Make the transition smoother all the way – with one card
Updated: January 30, 2024, 9:49 AMPublished: January 22, 2024, 4:37 PM
The transition to rechargeable vehicles is going at breakneck speed. However, many companies are unsure how to solve the practicalities. But there is an overall solution – a single card that connects all parts, from charging to administration, and makes the difficult simple.
External link: Read more about OKQ8’s electric car charging
2022 was one of the breakthrough years for the electric car. Of all newly registered cars, 32 percent were electric cars, according to statistics from Statistics Sweden. This is a very rapid development compared to previous years.
– Only a couple of years ago, electric vehicles were something that only the most technologically interested and forward-thinking engaged in. Today, the picture is completely different – even many “ordinary” private individuals and companies acquire rechargeable vehicles. That trend is expected to continue and even accelerate as more people want to contribute to the green transition, says Svante Fredin, who is product manager for e-mobility at OKQ8.
However, there are some obstacles that have so far created headaches for companies looking to reposition their company’s vehicle fleet. One challenge is the changing regulatory framework. For example, the reduction obligation for petrol and diesel was lowered to 6 percent from 1 January 2024, with the aim of reducing the prices of petrol and diesel. The effect of this is that carbon dioxide emissions increase, which also affects the companies’ environmental and sustainability goals.
Jonas Wikensten, product manager for new business and Svante Fredin, product manager for e-mobility, at OKQ8.
Jonas Wikensten, who is product manager for new business at OKQ8, emphasizes that OKQ8 has an important role to play as an advisor when conditions and rules change.
– We can accompany our customers along the entire journey and give advice – both in the long and short term. We have the long experience, overall picture and breadth of products required to make the transformation as simple and smooth as possible.
– There are many different components to consider, which requires a comprehensive toolbox. For example, some companies use the renewable diesel fuel HVO in their fleet and then we have to take that into account. Among other things, we can calculate how they can most smartly change, which categories of vehicles they should prioritize and which products suit them best.
One card that handles everything
And in order for the electric vehicles to be able to run smoothly, they must be able to be charged easily – both at the workplace and at home and along the way.
Those who are new to the industry also soon discover that the routines are different with an electric fleet and do not know how to handle the administration.
– Especially if you have a mixed vehicle fleet with fossil-powered and rechargeable vehicles and at the same time want to reimburse your employees for the electricity they charged at home. This is not so easy to solve in a smooth and correct way, says Svante Fredin.
To make it easy for both the companies and their employees, OKQ8 has developed a company card that connects and manages all those parts. It is the first company card in Sweden that makes it possible to refuel and recharge on the same card.
– The administration will also be easier with the help of the company card. Both compensation and co-invoicing – regardless of where the employee charges their vehicle and which fuel is refueled – are handled via the card, says Svante Fredin.
In addition to the company card, QKQ8 has developed the app OKQ8 Electric vehicle charging. Using it, the driver can find all charging points where OKQ8’s company card can be used and see if the charger is available.
– Today there are more than 1,300 charging stations all over Sweden and the number is growing. It can be our own charging stations as well as stations belonging to another operator that is part of the same network as us.
When the card is swiped against the charging station, the transaction is registered and the customer can collect the cost on the same invoice as other expenses on the card, for example other fuel, car wash and accessories.
Easy charging in several ways
But although 1,300 public charging stations is a lot, it is of course not enough. For it to work well, electric vehicles must also be able to be charged at home and at the workplace.
– If you have charging at these locations, you have a comprehensive and good solution, says Svante Fredin.
The challenge for the employer is that it is difficult to arrange this on your own. Therefore, in addition to the nationwide charging network, OKQ8 has developed just that type of charging solution and offers charging boxes at the employees’ homes and at the workplace.
– We connect all chargers so that the driver can use the same company card for charging, regardless of whether it takes place at home, at work or along the way.
OKQ8 also helps make charging easy in other ways.
– Our solution also supports all compensation models for fuel – the main rule, fuel benefit and shared fuel. In this way, the employees can receive compensation for the miles they have driven in the service in the same way as before. It also means that the employer can work in the same way as before without having to manage several different systems or have increased administration.
External link: Read more about OKQ8’s comprehensive solution
OKQ8 is one of Sweden’s largest fuel companies and operates throughout the country. With environmental and sustainability issues in focus, OKQ8 is now restructuring its operations to contribute to the transformation of both companies and private individuals.
The article is produced by Brand Studio in collaboration with OKQ8 and not an article by Dagens industri
