Article
Is it time to electrify your fleet?
The transport industry is overtaking the energy sector in being the largest contributor of greenhouse gasses in Europe. As a result, there’s significant pressure from both the policy makers and the general public for transport operators and fleet owners to reduce their environmental impact.
The most impactful way to reduce emissions within transport is through the electrification of fleet vehicles. With the increasing cost of diesel, electricity is still considerably cheaper than fuel, despite the current price trends.
Electric vehicles (EV’s) have considerably fewer components meaning reduced maintenance costs and increased reliability, saving costs in the longer term. Now with an even wider range of vehicles available within this space, it’s never been a better time to transition your vehicle fleet. One in sixteen new vans in 2022 will be electric.
Above all, electric vehicles provide the best solution for cleaner greener transportation and will aid organisations in achieving their net zero targets.
Government policy and technological advances are driving what’s next for EV’s
The UK’s decarbonisation plan, policies, operator influence and OEM advances continue to drive what’s next for electric vehicles.
The Government’s £200 million investment to continue its zero emission HGV trials is welcomed, but more is needed, especially with longer term ambitious goals that include the phasing out of non-zero emission trucks up to 26 tons by 2035 and those over 26 tons by 2040.
Naturally, this leads to larger electric commercial vehicles coming to market.
We’re starting to see these larger commercial vehicles emerging now but largely within industry exhibitions. However, the technology is moving fast and vehicle range is increasing for larger vehicles with further advances in battery technology.
Vehicle telematics is commonplace, but data from EVs will be vital in the future, allowing fleet operators to make informed decisions and promote better energy efficiency in the vehicle fleet. Also, the addition of solar technology on top of the vehicle roof space should not be overlooked. This simple but effective solution can increase vehicle range and alleviate some of the pressures on charge and infrastructure.
The current barriers to electrifying vehicle fleets
EV take up is accelerating for passenger vehicles, but the uptake of electric commercial vehicles is still far behind due to a variety of obstacles and barriers to entry:
Capital costs in replacing current internal combustion engine (ICE) with electric vehicles and fully understanding the total cost of ownership remains an obstacle.
Although it’s more cost effective over a period of time, it can be a challenging business decision for fleet operators when margins are tight. Other remaining obstacles of vehicle characteristics such as the range, charge times, payload and vehicle life expectancy can also cause uncertainty for fleet operators.
And this is where reluctance to transition to electric commercial vehicles can creep in.
In addition, the infrastructure to support EVs, such as charging can seem scarce or, complex to navigate, especially for a large fleet of power hungry vehicles. Currently in the marketplace, there’s a lack of electricity based substitutes for existing vehicles that meet the requirements, profiles or routes of commercial vehicle fleets, especially those operating larger vehicles.
In addition, companies wanting to change now can expect longer lead times due to the recent global events and the uptake in demand. Despite the increase in production of electric commercial vehicles, the availability of these will remain challenging as demand increases and year on year and supply is still catching up.
Start your roadmap now to transition to EV’s
In 5-10 years’ time, businesses will be in a better place to acquire and operate EV’s. At Hatmill, we can guide organisations in choosing the most sustainable transport solutions and support organizations in achieving carbon neutral and net zero targets.
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