Green.org sat down with Giles Platel, Head of UK Fleet at EO Charging, to learn how they are helping the transition of diesel and petrol fleets to electric and provide end-to-end charging ecosystem for car, van, truck or bus fleets.
Tell us a little bit about you and your background:
I am the Head of UK Fleet at EO Charging and responsible for supporting the largest fleets in the UK, transition their petrol/diesel fleets to electric. EO achieves this by providing industry leading consultation, charging hardware, SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) and aftersales service solutions.
What would you do with $1 Billion dollars?
It’s an unavoidable fact: everything man made we see on this planet today has either been grown or mined. Sadly, both come at a cost to our planet and it’s people. For example, the cobalt that is currently used in the Lithium-ion batteries we find in electric vehicles, mobile phones, laptops and millions of other electrical goods, 70-75% of the global supply comes from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most of which is mined using unethical and unsustainable means. But cobalt mining is only just scratching the surface, there are huge opportunities to change and improve the way we mine countless other minerals and precious metals. I would therefore use half the money to start a venture capital fund dedicated to investing in sustainable mining practices and the remaining half to start a human rights charity that campaigns for better working conditions within the mines themselves.
Why do you think sustainability is such an important topic today?
There’s a big difference between being told climate change is happening and actually seeing it. We’re now seeing accelerating animal population decline, more extreme weather events and natural disasters, worsening health conditions linked to air pollution and the loss of forests, reefs and ecosystems that once sprawled our planet. I believe that now more than ever, people across the globe are experiencing climate change in the physical world, first hand. As a global collective, we are great at talking about solutions but poor at implementing them, however with climate change increasingly impacting our lives in a more meaningful way, I’m hopeful this results in a wakeup call and a more action orientated response from our governments and world leaders.
What do you envision your industry looking like 10 years from now?
I envisage three major developments: 1. The industry to be much more seamless in its ability to integrate charging hardware with other smart platforms including payment solutions, telematics, energy grids and vehicle routing systems, all of which will ensure fleets can become highly optimised. 2. Looping back to the 1-billion-dollar question, I foresee us mining the materials for electric vehicle production from more sustainable sources and most to be recycled in some form (companies like Redwood Materials and Tesla are already making great strides in that respect). 3. Finally with the arrival of autonomous electric vehicles, we’ll see a shift toward wireless charging and a revolution in urban town planning, producing more green spaces, greater pedestrianisation and improved air quality.
What can the average person do to make a difference?
Eat more locally grown vegetables, travel smart and switch to a green energy tariff.