3,500 electric vehicles ordered by BT Group

Telecoms giant BT has announced a huge order for thousands of new electric vehicles.

The company said the 3,500 new vehicles is the UK’s largest ever commercial electric vehicle fleet order, which will support the upgrade of broadband and mobile networks.

BT Group said the move will mean it has the largest fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) in the UK, with nearly 8,000 by the time the company’s latest order is complete in 2026.

The company already has around 4,300 electric vehicles, supporting its target to become a net zero business by March 2031.

The order of the new EVs is part of a larger delivery of 6,000 new vehicles, with more than half of the vans being EVs.

Simon Lowth, chief financial officer at BT Group, said: “By integrating yet more electric vehicles into our operations, we are taking another significant step towards reducing our carbon footprint and supporting the UK’s transition to a greener future.

“As we extend our full fibre build from 16 million homes and businesses today to 25 million by the end of 2026, having the most efficient, sustainable electric vehicles will give our engineers the edge as they connect customers at pace to our next generation networks.

“Our modern fleet will help us to be more efficient and deliver a better service for our customers.”

Lilian Greenwood, future of roads minister, said: “Businesses have a crucial role to play in driving the transition to electric cars and vans. That’s why it’s fantastic to see that BT have made the most of our plug-in van grant to order 3,500 brand new EVs – which means they will have the largest electric commercial fleet in the UK.

“We want to help more businesses decarbonise their operations and we’ve extended our plug-in van grant with £120 million funding to help roll out more zero emission vans on our roads – part of our £2.3 billion to support industry and consumers switch to EVs and make the transition a success”.

The order will be delivered by four manufacturers over the next two years – Ford, Stellantis, Toyota and Renault.