Brussels, 22 May 2014 – Mobistar employees opting for an all-electric car won’t be paying charging costs for it anymore. In tandem with leasing company Alphabet, Mobistar is launching the AlphaElectric project, an all-in service for full electric company cars. In this way, Mobistar is facilitating and stimulating the switch to “green” company cars for its employees. The electric charging stations, which will be installed in employees’ homes, will ensure they don’t have to pay for their fuel, just like employees who have a fuel card. This makes the operator the first Belgian employer to offer this kind of environment-friendly initiative to its employees.
For years now, Mobistar has been opting for a green car policy in the framework of its CSR program (Corporate Social Responsibility), for which it garnered an accolade in 2012, the Green Fleet Award. By means of the AlphaElectric project, the employees won’t have to give up any comfort. The leasing company installs the charging station in the employee’s home, so they will no longer need to use their household electrical grid. The invoice is automatically delivered to the employer. Additionally, Mobistar is reserving parking spaces with charging stations at walking distance from the workplace and employees will have the opportunity to use a conventional car for 30 days a year, for driving holidays, for example.
For many employees, the new initiative lowers the threshold of opting for an electric company car. All costs of the electric company cars are paid for by the employer, even the cost of charging at home. Currently, two Mobistar employees drive an electric company car, the third one has been ordered. A further fifty-odd employees drive a hybrid company car, out of a total number of 960 corporate vehicles. The first charging station has also been installed, a crucial step towards e-mobility or electric driving.
By 2020, Mobistar wants to cut back its CO2 emissions by 20%. “On a yearly basis, our fleet uses up 2 million litres of diesel and emits 5000 tonnes of CO2,” says Karel Boussu, hospitality manager at Mobistar. “Taken together, that accounts for 75% of our carbon footprint. Doing away with company cars altogether isn’t an option; there will always be employees requiring a vehicle for travel. Moreover, company cars are an important element of the remuneration package, especially within the context of the current fiscal climate. But that doesn’t mean we can’t think about alternatives. The fast pace of technological advancement opens up any number of new perspectives for fleet managers, too.