What’s next in EVs?

Our special guest was Robert Llewellyn of Fully Charged, the world’s number-one clean energy and EV show. He began by sharing his thoughts on the Kia EV6 – named Car of the Year 2022: “It’s a second-generation electric car, and a much more sophisticated machine than those we’ve seen before.” 

He then presented the most exciting new EV models hitting the market this year, including:

• The Lucid Air, “the next level in luxury EVs,”
• The Polestar 3, “one of the most climate-responsible cars ever made.”
• The Nio ET5, “China is making cars of stunning quality, like the Nio ET5, which offers innovations like battery swapping and an impressive 700 km range.”

Finally, we couldn’t let him go without asking about fleet electrification. “Is it the right time for company fleets to go electric? I can’t think of a reason why not,” said Robert. “The savings are phenomenal – not only for fuel but also for servicing costs. What’s more, the infrastructure is getting better and better, and we’re seeing exciting new innovations such as rapid charging, vehicle-to-grid charging and solar-panelled cars. The time is now!” 

Berno Kleinherenbrink, Chief Commercial Officer at LeasePlan, took us through the LeasePlan EV Readiness Index 2022 – the fifth edition of this annual report. In it, we weigh up several key factors in EV preparedness across 22 European countries.  

“On the upside,” said Berno, “EV uptake has significantly increased in almost all markets and EVs are now more affordable than ever. However, for the fifth year in a row, charging infrastructure is the bottleneck holding back the EV transition in Europe. This shows that governments urgently need to invest in a robust and reliable public charging infrastructure that functions across Europe.”  

Like last year, Norway came out on top in the overall EV Readiness ranking, followed by the Netherlands and the UK. But there were also notable highlights in the performance of several other European countries: Greece, for instance, showed the greatest improvement this time around … 

… as Costas Petroutsos, Managing Director of LeasePlan Greece, explained! According to him, there were three key factors contributing to this transformation:

• An increase in EV maturity
• Improvements in the country’s charging infrastructure

• Incentives to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for EV drivers

  He also talked about what’s next for Greece, looking ahead to intriguing initiatives such as new government incentives and even 100%-emission-free islands!  

  “All taxis will have to be emission-free as of January 1, 2026,” Costas added, “and by January 1, 2030, this will apply to all new cars. Considering its location and climate, Greece has enormous potential for making great use of renewable energy sources like solar power – after all, we have sunshine 365 days a year!”  

  Costas’s biggest lesson for other countries? “It’s crucial for us all to learn from others’ good practices. We have to be open to every opportunity if we want to drive real change in personal mobility.”

Then it was over to you! In the Q&A round, our speakers answered viewers’ queries about everything from the semi-conductor shortage and the EV affordability gap to the most common lease lengths and how LeasePlan is helping companies overcome charging infrastructure challenges. Also up for discussion? Supercharger networks, car sharing and why LeasePlan’s EV Readiness Index still has insufficient data to cover Asia and the Americas.  

And the million-dollar question: 

Viewer question: What’s the must-have EV right now?  Experts’ answer: We’d go for the Kia EV6, but the Hyundai Ioniq5 SUV also has lots to recommend it. Honourable mentions to the Nio ET5 and the Ora Cat! 

Our mission is to provide you with what’s next in sustainable mobility, so you can focus on what’s next for you.  

Want to watch the webinar in full? Check out the recording below.