Hexagon UK launches electric vehicle company car policy

Hexagon UK has launched a new electric vehicle company car policy developed in close collaboration with LeasePlan’s consultancy team.
 
LeasePlan has signed an international supplier agreement for its 1,400-vehicle fleet. Recent acquisitions had expanded Hexagon's business to 21,000 employees in 50 countries, but with numerous legacy supplier contracts in place.
 
Hexagon UK operates 130 job-need company cars across a diverse user group, from management, sales and software engineers to field-based service teams with specific equipment-carrying needs. However, previously CO2 targets and vehicle allowances were tailored towards efficient petrol and diesel vehicles.
 
Hexagon’s solutions help customers solve sustainability challenges – including developing electric vehicle technologies for the automotive industry. Its own environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals were renewed in February 2021, prioritising carbon neutrality, supplier audits and carbon emissions, alongside ongoing efforts to reduce operating costs.
 
Finance director Ollie Campbell, explained: “I took it upon myself to work on the group and change the basis of how the policy was put together, and base it more on sustainability. The idea was also to unlock the possibility of electric vehicles for our drivers, and for them to take the tax breaks that go with it. So we re-drafted the policy with that philosophy in mind.”
 
Building the business case required robust modelling of potential savings based on Hexagon’s TMC-logged fuel card data, showing that they could offset the higher lease costs. This was supported by LeasePlan consultants, providing advice on National Insurance advantages, technology and tax developments, helping to design a policy which would protect the company from risk, and also promoting the benefits to employees.
 
The policy offers a more generous allowance for drivers who select a plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle, and they can select an employer-funded home chargepoint to make it easier to switch. These are supplied by Pod Point, which is also installing 7kW and 22kW units at Hexagon’s facility in Telford, enabling all charging sessions to be logged within a single account and captured by TMC, validating the business case for both vehicle types.