Guide 11:
Use different ways to communicate
Use different tactics in your communication strategy to support the introduction of electric vehicles to the fleet.
These could include:
- Guidance on how to drive and charge electric vehicles – Guidance on driving and charging electric vehicles should be made available at every site, relevant to that site’s specific electric vehicle models. Guidance should be available both online and in the vehicles. Use photos and videos to make this easy and clear.
- Driver training sessions – see Guide 12: Provide driver training
- Stories from staff – Stories can be a powerful tool to influence others. A narrative could include someone driving an electric vehicle for the first time, the experience changing their mind and they now prefer driving electric vehicles. This type of story normalises people’s initial concerns about electric vehicles and helps them take the next step of trying one.
- Identifying an electric vehicle champion – Having an electric vehicle champion is a great way to encourage electric vehicle use. The champion can answer any questions and walk staff through the process on site. Staff members who already own an electric vehicle make great electric vehicle champions and often voluntarily take on this role.
In your communication, use a variety of benefits of electric vehicle driving to appeal to different people’s motivations for change, like:
- Saving the agency money in petrol and diesel costs
- Reducing climate change emissions
- Avoiding air quality emissions, which helps improve people’s health, particularly those with asthma
- The high torque and performance of electric vehicles makes them fun to drive
- The quiet smooth ride makes driving less stressful.
Run a survey to uncover views about electric vehicles before they enter the fleet. This can help you identify particular concerns to address in your communications. It can also be useful to survey staff after the electric vehicles have been introduced, to identify any changes in views and remaining concerns. Sharing information with staff on attitude changes before and after electric vehicle introduction at your agency can help convince still-hesitant staff members to try driving electric vehicles and reinforce the ongoing benefits of electric vehicle use.
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s Gen Less website has useful resources and information on electric vehicles that you can direct staff to.