Our Meet the Experts series introduces and spotlights the expertise of key members of the Interleasing team. Here we talk to Nick Demetrios, who uses his background as an electrician to build out our EV infrastructure capabilities and assist clients transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs).
How long have you worked in the fleet industry for?
This will be my seventh year. My background is in car dealerships, which covers about 15 years. Before that, I was an electrician by trade. So I’ve had a very varied career, which has definitely helped with being able to execute what we need to at Interleasing to transition our clients into EVs. As for my current role, it’s 12 months.
What does your role entail and what excites you about it?
In the past 12 months we’ve been testing and developing new EV technologies with our supply chains. One of these is an EV charge card, which will work on a number of different public charging networks. The second piece is dynamic load management for charging at home – and how we've been able to drive down the cost of that technology. It's all been very interesting and exciting.
What are some of the challenges that you help solve for clients?
With my background in the electrical trade, understanding of how electricity works, and the technology that's going into EV charging stations, we have been able to pull components from the solar industry and implement them into EV chargers to keep the cost down for our clients. This has resulted in a far more reliable system for users.
What are the biggest opportunities in the EV space for fleet managers?
Considering the FBT exemptions that are available for eligible EVs, compared to the level of technology you can get for comparable whole of life costs on an equivalent ICE vehicle, you can upgrade your fleet very cost-effectively. The first quarter of 2023 saw 17,396 EVs sold1, so we can see EVs are going to be the way of the future.
What makes Interleasing different?
One of our main differences is our ability to make life easier for clients through the delivery of really bespoke solutions. Thanks to the automotive and electrical experience within the organisation, we can tailor designs that are one-offs for a client – something that they can expand on, rather than having to replace. The biggest example of this is in the EV space. It’s a world that our clients are still getting up to speed on, but we make their lives easier through the project management of infrastructure and hardware-based solutions. Clients we’ve assisted include University of Tasmania, Red Cross and Hempel.
What is the biggest opportunity for Interleasing in the coming years?
With the growing EV market, we’re well positioned to help clients design custom systems that are fit-for-purpose and specific to client needs. We've had a very strong focus on building capability through EV committees within Interleasing and the broader MMS Group. We're well advanced in manufacturing technology, which includes helping develop the software and hardware in partnership with charging manufacturers. We’ve done installations not just at business premises and at homes, but we've also done strata complexes/apartment blocks, which is one of the most challenging installations, but we've been able to achieve it.
The future direction of Interleasing is that we’ll be a one-stop shop for anything EV. We have an agnostic solution and deep product knowledge, not only on EVs that can help make fleets’ transitions easy, but also on the hardware and pairing the right charging software.
What was your first job?
I worked in many family businesses growing up, and worked at Coles whilst I was in high school.
What inspires you?
The new technology that is coming to market inspires me. The longer-range EVs that are becoming more and more prevalent and partnering with manufacturers to develop innovative solutions for our clients, is what makes me excited.
1.Car Expert, Australia's best-selling electric cars so far in 2023, April 2023
Other resources
Q&A with the Electric Vehicle Council’s Head of Energy & Infrastructure
How to get your team charged up about electric vehicles
Transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs) is one of the most extensive change management exercises fleet managers will have to navigate. As government initiatives support Australia on its journey toward net zero emissions for the road transport sector, more organisations sustainability and emission reduction targets are linked to fleets. So while EVs are becoming more cost effective and accessible, one of the most crucial steps in any organisation’s EV transition journey is getting employees on board.
