OfficeMax NZ adds EVs

Workplace solutions specialist OfficeMax New Zealand has put a handbrake on its petrol-powered cars in a bid to cut its fleet emissions in half.

Its 105 conventional vehicles will be phased out by the end of this year and replaced with a combination of electric and hybrid models, as well as reducing the fleet to 95.

The move will result in an estimated 50% reduction in fleet-based emissions, helping to cut scope one and two emissions by 25% by 2025, with the lower carbon emitting cars reducing the company’s CO2e emissions by about 185 tonnes annually.

OfficeMax’s transition In line with the company’s 2025 Sustainability Strategy has involved closely with its people, and its fleet manager of 10 years FleetPartners.

The new fleet comprises 16 full electric Hyundai Kona EVs, six Toyota Corolla Hatch hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and 73 Toyota RAV 4 HEV GX vehicles.

“The first question we asked ourselves was ‘are our people ready?’ We knew that the transition was necessary, but we were also mindful that we had to properly understand the readiness of our people to adopt electric vehicles,” says OfficeMax New Zealand chief financial officer Ben Norrie.

“We surveyed our staff and found that there was some education required regarding the distance EVs can travel before needing to be charged.”

The internal survey highlighted range anxiety (concern that an EV will not be able to drive the distance required), as a key issue with nearly half (44% of staff.

The cost of charging vehicles and uncertainty about how to drive an EV were also factors.

FleetPartners’ corporate relationship manager Sarah Lewis-Dawes says that understanding staff misconceptions and helping them through this is a critical part of the journey to carbon zero.

“Kiwis are instinctively sceptical of EVs. Range anxiety can be eased once employees try out EVs for themselves and learn the ins and outs of charging them,” she says.

Drive days were arranged for staff to test out EVs, and in the process, OfficeMax decided to introduce home charging units to enable staff to feel more comfortable with the transition and ease range concerns.

“Home charging is just one element of the vehicle charge offerings that OfficeMax is undertaking,” says Norrie.

“We are also installing charging units at our showrooms and offices, so that staff members have a range of options to meet their vehicle charging needs.”

The use of RFID technology within the charging units will allow drivers to track their individual power consumption, so that OfficeMax can reimburse staff appropriately.

OfficeMax’s hybrid vehicles will be delivered by the end of September, with its fully electric vehicles due to hit to road this month.