SHOWCASING EV CAPABILITY ACROSS THE CELTIC REGIONS

In the beginning…​

In 2021, in-between ‘lockdowns’, the eyes of the world were on Glasgow, as leaders gathered to help shape the future of our planet, at COP26. Here at GREENFLEET HQ, we wanted to make sure that e-mobility in the UK was showcased as widely as possible… And the EV Rally of Scotland (EVROS) was formed!​

A moving showcase of electric vehicles… 23 cars and vans, to be precise. We wanted to prove that these vehicles could become an integral part of most UK fleets. At the same time, we wanted to show that the public charging infrastructure in Scotland was already good, and was only going to get better. And then, while we were at it, we sourced examples of clean energy that were an integral part of the EV narrative. Woven in with some of the most beautiful, and remote, terrain anywhere in the world, we suddenly had a ‘real challenge’… Could 23 electric vehicles travel more than 1200 miles, relying solely on public charging infrastructure (no overnight charging), while taking in places like the north-west corner of the Scottish Highlands? Put simply… Yes!

Then… We went BIG!​

2022 saw the EV Rally go national… And double in size! Rebranded as the Great British EV Rally, we decided to take on the iconic John O’Groats to Land’s End route, with some 46 electric cars and vans participating. Would the charging infrastructure cope? ​

Once again, it did! Following on from the success of the first Rally, all of teams and vehicles coped well, with nobody running out of energy, getting tangled in an accident or breaking down. Yes, there was a puncture, but our Roadside Assistance team was on hand to help.​

The challenge for 2023 was to see how we could increase the ‘jeopardy’… Make the event more challenging for those taking part. Could we possibly take in the 5 Capital cities of the UK and Ireland, for example? Never ones to shirk a challenge, we threw down the gauntlet to the UK EV sector and the result was a 1200 mile ‘Capital City Challenge’, beginning in Cardiff and taking in London, Edinburgh and Belfast before finishing in Dublin. 50 electric vehicles took part, including both a 19 and 27 tonne electric truck!

The ‘Ripple Effect’!​

Thanks to the structure of the Rally events, we are able to dominate the social media feeds of UK fleet professionals. Each day has a ‘Start’ and a ‘Finish’ and in between are a series of ‘Official Checkpoints’ (CP). At each CP, the drivers exit the video and scan the QR code on the banners that are in place, and ‘Check In’ online. They then take a picture of the vehicle at the CP and post it on social media, using very strict @handles and #hashtags.  

The net result? Some 2-million connections on LinkedIn alone are aware of the ‘power of the Rally’! Add other platforms including ‘X’, Facebook and Instagram and all of a sudden you realise the huge reach we are able to command. And with coverage on BBC regional TV news, in multiple areas, plus numerous live radio broadcasts across the 5 days, it becomes obvious why Transport Scotland have retained an EVROS for the last 2 years, aside from the main EV Rally.

And thanks to the coverage we achieved in Wales, and across both sides of the Emerald Isle, a regional Rally has come into demand! 

2024 sees us introduce ‘The Celtic Series’… 2 x 2-day Rally events, taking in Scotland and Cymru. Supported by their individual governments, we’re taking EV to the masses once more, showcasing EV capability, charging infrastructure, clean energy and much more.

So why not get involved? Get in touch and find out how you can be a part of something truly unbeliEVable! 

CHECK OUT THE HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2023 EV RALLY: CAPITAL CITY CHALLENGE