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How to boost an efficient fleet electrification strategy

By Verizon Connect Team May 9, 2024

Electric vehicles are key for sustainable mobility

The upcoming revolution in mobility is poised to be centred around green and sustainable transportation. This shift is driven by several factors. The first being to meet the targets set by major countries to reduce CO2 emissions.

Another reason will be the scarcity of fossil resources in the future, which will make it necessary to use other sources of energy that are more sustainable and cleaner for the environment.

The EV market is booming in the UK, “as of the end of November 2023, there are now more than 950,000 fully electric cars on UK roads, 1,529,000 plug-in cars and a further 570,000 plug-in hybrids”. (1)

For the UK, the percentage of fleets containing electric vehicles stood at 59% in 2023, a 55% increase compared with the previous year, which revealed a solid growth for EVs. (2)

Download the Fleet Technology Trends Report UK 2024 for more information on electric vehicle use in the UK.

What are the key benefits of fleet electrification?

Environmental: An electric vehicle fleet reduces emissions and helps tackle climate change. Showing a commitment to sustainability in this way has the knock-on effect of improving your brand reputation. It’s also a great way to comply with emissions regulations.

Economical: Although the purchase price may be higher for electric vehicles with new battery technology, the running costs are much lower than ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicles, making them more economical in the long run.

Social and health: Electric vehicles produce less noise and are very comfortable to drive – there are no gear changes, for example. This can therefore help improve the driving experience and reduce fatigue.

The challenges of adding EVs to your fleet

One of the biggest challenges when it comes to adopting electric cars in fleets is their pricing, as well as the lack of grid infrastructure and public charging points.

As for the price of electric vehicles, most European countries offer subsidies and incentives for those purchasing electric cars and although this helps, many consumers are waiting for a drop in the price of EVs.

Regarding charging point infrastructure, most countries are working against the clock to ensure that they can meet the requirements to make EV adoption a reality.

According to Zapmap, “at the end of November 2023, there were 53,029 electric vehicle charging points across the UK in 30,853 charging locations. This represents a 46% increase in the total number of charging devices since November 2022”. (3)

In detail, “the geographical area that has the most EV charging points is Greater London with 18,396, followed by the South East with 6,137 and Scotland with 4,495”. (4)

Despite the number of EV charging points greatly increasing, even more are needed in order to meet ambitious targets for reducing emissions into the atmosphere.

The government set out its world-leading path to reaching zero emission vehicles by 2035, which will require 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain to be zero emission by 2030, increasing by 100% by 2035.(5).

How to accelerate an efficient EV strategy

Electric vehicles represent the future of sustainable transport and mobility. Once the challenges involved in adopting EVs for light commercial vehicle fleets and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) have been tackled, this has the potential to change the future of transportation to a more sustainable and zero emissions future.

Advanced fleet management technology can help your company make a smooth transition to electric vehicles as it is able to identify the needs of your fleet. The technology can:

Monitor fleet emissions: Obtain a clear overview of your fleet emissions and carbon footprint and address these areas with the help of EVs in your fleet.
Determine EV suitability: Analyse vehicles that may be well suited to transition to an electric vehicle due to their characteristics.
Plan grid and infrastructure design: Obtain data insights which enable the planning and implementation of charging frameworks and the energy requirements for electric vehicle adoption.
Tariff optimisation for your EVs: Identify and select the most cost-effective electricity plans for charging electric vehicles.
Transition planning: Strategically plan and manage the shift from traditional vehicles to EVs, getting it right the first time.

Download our latest EV focused infographic to find out more.

Is going green the smart choice for your fleet?

This question doesn’t have a simple “yes” or “no” answer because it depends on your company’s medium to long term strategy. While there are many things to improve for EVs such as autonomy, charging points, or their prices, they also bring many benefits to a fleet.

Some of the benefits include decreasing CO2 emissions, reducing carbon footprints, saving on fuel and maintenance as well as the incentives received for adopting EVs.

Many countries’ governments are already making it mandatory to reduce emissions and want to ban the sale of ICE vehicles in the future, maybe even around 2030-2035. Preparing for the emerging landscape of zero-emission mobility is a strategic move for companies aiming for a seamless transition to electric vehicles (EVs).

Download our eBook Identifying 3 challenges to fleet electrification to discover the benefits of going green.

Fleet management and EVs: a perfect match

A fleet management solution can help fleet-based businesses manage electric vehicles with ease. The solution lets you know battery status, charging status, if vehicles are plugged in correctly and charging and much more.