Numobi: electric car leasing made easy

In an effort to make leasing and using an electric car as convenient as any other car, Numobi is starting a full-service electric car leasing service in Belgium. Its claim to fame is the combination of the expertise of Arval and ENGIE.

While electric cars start to make sense for fleet owners, some cannot get their head around kinks like limited range, higher sales prices and lacking public charging infrastructure, but also the hassle of installing charging infrastructure. Numobi, officially launched in Belgium in January of this year, wants to show people it is possible and aims for 30,000 contracts by 2030.

"Prejudice is our biggest challenge. Those perceived limitations are myths, rather than objectively measurable obstacles," says Numobi Belgium General Manager Bart van der Pluym. "There is an ever-expanding offer of cars with a more than decent range and charging is no longer an issue thanks to access to all public chargers and home or office charging infrastructure. Moreover, when you look at the TCO of electric cars rather than their sales price, they are often equally or more affordable than ICE cars. Nowadays, residual values and maintenance and repair costs are calculated much more realistically than during the dawn of the electric car."

Integrated service

But what makes Numobi different to other leasing companies that also offer electric car leasing with additional services? "A completely integrated service from a to z with a single point of contact for the whole experience." Numobi supplies electric cars, installs chargers at home and at the office, and gives access to 100,000 public chargers throughout Europe for charging on the go, all at one monthly rate. Fleet managers get peace of mind with a fully automated platform for control, compensation for employee home charging and invoicing. Drivers get user-friendliness thanks to an app with Waze integration, guiding them towards available public charging infrastructure.

However, according to Mr van der Pluym, his company has an ace up its sleeve. It combines the knowledge and expertise of two big names in their respective fields. "With Arval, we have an excellent partner when it comes to leasing in all of its aspects. For over 30 years, Arval has been one of the go-to companies in vehicle leasing.” Energy and energy services provider ENGIE takes care of the practical side of things. “ENGIE company EVBox manufactures charging facilities and ENGIE Fabricom is the expert in electric installations. Expertise and research center ENGIE Laborelec supplies its 'Smatch' software to design optimal charging infrastructure and streamline the charging process of a company’s fleet," says Mr van der Pluym.

Success

But is an electric car really suitable for everyone? "While not everybody will benefit from an electric car, the number of people that can, is higher than you would expect. It all starts with a thorough analysis of the needs and assets a company and its company car drivers have. Based on that analysis, we can propose made-to-measure solutions to guarantee emissions-free mobility that doesn't restrict anyone."

According to Mr van der Pluym, Numobi is off to a great start. It is generating a lot of interest, both from SMEs and big corporations. To hit the target of 30,000 contracts by 2030, Numobi is counting on an increased interest from 2023-2024 onwards, when most German manufacturers will have a more comprehensive range of electric models and when the pressure will be on fiscally.

While Numobi has launched in Belgium, other European countries will follow, with France up next. A move to more markets, like Italy and the Netherlands, is being looked at.

Image: (from left to right), Arval Belgium Managing Director, ENGIE Belux CEO Philippe Van Troeye Alain Yvon, Numobi Belgium General Manager Bart van der Pluym (copyright: Numobi)

Author: Arnaud Henckaerts