Our actions
Strategic alignment
Our strategy for developing sustainably in the future is centred on creating a low-carbon society through advanced, flexible, and accessible mobility solutions. We recognise the pressing need to transition towards sustainable mobility. With our core competencies and comprehensive approach across the entire value chain, we are uniquely positioned to drive this shift.
Industry-leading eLCV capabilities
We have developed industry-leading advisory and eLCV capabilities that support fleet owners and drivers in reducing carbon emissions. Our Drive to Zero offering, EV Suitability Checker, and telematics solutions are examples of how these help customers make informed decisions about transitioning to EVs and optimise their fleet management. Integrating these tools with our growing fleet of EVs and hybrids enables significant emission reductions, aligning with broader environmental goals.
Northgate Vehicle Hire’s Drive to Zero Transition Hub gives fleets a clear, data-backed route to electrification. The hub identified that 79% of the 1,329 vehicles analysed between 1 July 2024 and 1 August 2025 were EV-ready*.
*A vehicle is classed as EV-ready if, based on its usual routes and downtime, it would be able to take on more energy from available charging than it typically uses in a day, even in winter when efficiency is lower. The platform calculates how much a vehicle could charge during dwell times, and vehicles are only considered EV-ready if there is a suitable electric model available with a range of at least 150 miles.
Drive to zero
Automotive technology training
Investing in our people and infrastructure is central to our strategy. We are closing skills gaps in the EV space through targeted training programmes, ensuring that our workforce can service and manage complex, low-emission vehicles. Moreover, our unwavering commitment to green energy and energy-efficient practices across our sites further supports our sustainability objectives, providing reassurance to our stakeholders.
Our investments are not just financial, they are driving the transition to sustainable mobility, promoting economic and social development to benefit today’s and future generations. We are proud to inspire change and make a positive impact.
See what progress we made in FY2025, advancing our technical training capabilities and delivery.
Flexibility and resilience
At present, we operate from over 180 sites, including workshops, bodyshops, and branches, as well as offices and customer service centres across the UK, Ireland, and Spain. This diverse geographic spread means we have flexibility and resiliency within our operations and can share learnings between our business segments and across locations.
Energy
We have undertaken site energy assessments to meet our obligations under the Energy Saving Opportunity Scheme (ESOS). Continued investment in energy efficiency has resulted in 92% of sites installing low-energy LED lights. We implemented an energy monitoring dashboard to direct energy efficiency actions and improve behaviours. 99% of the electricity we procured across the Group is renewable, and 17 solar arrays installed throughout our Spanish branches contributed to the creation of 687 MWH of energy in FY2025.
Company cars and charging
Our company car policy, focused on non-ICE vehicles, has resulted in 95% of our employees’ cars being either EVs or Plug-in hybrids. Over 75% of our locations across the Group have EV charging infrastructure in place.
ChargedEV is a business within the UK&I Rental operating segment that provides EV charging infrastructure. In FY2025 there were 10,400 domestic and commercial installations, helped by new key energy sector and facilities management partnerships. ChargedEV also provides solar and battery solutions and has a range of partnerships with energy providers to offer bundled solutions for domestic and commercial customers.
Case study: Smart charging infrastructure
Supporting customers by installing smart EV charging infrastructure, user-friendly interfaces and effective usage tracking.
Smith Brothers Stores (SBS) is a prominent player in the UK’s commercial and industrial mechanical services sector. Having embarked on their electrification journey in 2018, they soon identified issues with their existing infrastructure.
In 2022, when the new smart charging regulations were enforced, they turned to ChargedEV for a comprehensive solution. This included replacing their infrastructure, upgrading to 22kW units, and implementing Chargeasy back-office management.
SBS Requirements
SBS aimed to rectify the installation, upgrade the equipment, and add it to its network while managing it on a more effective back-office management system. The infrastructure needed to be adequate to power their fleet of company vehicles across their estate, with a robust maintenance package in place.
ChargedEV, upgraded SBS’s switchgear, and installed surge protection and Protective Earth Neutral (PEN) protection. The existing infrastructure was also not Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) compliant, meaning they would need to upgrade their whole estate to ensure they could manage their network appropriately.
ChargedEV had custom mounting plates designed to be installed on their existing ground mounts, negating the need for extra civils and saving costs, time, and disruption. With no current tariff, their drivers use custom-branded RFID cards designed and supplied by ChargedEV to start and stop their charges and track usage.
As of December 2023, Smith Brothers Stores Limited’s solution has delivered 1,700 charging sessions for over 80 unique drivers.
Electrifying and upgrading 21 sites
22kW Sockets, averaging 4 per site
Over 36MWh delivered
Over 19,400kg of CO2 saved
The existing structure that we had installed had a number of issues, so we decided to remove the smart charging capabilities. We needed to find a solution that more suited our needs. The team tested the marketplace and met many suppliers at fleet events, etc, but after several months of research, we decided to move forward working with ChargedEV. This decision was based on a better-quality product, with a more stable and user-friendly interface, with a better all-around package, including a warranty, maintenance and future-proofing etc.
Andrew Teer
Transport Operations Manager at SBSEV Education events
We collaborate with our charging specialist, ChargedEV, and EV solutions experts to host EV open days. During these events, we provide a comprehensive overview of how we can assist organisations in transitioning to electric vehicles at every stage of the journey. We also introduce our EV solutions and discuss our customers’ challenges when transitioning to electric vehicles. We have organised >10 events, with over 300 customer attendees from private and public sector organisations. Attendees also have the opportunity to test out new electric vehicles. We also regularly publish materials to help inform our customers, such as webinars, case studies, blogs, guides, and electric vehicle reviews.
We supported the STEM event for young students at the Net Zero Industry Innovation Centre in Teeside. Our teams from FMG Repair Services and Northgate Vehicle Hire brought electric dreams to life for over 1,000 students aged 9 – 14. From building and racing hydrogen vehicles to pledging climate actions, we hosted interactive sessions with EV demos, fuel cell kits, and climate change discussions that made the future feel real.
Employee engagement and training
We developed and piloted a bespoke carbon literacy e-learning module, using videos, animations, quizzes and activities to inform our employees about climate science and changes they can make to reduce their carbon footprint.
