Test driving the electric future, today

The electric car is no longer a novelty – or an eco-friendly statement – for fleet customers. 

That was proven in the latest series of SG Fleet EV Drive Days in Melbourne and Sydney in June, where more than 40 battery-powered vehicles, from luxurious executive limousines to affordable city runabouts, and even a handful of hard-working, heavy-duty trucks, were made available for SG Fleet customer representatives to test drive. 

The SG Fleet EV Drive Days are designed to inform business decision-makers on the latest developments, and newest vehicles, in the electric car landscape – from fleet, procurement, finance, sustainability, HR, and operations.  

They had the chance to experience the vehicles first-hand with test drives around Sandown Raceway in Melbourne and the Honda Australia Rider Training Centre (HART) in Sydney, as well as talk directly to representatives from the vehicle manufacturers about any perceived barriers that may be in the way to prevent their respective companies from adopting more electric vehicles into their fleets, such as stock availability, future products and charging strategies. 

For SG Fleet, the EV Drive Days play an important role in assisting its customers with better knowledge and experience of electric vehicles and cementing its position as a pioneer in sustainability. 

“Our commitment to EVs and zero emissions is a fundamental core of the business at the moment and we’re pushing this extremely hard,” said Andy Mulcaster, Managing Director of SG Fleet Australia.  

“Today is a great example of that commitment and the desire from our customers to learn about these products is amazing and we’re going to see some great results out of days like this. To be honest, we have never seen so customers at an event – it is absolutely amazing. We’re blown away!” 

At both events, SG Fleet was supported by a wide range of manufacturers, including Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Cupra, BYD, Polestar, Nissan, Hino, Foton, MG and Tesla, all of which showcased the latest models available to customers. 

The huge variety of vehicles was surprising to most customers, from heroic models such as the uber-luxurious Mercedes-Benz EQS and the ultra-rapid Audi e-Tron RS GT to affordable SUVs like the MG ZS EV and BYD Atto 3, as well as hybrid and fully electric trucks from Hino, Foton and Hyundai. 

Volkswagen even showcased its first fully electric vehicle, the I.D 4 mid-sized SUV, months ahead of its official arrival in showrooms and Kia surprised Sydney guests with a special preview of its bold EV9 seven-seat SUV just weeks after it made its global debut. 

“It’s impressive to see that there are so many different options now for EVs now,” said Faysal Nasr from the Dulux Group, who attended the Melbourne event at Sandown Raceway. 

“I remember when we did this a few years and there might have been just a handful of cars. It’s great to be able to get behind the wheel of these cars because it’s something we don’t get to do very often.  

“And, also being able to talk to the representatives from the OEMs and get a better understanding of the availability of some of these cars – and some of them are available right now, which is not what we’re hearing all the time.” 

“I just didn’t realise how many electric vehicles are out there,” added Michelle Miller from Orica.  

“There is way more than I thought.” 

The SG Fleet Drive Days provided some customers with more proof that the transition to electric vehicles for their fleet was inevitable, and that there is a much broader range of options to choose from now, in terms of price, size, driving range and performance. 

“We’ve been dabbling in the Hybrid/EV space for a while now and I’ve test driven a few cars before, but it’s probably just the range of vehicles that are coming through now that is the surprising part,” said Adam Hibberd from Wurth at Sandown. 

“It’s been good to have them all in one place at the one time. We’ve been solidly looking for the last two years, and Tesla always comes up as the EV of notoriety, but they are certainly getting some competition.” 

“A day like today helps me get my head around what is going on,” added Grant Vella from Zip Water in Sydney. 

“I have been saying to my managers for some years now that I need to be across what is coming to the marketplace so that when the time is right, I can say … GO!  

“Today, I’ve been able to see more vehicles in person and talk to the manufacturer representatives face-to-face to get a better understanding of what is going on. It has been fantastic.” 

While, for others, it provided them with their first opportunity to experience the unique driving character of an electric vehicle, and better understand the benefits of zero-emission motoring. 

“I’ve always been scared of electric vehicles – not knowing what they could do and how they operate – but today has just opened my eyes,” said John Warner from Baiada, who attended the Sydney EV Drive at HART. 

For more information on how your business can plan for a successful transition to electric vehicles and a zero-emission mobility future, contact SG Fleet today. 

Driving Insights