Russell Olive, UK director at Vaylens, discusses how to take control of your fleet and unlock new savings.

Costs are stacking up for businesses running electric vehicle fleets – particularly now that VED now applies to them, adding another layer of cost pressure. Confirmed by the Government back in April, the new tax will have been far from welcome news for fleet operators who are already navigating rising wage bills, the hike in employer National Insurance contributions and the broader economic pressures of electrification.

It’s worth noting the scale of the issue here. Although for individual drivers an additional annual fee of £195 might seem like an annoyance, it’s far more than that when seen from the industry viewpoint. Under the new rules, a company operating 1,400 EVs will see over £250,000 added to its annual expenses – which, when added to the other cost rises in the mix, goes far beyond annoying to significantly impactful.

Balance the books

As such, it’s crucial that businesses can unlock savings elsewhere. Of course, sustainability remains a priority, so turning away from EVs is a non-starter. But the good news is that companies can find alternative ways to offset costs without compromising on emissions targets or operational efficiency.

In particular, they can begin to adopt smarter charging strategies, manage mixed fleets and work towards gaining full transparency on energy usage. With these strategies in place – and the right tools on board – fleet operators can stay ahead of rising costs and keep sustainability goals on track.

The backbone behind EVs

Electric vehicles are only as effective as the infrastructure that supports them: their company’s power distribution, approach to charging management and fleet tracking systems. In turn, the smooth running of that infrastructure depends on powerful, intelligent and scalable charge point management software.

As more fleet businesses switch to EVs, they will need to manage charging, not just in the depot, but also across home and public locations. Each of these scenarios comes with its own costs and operational challenges. For example, many businesses are facing increased logistical complexity for drivers, reimbursement headaches for home charging and fragmented data spread across different charging sites – with some data inaccessible altogether.

In short, VED is only the tip of the iceberg for fleet managers looking to maintain EVs – there’s a whole world of complexity required to keep the wheels turning and the deliveries moving.

Rise to the challenge

To counter these issues, companies need to consolidate the various arms of their fleet management process into one central system that can effectively handle it all: making charging simpler, automating payments and keeping vehicles powered up efficiently. This looks like smart charging, AI-powered scheduling and dynamic load management to help avoid peak-time strain, reduce energy costs and make better use of renewable energy.

One key area for saving lies in smarter charging strategies. Unpredictable charging expenses can quickly derail budgets, making it critical to adopt a structured approach. This scenario is where smarter systems are vital. A centralised platform can help put the brakes on runaway costs, reducing waste, tracking real-time usage and automating home charging reimbursements – turning unpredictable expenses into manageable, transparent ones.

Managing mixed fleets is another challenge. With petrol, diesel and electric vehicles still coexisting, platforms that consolidate charging, mileage and reimbursement data into one view are essential to maintain oversight and control. Combining all the relevant insights into a single platform not only improves user experience and reduces inefficiency, but it also allows for more intelligent, predictive thinking on how best to direct funds, staff, fuel and energy.

Clearly, achieving appropriate cost savings while maintaining sustainability and high-quality service is far from straightforward. In order to keep the fleet moving while also balancing the books, businesses will need to address a whole host of issues simultaneously. As a result, it’s crucial to have the right tools in place – consolidating workstreams into a single point of management and automating complex, labour-intensive tasks. Only then can fleet managers unlock the benefits of EVs without having to worry about the bottom line.