, weeks or months provides important real-world experience and to support customers on the journey, the company has launched a new digital guide to electric motoring.
The first phase of the free Europcar Electric Vehicle Guide comprises a digital Showroom outlining the features and benefits of each electric vehicle in the Europcar fleet. Plus, as the first major rental provider to partner with Zapmap, Europcar is embedding its national charger map into the EV Guide. Enabling customers to find over 45,000 charge points across the UK & Ireland to suit their charging needs, from rapid and destination charging to overnight charging, the Zapmap charger map will deliver an extremely valuable tool to reduce ‘range and charger anxiety’ for new as well as experienced EV drivers.
An ICE vs EV cost comparator also helps motorists see the immediate savings they can make by driving electric.
Zapmap was launched in 2014, a pioneer from the early days of electric driving that has given many motorists the confidence to switch to electric. Zapmap shares Europcar’s ambition for enabling and accelerating EV adoption. Its comprehensive database maps over 95% of all UK public charging stations, many of which include real-time charger status.
The Zapmap app can also be downloaded via the Europcar EV Guide, enabling drivers to access an electric route planner. You can also pay for charging sessions across multiple charge point providers, saving the need to have multiple apps and logins for the many charge point providers, and simplifying the experience greatly.
“Electric vehicle charging remains one of the main roadblocks to motorists hiring or buying an EV”, explained Mark Newberry, Europcar Mobility Group UK Commercial Director and Sustainability spokesperson.
“Yet our own ‘lived’ experiences at Europcar suggest that this simply does not need to be a concern. However, we know that there needs to be a big leap from myth to reality and we want electric vehicle rental to help cross that chasm."
The charge point map is an extremely valuable tool for Europcar customers and will reduce ‘range and charger anxiety.’
“Europcar is, therefore, making a significant investment in tools designed to take the anxiety away from the EV experience. This includes the creation of our new free to access EV Guide, as well as our new partnership with Zapmap – the first in the UK rental space," Newberry continued.
Harrison Brook, Head of Partnerships at Zapmap, added: “It has always been our aim to encourage greater uptake of electric vehicles by simplifying the EV charging experience.
"By introducing Zapmap’s digital mapping solution, Europcar have created what will be a seamless on-the-road experience for their customers across the country, many of whom will be first-time EV drivers.
“Hundreds of thousands of EV drivers already use our solutions, and we look forward to welcoming Europcar customers into our community.”
Newberry concluded: “At Europcar, we are committed to reducing and removing the roadblocks that are stopping people from making the switch to more sustainable travel.
“Rental, for a few days, weeks or months, really does make sense to test out electric motoring in real world conditions. Our new EV Guide and the guidance it provides will be invaluable to existing and future EV drivers.
"The easily digestible information and interactive digital tools will help customers get familiar with accessing, personalising and driving their rental vehicle beyond the personal handover at the start of the journey.”
The Europcar EV Guide is available at electric.europcar.co.uk
