Lower tax duty and grant incentives from Government have helped raise their profile. Despite this, they’re still generally more expensive than their internal combustion engine cousins. As a result, sales have so far predominantly been in the retail sector but as technology improves, we’re likely to see increasing interest in the commercial arena.
Employers have a duty to ensure electrical safety for their employees and other visitors to their premises, as well as protecting any electrical equipment provided. This can be particularly challenging in motor trade premises where there is a range of equipment, portable and fixed.
The popularity and complexity of electric and hybrid vehicles introduces more safety considerations and hazards. Any employees working with electrical equipment or vehicles should have adequate training so they can work safely and the risk of injury and fire/explosion is reduced. For workplaces, the necessary fire safety risk assessment needs to have taken such vehicles (and the work on them) into account.
Plug-in electric vehicles originally used a “slow” recharge system; however there are now models with “fast” and “rapid” recharging systems. Different makes and shapes of recharging cable connectors also add to the variations between vehicles. The type of battery in a plug-in electric vehicle can also vary according to the make and model of car.