April 8, 2022
Driving Your Fleet Towards Electrification – A Fleet Managers Guide to Electric Vehicles
By Simon Horton, EV Infrastructure Lead
With many organizations committing to carbon reduction emissions through the conversion to electric vehicles (EVs), there are a few pieces of knowledge Fleet Managers should consider when making this transition. To maximize savings and make a smooth change, electrifying your fleet is more complex than just procuring EVs and installing charging hardware.
It requires partnership with internal teams
This will likely mean working with team members across finance, sustainability, procurement, real estate, facilities, and energy to ensure internal buy in and proper education. Working collaboratively early will create more efficient decision-making down the road.
A comparable electric vehicle is likely available for your fleet today
Planning for the arrival of electric vehicles requires identifying which vehicles in your fleet are ready for the transition, based on vehicle retirement cycle and availability. Fleet analysis can help with purchasing decisions, and pairing vehicle procurement with a comprehensive charging plan will result in cost efficiency.
It’s not always as easy as installing any charger
It’s important to have a comprehensive vehicle charging strategy. Right-sizing the equipment to ensure full operability of your fleet without over-building infrastructure is key. A phased deployment plan allows for infrastructure build-out to match the vehicle procurement cycle. Deployment in phases allows for adjustment as technology advances and your fleet operations evolve.
Your fueling will change
Vehicles with long dwell time, such as overnight at a facility, will “fuel” or charge while the vehicle is parked. Other operational considerations may require different speeds of charging for vehicles that need to resume operations quickly after returning to base. Managed charging systems and software ensure vehicles are fully charged when needed while maintaining predictable fueling costs.
You’ll have much less maintenance
Electric vehicles generally require less scheduled maintenance than their internal combustion engine equivalents. There are fewer fluids and oils to change, and due to regenerative braking wear is significantly less, meaning longer periods of time between brake changes. No oil changes mean your fleet maintenance operation will be more environmentally friendly by experiencing less hazardous waste disposal from conventional oils and coolants.
Electric vehicles are more fun
Once vehicle operators try electric, they love the new technology. Electric vehicles are powerful and quiet with less vibration and odor. This leads to a better work environment for the drivers and the maintenance staff.
Additional resources:
How Fleet Managers Can Better Prepare For Electric Vehicles – Operations – Charged Fleet
What corporate fleet managers want out of EVs | Greenbiz
For more information, check out our Transportation Electrification Blog Series!
Join Our Mailing List
Let us meet you where you are in your Transportation Electrification journey.
Get connected with our team.
Learn More