27 Feb Lloyds Bank’s electric vehicle initiative gets backing from East of England lead
Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking’s East of England Regional Director, David Atkinson, is backing a joint initiative from the bank’s commercial banking and automotive divisions geared towards helping businesses transition to electric vehicles (EVs).
The purpose of the Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking and Lex Autolease venture is to convert regional bank representatives into EV advocates ready to assist any clients that are considering the move to zero-emission driving.
The government has recently brought forward its intention to end the sale of new combustion engine-powered cars and vans to 2035, however less than three per cent (4,000 of 149,000) of vehicles sold in the UK in January were EVs.
David, who is also SME & Mid Corporate UK Head of Manufacturing at Lloyds Bank Commercial Bank, is one of several regional staff being given access to a Hyundai Kona or a Kia e-Nero for a two-week period, experiencing first-hand the practicalities of EV use in both urban and rural areas.
He is taking home one of the vehicles for a two-week trial, and will use it to visit clients across Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.
In advance of the trial, all participating team members were offered basic training on how to successfully operate and charge an EV.
Speaking ahead of the trial, David Atkinson, East of England Director of SME Banking at Lloyds Bank Commercial Banking, said: “It’s great to be part of this important initiative, experiencing and promoting the benefits of going electric as one of the ways we can travel more sustainably. The government has rightly set out ambitious climate change targets and, as part of that, the way we get around will have to change radically over the next few years.
“Battery technology and charging infrastructure are improving all the time, and EVs are becoming increasingly viable options for drivers with a variety of needs, in all parts of the country. There’s no doubt that we all have a key role to play in helping to enable this transition.”
