As a Key Account Manager at Pepperl+Fuchs, Andreas frequently goes on business trips and visits clients. His company car often serves as a second office. Since May 2024, he has been enthusiastically driving an e-car as a company vehicle. In the interview he shares his experiences so far.
Hello, Andreas. You travel a lot for work. Why did you decide on an e-car as a company vehicle?
Andreas: Yes, I am often on the road. As a Key Account Manager at Pepperl+Fuchs, I look after various electrical wholesale partners and am often on site with them. I’m a curious person and eager to try out new things. I’d actually had the opportunity to test an electric car a few times and was really impressed. The fun factor was pretty high for me. Driving emission-free and getting away from fossil fuels are of course other very good reasons. And a nice side effect is also the tax issue, which is much more lucrative. The first incentive came during an external sales meeting, where e-cars were presented as an option for the sales force. And I was tempted to try it out. And now I’ve had an e-car since the beginning of May and have already driven 13,000 kilometers.
What were the initial reactions when you told people that you now drive an e-car as a company vehicle?
Andreas (laughs): They were really very different! From amazed, admiring, “calling me crazy”, “cool, I think it’s great” – the full range. I’ve received a lot of comments about it over the last few months. And I’ve been asked whether I can still manage my appointments at all or whether I arrange fewer from the outset. People also wonder whether I have to leave earlier, whether it take ages to charge the car, and think that there aren’t enough charging stations. And even if there are enough, they think they don’t always work… and so on and so forth.
Driving pleasure, comfort, and environmental awareness
And what are your experiences so far?
Andreas: I’m really very happy with my e-car. The fact that I can drive almost silently is a unique feeling. It helps me get to my destination in a more relaxed way. It also makes phone calls on the road much more pleasant and I really do make a lot of calls while driving! The charging stops have to be taken into account and have to be planned for, of course. But charging has never been a problem for me. As I charge my car at home, I almost always set off with a full battery. Many people have asked me whether the range is a problem. Not at all! It’s more than sufficient for my journeys.
The range of my electric car is not a problem for me at all.
Andreas, Key Account Manager, Pepperl+Fuchs
So, no negative experiences so far?
Andreas: No! I set off at the same times as before. As I often travel long distances – around 300-500 km – I always plan a buffer, as a traffic jam can occur at any time. But I already did that before. Just like taking breaks, which I now of course also use to head for a charging station. I’ve never been late and have never had to cancel an appointment. And if I were to do so, it would more likely be due to external factors such as accidents or traffic jams, which I have no control over. As I said, I’m also on the phone a lot, so I don’t want to race along the highway at top speed anyway. So I drive at around 130 km/h on average – that’s also a good compromise between covering a reasonable distance and making fast progress. And rush hour traffic or speed limits often don’t allow me to drive faster anyway. All in all, driving is much more relaxed for me.
Range and charging: No problem!
So, the charging station infrastructure is sufficient?
Andreas: In my opinion, absolutely. Everywhere I go, I find fast-charging stations that provide me with enough energy for the next section of the route in a short time. You really don’t have to worry about not getting to a wallbox in time. Many of my customers also have the option of charging electric vehicles in their parking lots and I have often been offered the opportunity to do so. I’ve only had really positive experiences so far, also in terms of range in general. One example: I was recently traveling with a colleague in Hanover. We charged the car just before we drove to the hotel in the city and then drove to our customer. We then drove about 450 km back to Mannheim, and I dropped my colleague off at home on the way. And all that time without needing to stop and charge.
What advice would you give to other sales employees who are thinking about switching to an electric car?
Andreas: I think it’s important to give it some thought beforehand. For example, you should think about which e-car would be suitable for you. And you should answer the following questions for yourself: Is it possible to charge at home? What budget do I have available from the company? Am I prepared to bear any additional costs myself? How high is the leasing rate? But these are all general questions that you would ask yourself anyway, whether e-car or not. You really don’t need to be concerned about the range, charging options, duration of the charging process, etc.
