Senior Daimler managers are to drive electrified vehicles as part of a company policy to encourage the use of as much zero-emission driving as possible. This year, the automaker wil spend EUR30m extending its charging infrastructure at many sites.
"This will also benefit employees, who have access to a growing range of vehicles with alternative drive systems," Daimler said.
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"We are continuing on the path of zero-emission driving with consistency," said Mercedes-Benz sales and marketing chief Ola Kaellenius. "This is why we are making electric mobility an integral part of the everyday lives of our top management to set an example and to provide a clear role model."
The agreement applies to the company's senior management and focuses on plug-in hybrids. Current PHEV models include the S500e, C350e, GLE500e 4Matic, GLC350e 4Matic and the new E350e.
In a pilot project in the wider Stuttgart region, managers have been driving the battery-electric B250e since April 2015. One such driver is Harald Kröger, responsible for E-Drive development. He had previously driven the Smart Fortwo EV on company business and then switched to a PHEV.
According to Daimler, most EV drivers charge vehicles whenever are parked for a longer period: mostly overnight or while at work. This brings convenience and time benefits with no need to drive to find a charging station. The automaker said it identified this trend very early on – in the wider Stuttgart area alone, the company has already built 556 charging points for managers and employees.
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By GlobalData"We have now decided to extend the charging infrastructure at our company locations even further. This work will be undertaken over the next few months," said Kaellenius.
Daimler also offers staff partially and fully electric vehicles through the employee car scheme.
A research project, 'charge@work', launched in October 2013, offers employees EVs for both business and private use and was developed alongside the company's charging infrastructure. Workers can hire a Smart EV from the car pools at the company's Möhringen, Untertürkheim and Sindelfingen sites for any period.
Daimler claimed the distance covered with zero emission in the first year and a half was equivalent to 40 round-the-world trips.
