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E-mobility – what does a hybrid future mean for the way we travel?
E-mobility – what does a hybrid future mean for the way we travel? by Louise O’Driscoll
We may have heard discussions about e-cars ten years ago, but e-mobility wasn’t by any means offered as an affordable vehicle choice. However, we are now seeing a significant rise in electric and hybrid production, and 2020 saw the start of the decisive decade for climate, where the impacts of climate change will become visible to the naked eye. Significant pressure has been put on governments, businesses, car manufacturers and all of us to move with the times and choose more responsible methods of transport.
As a result, many countries are seeing the start of the significant shift towards e-mobility. London, for example, operates a congestion charge zone 364 days a year and many regular drivers are now turning to hybrid and electric models to avoid the daily toll fee of £15. Charging points are slowly cropping up and the pressure to use an alternative mode of transport or stay out of busy areas is increasingly prominent in city living.
In Norway, citizens and businesses are powering ahead in the race to reduce fossil fuels. In September 2020 almost two-thirds of new cars sold in Norway in September were electric. When hybrids are included, the total jumps up to an astonishing 89%.
Electric or hybrid – what’s the difference?
Hybrid cars offer a higher level of fuel efficiency that electric vehicles still have yet to reach. But electric vehicles, produce lower emissions than hybrid cars with an internal combustion engine. However, both offer some excellent benefits:
- Noise and CO2 emissions significantly reduced
- Better mileage and cheaper to run
- Hybrids reduce dependency on fossil fuels and offer more economic fuel consumption
- At lower speeds, no smog is emitted
Adding E-vehicles to a business fleet
E-vehicles are now included under Canon’s company car policy for the first time. A selection of hybrid models including Audi E Tron and BMW i3 are available to qualifying employees at Canon EMEA National Sales Offices. Canon EMEA’s Sustainability Group and Car Committee will also be looking to introduce new e-vehicles to fleet, with a view to moving towards hybrid cars as part of a wider global commitment.
In the Netherlands, these vehicles are part of Canon’s joint venture with SimplyMile. A zero-emission way to make deliveries, SimplyMile delivers Canon Black Label Zero Paper (itself CO2 neutrally produced) to companies and government institutions in the municipality of The Hague. Their electric vehicles ensure that Canon customers are supplied with a fully CO2-neutral product from production to delivery.
Employees expect their businesses to be greener
Turning everyone’s ideas into action is the very spirit of Canon’s corporate philosophy of ‘Kyosei – living and working together for the common good. Last year, the Canon Sustainability team ran an EMEA-wide ‘hackathon’ workshop, where employees explored potential new sustainability drives within our organisation. One focus area was travel, which led to the foundations of an important new policy – favour e-cars and encourage virtual meetings. The hackathon also encouraged the sharing of views on how we live and travel, with Sandro Perrone, DS Service Manager for Print Services at Canon expressing a common reflection, “We forget to prioritise self-care, walking, breathing, taking time to see the nature, we have to take a step back to improve the way we live and travel, for ourselves and for our environment."
