While it’s admirable for businesses to transition more of their commercial fleet vehicles to electric, the move is only impactful it it’s done correctly.
There’s a lot to learn when it comes to operating a commercial electric vehicle (EV) fleet—establishing EV charging infrastructure, managing EV charging stations, setting up EV charging networks are just a few.
This is a lot to take on, but will likely be necessary in the future. EV sales were on track to make up 9 percent of all new car purchases in 2023—up from 5.8 percent the year before, The Street reports. Meanwhile, Goldman Sachs Research predicts that EVs could comprise half of all global vehicles sales by 2035. If these trends continue, businesses will have no choice but to add EVs to their fleets, according to Wex, a payment processing and information management services provider for the U.S. commercial and government vehicle fleet industry.
Businesses should work with an EV expert
Integrating commercial EVs into a business’ fleet is about more than keeping up with the times. There are also cost savings to be had from doing so. With commercial EVs, companies could lower their cost of vehicle ownership, especially when it comes to powering up their vehicles. Electric truck charging can be less expensive than fuel. EV maintenance costs also have the potential to be lower than their gas-powered counterparts.
There’s also the environmental aspect to consider. Operating an EV fleet reduces a business’ carbon footprint in terms of its transportation methods. Road vehicles, as well as plans, trains and boats are currently the top creator of greenhouse gas emissions.
Whether a business is looking to transition its commercial fleet to EVs for cost savings or to help the environment—or both, they are best served to make the jump with an EV adoption expert. Attempting to adopt EVs without an expert can lead to otherwise avoidable operational and technological issues. Every business has different needs regarding their fleet—there’s no single solution to everyone’s EV needs.
An EV expert can help a business develop a transition plan that’s tailor-made to their specific needs and walk them through critical parts of EV adoption such as setting up mobile charging stations or fast charging for fleets.
Things to consider when adopting an EV commercial fleet
Businesses will encounter a lot of moving parts as they add EVs to their fleet. To help ensure a smooth transition, they’re best-served to move to EVs in phases. This will allow businesses to establish their electric vehicle charging infrastructure slowly, and likely more effectively, than if they were to switch to EVs all at once.
It’s also critical to have an EV fleet charging plan in place before making this transition. There is no universal EV charging infrastructure—businesses should know where their fleet charging stations are going to be in advance to help determine if they’re large enough to house vehicles that need to charge overnight for hours at a time.
Planning ahead will also help businesses determine if they have the right EV charging infrastructure in place to support an entire EV fleet. They should map out how many of their EVs will need to be parked on company property versus charging at an employee’s home. Having this information prior to transitioning to an EV fleet will help businesses decide how many vehicles they can afford to purchase from a space availability perspective.
Businesses that move to EV commercial vehicles could see a number of financial and environmental benefits in time, but only if they map out their process with an experienced EV adopter. Any missteps in this process could lead to issues big enough that leave businesses wondering if moving to an EV fleet was worth the trouble in the first place.
Comments