Fleets looking to go electric should “pick the lower-hanging fruit first” to simplify the adoption of electric vehicles.
Fleet management software company FleetCheck said that while some fleets were hanging back from electrification – due to problems around particular drivers and their vehicles – finding “easy wins” was a good way to start the process.
Peter Golding, managing director, explained: “In almost every fleet we have seen, there are instances where EV adoption is relatively easy and fleets should make those changes first and make them quickly. It is very much a matter of getting the ball rolling.”
In most cases, he added, the easiest drivers to swap into EVs were car users who had their own off-road parking and covered a predictable amount of mileage every day.
“These employees can have a charger installed and any EV with a sufficient range will meet their needs. In most companies, these people soon become enthusiastic advocates for electrification and spur on other potential users.”
And even among those parts of the fleet that look challenging to electrify, there will probably be opportunities for positive change, Golding continued.
“For example, operators of electric vans are often struggling to resolve problems with issues around payload, range and availability of home charging but there will probably be drivers who can work around those problems.
“It’s very much a case of where there is an opportunity for easy change, make that change. You are going to have to electrify your fleet and do so within a relatively short window, so do the easy work first in order to create momentum.
“In terms of ballpark figures, it is probable on many fleets that switching the final 20% of the fleet to electric power could be as difficult as the first 80% but that should not prevent you from getting the process underway. It’s very much a case of, for the moment, not letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.”
