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Petrol or Electric?

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 17:21:11 GMT

The comparison more drivers are starting to consider.

For over a century petrol and diesel vehicles have powered our roads, businesses and daily lives. They’ve been reliable, familiar and essential to modern transport.

But in recent years, electric vehicles have moved from being a niche technology to a very real alternative for many drivers.

This isn’t about criticising petrol or diesel cars, they still serve millions of people extremely well. But when you compare the two, some clear differences are beginning to stand out.

Fuel vehicles

Heavily influenced by global oil markets and geopolitical events
Fuel prices can change rapidly and unpredictably
Refuelling requires regular trips to petrol stations
Higher ongoing servicing due to more moving parts

Electric vehicles

Much less exposed to global oil price shocks
Ability to charge overnight at home, often on cheaper off-peak tariffs
Greater cost certainty thanks to energy caps and fixed tariffs
Lower maintenance due to fewer mechanical components

Events out of our control continue to remind us how sensitive fuel prices can be to supply disruptions, speculation and even panic buying. Electric vehicles, while not immune to energy market changes, provide drivers with far greater stability and predictability.

The transition won’t happen overnight, and petrol, diesel and hybrid vehicles will continue to play an important role for many years to come.

However, as technology improves and charging networks expand, the benefits of switching to electric are becoming clearer for both private drivers and businesses alike.

At Parco Civil Engineering & Groundworks (part of the Ipsum Group), we are proud to be delivering the infrastructure that helps make this transition possible across the UK. Every charging hub built strengthens the network and gives drivers greater confidence in the future of electric mobility.

The future of transport isn’t about forcing change — it’s about building the infrastructure that gives people real choice.

…And that future is already taking shape.

Top 7 EV driving tips for a successful journey

Thu, 30 Mar 2023 09:20:24 GMT

Drive smarter to save money, time and mileage

If you’ve already gone electric with a new electric vehicle or are thinking about joining the EV revolution, you’ll need to read Parco’s top tips to help you win when driving electric.

By following our top tips and hacks, not only could you save money, but you could also save time and stress and do your bit for a cleaner environment too.

Charge smarter to save money

Rapid chargers are becoming more and more available but they can be a more expensive way to charge your vehicle. Use these chargers when you’re out and about, but try and top up at home before you go out. When you are charging at home, set the charge at the cheapest tariff time to help keep costs down.

Plan your journey and charging stops

It’s always best to plan ahead as costs can vary between locations. Use an app or website like InstaVolt’s charge point map before you set off to check locations, charge power options, availability, the cost per kWh and site amenities. You might fancy a coffee or burger whilst you’re charging and with this clever little app you can select your nearest location and your preferred coffee brand whilst your car charges and you refuel!

Only charge at 80%

Charging to 80% of your battery’s capacity usually helps prolong the battery life rather than always giving it a full 100% charge. If you’ve got a long journey planned, charge it to 100% for that extra range. When you're out and about, charging to 80% will also speed up your charge time and free up the charger for someone else.

Keep your tyres properly inflated

Under-inflated tyres can reduce an EV's range, so check your tyre pressure regularly and keep them inflated to the recommended level.

Monitor your speed

High speeds can significantly reduce a vehicle's range, so try to keep your speed within the optimal range for your vehicle (and always within the speed limit).

Fastest route is not always the most efficient

The latest EVs built-in sat nav’s not only show you the fastest route, but their system can communicate with the car’s sensors and software to show you the most efficient route by avoiding traffic or hills. Very smart!

Help your car out!

We all get used to some of the gadgets in modern cars like heated seats. Just remember that they use electric to work, and so the more you can do to help, the more mileage you’ll get back in return. Wear an extra layer if it is cold so the heating is not set to 22 degrees. If it’s just you in the car, just heat your seat. And when there’s ice on the windows, scrape it off with a scraper rather than let your car waste mileage on heating the screen.

Workplace charge points

Thu, 23 Mar 2023 10:14:41 GMT

The benefits of installing workplace charge points

As electric vehicles are getting more popular, adding EV change points to businesses, retail centres, hotels and leisure carparks is a rewarding opportunity for many businesses and brands.

There are more and more apps and websites that help drivers to locate charging stations when they are out and about, and businesses that offer charge points are becoming increasingly popular.

Not only do these businesses help enhance their brand by appearing more environmentally friendly, but they are also helping to attract more customers who drive an EV.

Increased footfall
Additional income
Increased customer dwell time in-store

Charge points will not only attract travelling customers but employees with EVs will also see the benefit.

In the future, new UK legislation will require that all new cars are electric. By investing in workplace charge points now, will mean you'll be ahead of the competition.

If you’re thinking about installing EV charge points at your business, contact us at Parco Civil Engineering & Groundworks today. Your customers and employees will be pleased you did!

10 top tips for a successful EV charge point offer at the workplace

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 16:53:06 GMT

Our simple checklist helps you get started with an EV charging programme that works for your company, your employees and your sustainability goals in 10 easy steps.

Step 1 - Decide who’s in charge of your EV workplace system

EV charging is typically managed by someone from the facilities team, HR or sustainability department. Designate a single point of contact for programme success.

Step 2 - Survey your employees

If you haven’t done so already, survey your employees to see who already drives electric and who might switch once you offer charging. Employees are 6 times more likely to drive electric when charging is available at work, so make sure to take that into account when planning.

Step 3 - Plan ahead

Plan a smart installation that works with existing infrastructure and anticipates growing demand. Once you know how many charge points you’ll need, evaluate your electrical capacity to see how many stations you can accommodate. Our Power Management software can support more charging without upgrading capacity or incurring costly utility demand charges. Don’t worry if this sounds complicated – the team at Parco can advise you on the best options after a site survey.

Top Tip

Keep in mind that demand for EV charging will grow fast, so plan for double or triple the capacity you need today.

Step 4 - Decide who can charge and when

There are a number of options to consider:

Do you want charging to be for employees only?
Do you want employees to charge at any time or allocate a charging slot?
Would you like to open up charging to the public after hours?

Whatever your priorities, it’s easy to set an access policy that works for you. Once you set up your policy, employees can request charging access with a simple connection code. Your EV charging programme manager can then approve employees to charge.

Step 5 - Decide how much it will cost to charge

Some workplaces offer charging to employees as a free benefit. While this is a common approach, you may want to consider adding a pricing policy. For example, set a fee that goes into effect after a few hours of free charging. This will encourage drivers to move on so others can take a turn. You can also choose to set a different price for non-employees to allow them to charge but discourage them from staying too long.

Step 6 - Enable ‘Waitlist’

EV charging usually becomes popular very quickly, especially in the workplace. Our software’s ‘Waitlist’ feature lets employees queue up for stations so they can all count on getting a charge.

Step 7 - Invite employees to charge

Send out your unique connection code so employees can request to charge in the ChargePoint app. Use email, Slack, an Intranet or your preferred employee communication channel. Include information about how much charging will cost and whether there are additional fees after a certain amount of time.

Step 8 - Teach employees the new system

Make sure that employees know how to start a charge with the ChargePoint app and your unique connection code. Share basic etiquette tips, like:

Charge only when you need to.
Move your car when you’ve finished charging or have enough charge.

Step 9 - Keep an eye on key metrics

See how many people are charging at your workplace compared with your expectations. If charging has not taken off, make sure that employees know how to get a charge! Take a look at your energy costs, too. If they are higher than expected, consider setting a small fee to recover the expense.

Step 10 - Grow your programme over time

Once your employees get a taste of driving a better way, more and more of them will make the switch to electric. Keep an eye on your station utilisation report in the ChargePoint dashboard and start planning for your next station installation(s).

To get started with an EV charging programme at your workplace, contact us at Parco Civil Engineering & Groundworks today.