37 Percent of Full Fibre ISP Fibrus’ UK Fleet Converted to EVs

Belfast-based network operator and broadband ISP Fibrus, which is building a new 10Gbps capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP / XGS-PON) network across parts of Northern Ireland and England, has revealed that 44 out of their 110+ strong fleet of vehicles (37%) are now powered by electricity (up from 14 in Dec 2022).

As of May 2023, the Infracapital-backed operator has covered a total of 256,000 premises (240,000 Ready for Service) – mostly via commercial builds – and is home to 36,000 customers, but they aim to cover 1 million premises over the next 3 years (by Q1 2026) – reflecting around 450,000 in N.Ireland (c. 50% of homes in the region) and the rest from England and Scotland. A total of 400,000 UK premises are currently expected to be covered by March 2024.

In addition to all that, the operator also has plans to achieve Net Zero by 2040 (i.e. removing as many carbon emissions as they produce) and one part of that involves a commitment to adopt a 100% EV (Electric Vehicle) fleet by 2025. The good news is that they’ve already surpassed their target of converting 30% of their fleet in 2023.

All Fibrus EV drivers have home charging facilities, and the fleet is also supported by rapid car chargers, which are available at their Dargan site. These chargers are even quicker following the addition of a rapid 50KW charging unit alongside other charge points – designed, connected, and installed by Belfast EV charging point operator Weev.

Paul Houston, Fibre Planning Senior Specialist, said:

“I absolutely love cars, and half of my professional life has involved working with them. I certainly love the greener and cheaper motoring an EV brings.

Fibrus offered me a VW ID3, as one of the first in the fleet, and they also helped to provide the home charging kit for the car. With my new car, a fast charge from near empty will take around an hour, which suits very well if I utilise the chargers at the offices whilst I’m there.”

Customers of Fibrus typically pay from £24.99 (discounted to £19.99) per month for an unlimited 146Mbps (30Mbps upload) package with an included eero 6+ or eero Pro 6E router and free installation, which rises to £44.99 (discounted to £39.99) per month for their top 946Mbps (300Mbps upload) tier on a 24-month contract term. The service discounts may vary between different parts of their build.

Interestingly, the provider appears to have slashed their prices since the last time we reported on one of their developments, which is another welcome change and makes them very competitive.