All-inclusive monthly vehicle leasing launches

A brand-new innovative all-inclusive monthly leasing service is about to be launched by SOGO aimed at businesses who will benefit from a range of vehicles from EVs and luxury saloons to light commercial vehicles and includes servicing, breakdown cover, no upfront payments and flexible insurance options.

SOGO will launch their new service with offers on Flexi all-inclusive monthly leasing. So, for example, an Audi E-Tron SUV 300kW 55 Quattro 95kWh Black Edition will cost from £1,095 + VAT, whilst a BMW X5 M sport would be £625 + VAT and a Renault Zoe 100kW i GT Line R135 50KWh Rapid Charge 5dr Auto will cost from £200 + VAT. All Flexi lease offers are based on vehicles doing 1,000 miles a month.

The ability for businesses to operate a carbon-neutral fleet across petrol, diesel and EVs is a first for the UK leasing and rental industry and SOGO has joined BP’s Target Neutral programme to help fleet customers measure, reduce and offset their carbon emissions.

SOGO have also partnered with Rightcharge to help drivers identify and install the right charging unit to suit their type of usage and budget. This also enables drivers to access government grants and green electricity tariffs as well as smart billing options that enable EV charging to be split from the drivers household bill to make reimbursement for company car mileage easier for the user and company.

In addition, customers will be provided with an Electric Juice Network card to access one of the UK’s largest networks of public chargers.

Onto for Business offers flexible corporate mobility choices

Onto the all-inclusive electric car subscription service has introduced Onto for Business to help both employers and employees make greener mobility easier. Businesses are able to access a flexible option for both Company and Salary Sacrifice schemes that enable tax savings with no long-term commitment.

Onto for Business offers flexibility and convenience with companies receiving monthly invoices, making it easier to manage fleets. Benefits to employees means that they can decide at any time to continue, cancel or swap their cars for a different make or model. Cars are delivered for free to the employees door and the all-inclusive price incorporates 1,000 miles, insurance, breakdown cover, wear and tear, service and repair as well as free public charging at over 11,000 charge points.

There are also significant tax savings to be made by choosing an electric car, as zero-emission cars pay only 1% Benefit-In-Kind tax, and new tax regulations for the salary deduction scheme means both the employer and employee make substantial savings. For example, an Audi E-Tron 55 Quattro Black Edition on a higher tax band will cost just £27 per month in Benefit-In-Kind taxation, while a petrol contender like the Audi Q7 45 TDI Quattro Vorsprung 231PS Tiptronic will cost the employee £1,016 per month. That’s a significant saving.

The new Salary Sacrifice Calculator takes these regulations into account so you can work out savings and the monthly cost of running an electric car. Rob Jolly, CEO and co-founder at Onto, said:

“Onto for Business is an exciting proposition for corporations. As the shift to electric vehicles progresses and companies want to improve their carbon footprint, we offer a cost-effective and flexible solution. Companies shouldn’t need to compromise on quality for it to be a win-win for both the planet and the wallet. We look forward to driving the growth in electric company cars and making EVs accessible to all.”

GKN Automotive accelerates advanced development of next-generation 800V eDrive technologies

Global leader in drive systems, GKN Automotive, is accelerating its development of next generation eDrive technologies due to the increasing global demand for electrified vehicles.

Utilising and harnessing state-of-the-art 800V technologies, these future systems are already at advanced stages of development and being tested in real-world conditions working with leading automotive manufacturers to make these advanced eDrive systems a production reality.

Future eDrive technologies, using 800V technology, will deliver many benefits for EV owners, such as faster charging times and improved performance. The greater systems efficiencies they bring will also help increase driving range which is currently a key obstacle for consumers wanting to make the switch to a BEV and could potentially lead to car makers using smaller batteries, thereby reducing vehicle cost, complexity and weight.

Working in Formula E as a partner of Jaguar Racing, has helped GKN Automotive’s rapid development of next generation eDrive. Testing to improve efficiency, performance and extending the range of batteries in the ultra-competitive world of electric motorsport creates a direct link from race to road car while cutting-edge developments currently being developed for Jaguar Racing may very well be available on road cars in the next three years.

Kia’s EV6 reimagines electric vehicle ownership experience

The EV6, Kia’s new all-electric vehicle, is hoping to make the electric lifestyle a viable option for day-to-day mobility by removing the perceived barriers that prevent many from making the switch to an electric vehicle.

Kia’s first dedicated EV provides rapid charging times, access to an extensive charging network and an impressive long range.

The EV6 come with a multi high-speed charging system, giving drivers access to a broader charging infrastructure. Multi high-speed charging means that the system is compatible with both 800V ultra-fast charging and the more mainstream 400V fast charging without the need for any special adapter or additional on-board charger.

Kia Charge provides owners access to over 17,000 charging connectors in the UK, with additional bolt-on tariffs available for the IONITY and bp pulse charging networks.

Kia’s new Integrated Charging Control Unit (ICCU) controls built-in bi-directional chargers, and the Vehicle Charging Management System (VCMS). The ICCU enables up to 3.6kW of power to be transferred from the vehicle battery to other devices. This vehicle to load (V2L) function allows occupants to charge electrical items whilst on the go using an outdoor V2L gender connector.

Vehicle to vehicle (V2V) charging is also possible so power can be transferred to another electric vehicle in an emergency with the use of an In-Cable Control Box (ICCB) cable and the V2L gender connector. The battery in the EV6 is preserved by ensuring state of charge does not fall below 20 per cent at which point the V2V is disabled.