Bendigo and Adelaide Bank’s cutting-edge Electric Vehicle (EV) Pilot Program is charging ahead, helping the bank reach yet another key milestone in its commitment to reduce its carbon footprint.
After partnering with SG Fleet, three members of the Bendigo Bank team are sitting behind the wheel of a Nissan Leaf E+, with the pilot helping to inform the Bank’s EV strategy on how it can best transition its entire sealed road fleet to EVs.
CEO and Managing Director, Marnie Baker said today’s milestone forms part of the Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan, helping to reduce the Bank’s carbon footprint.
“Our EV pilot aligns with our purpose to feed into the prosperity of our customers and communities, not off them,” Ms Baker said.
“The Bank has a long history of supporting communities to be sustainable and thrive. We are committed to assisting all of our stakeholders with their ambitions to improve environmental outcomes for generations to come.
“We can’t have prosperous communities unless we consider the impact that decisions made today will have on the future. While programs such as these are small steps in the overall context of the challenges we face, here at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank, we look forward to building on our green credentials.
“We are committed to reaching our goal to purchase 100 percent renewable energy by 2025 and reduce absolute emissions by 50 percent by 2030, and our EV strategy is going to help do just that,” Ms Baker said.
The Bank has planned the integration of its EV strategy from the purchase of the cars to the installation of charging stations at employee’s homes, all the way down to how the Bank will reimburse individual employee electricity bills, with the experts at SG Fleet labelling the strategy as ‘cutting-edge’.
“Throughout the program, Bendigo Bank has shown a commitment to be at the forefront of this cutting-edge transition and the organisation is now well prepared for a broader roll out to their staff,” Lincoln De Kalb, Group Head of Product Development (Future Mobility) at SG Fleet said.
“Organisational awareness and change management is an often-overlooked aspect of transitioning to EVs and SG Fleet is proud to deploy its deep industry knowledge of EVs to support the key decisions makers at Bendigo and Adelaide Bank.
“Through our eStart program, we helped build the company’s transition strategy and have assisted the drivers with their move to EVs,” Mr De Kalb said.
Ben Warren, National Manager – Electrification & Mobility at Nissan Australia said he was pleased to partner with the Bank and provide the latest available generation EV’s for their fleet.
“The Nissan Leaf E+, is such a versatile and practical vehicle, which has a comprehensive list of safety features and is simply fantastic to drive – so we are confident that Bendigo and Adelaide Bank will see great results from this program, including some very happy ‘pilots’ in this first wave and beyond,” Mr Warren said.
Daniel Angelovski, a Mobile Relationship Manager with the Bank, based in Melbourne, says his new Nissan Leaf E+ has been fantastic.
“When I learned about the EV Pilot, I was very keen to put my hand up and participate – there’s no doubt EV’s are the future,” Daniel said. “From the moment I picked my Nissan Leaf up from the dealership, it’s been smooth sailing and charging my car has been incredibly easy.
“It’s a great experience to be part of such a big and important step for the Bank, and even better knowing I’m helping to reduce the Bank’s carbon footprint as well as my own,” Daniel said.
Business Development Manager, Ivana Loiacono, based in Perth has also enjoyed a seamless transition to her new EV.
“I’m thrilled to be part of this cutting-edge trial,” Ivana said. “The Bank has been incredibly supportive throughout the entire process. From ensuring I’ve got the right charging capability at my home, to driver training courses and delivering my new Nissan Leaf E+ to Western Australia, the process has been incredibly smooth.
“The first week in my new EV has been fantastic and hopefully more of our staff members can make the switch like I have,” Ivana said.
The third participant for the trial, Nigel Miller, a Manager Business Customer based in Queensland said his new EV has exceeded all expectations.
“I’m excited to have been chosen and supported by the Bank’s Climate Change Action Plan by participating in the EV Trial and contributing to lowering emissions in my journeys around the Gold Coast in the Nissan Leaf E+,” Nigel said.
“Immediate impressions have exceeded expectations with how smooth and quiet the Leaf moves, except when the 7 speaker Bose sound system is on!”
Chief Customer Officer for Consumer Banking, Richard Fennell said Bendigo and Adelaide Bank customers could also play their part in reducing emissions by applying for a Green Personal Loan with the Bank.
“We’re switching to EV’s, and our customers can too, with one of our Green Personal Loans,” Mr Fennell said. “We were the first bank in the country to reward customers who purchased goods that were energy efficient or used renewable energy sources with a lower interest rate in 2002, and earlier this year we announced our Green Loans would be discounted even further.
“For our Secured Green Personal Loan, suitable for electric vehicles an additional one per cent on top of the existing one per cent discount was introduced. We also updated our equipment finance policy so the cost of the charging unit may be financed in the case of electric and plug in hybrid electric vehicles,” Mr Fennell said.
“We continue to build on our long history in the sustainability space, with the Bank being certified carbon neutral in 2021, hundreds of solar panels now installed in our branches and offices along with our partnership with Australia’s first carbon offset provider Greenfleet. These are just a handful of the ways we are contributing to a more sustainable future.”
