According to the latest findings from the Fleet Advisory Hub, a fleet insight tool developed by Escalent in Livonia, nearly two-thirds (65 percent) of fleet decision makers are currently shopping for fleet EVs.
But concerns remain regarding underlying operational and infrastructure concerns — including financing for private charging, variable routing patterns, and calculating EV operating costs — remain among the most significant barriers to widespread adoption.
The latest report offers a clear look at the opportunity light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fleet and commercial vehicle manufacturers and charging technology companies have in the coming years, with 57 percent of fleet decision-makers plan to replace their vehicles in the next three years.
“Vehicle manufacturers and charging infrastructure companies alike are looking at what is their best chance yet to spark a wave of electric vehicle purchases for fleet use, marking a critical crossroads in the path toward widespread adoption of the technology,” says Michael Schmall, automotive and mobility vice president at Escalent.
“The brands that rise to the top will gain an edge by finding solutions to unique problems for fleet applications, including significant operational infrastructure challenges.”
Findings from the report include:
- 82 percent of adopters finance their private charging infrastructure and 68 percent of shoppers expect to.
- 32 percent of adopters report higher-than-expected private charging infrastructure costs.
- 29 percent of fleets allow employees to take and store vehicles at home, adding another layer of complexity for implementing robust charging infrastructure.
There is also a knowledge and information gap when outlining the benefits of EV applications. More than half (57 percent) of decision-makers operate fleets with variable routing patterns and other operational considerations that require extensive usage data to implement an electric program.
The knowledge and information gap shows itself again when fleet decision makers try to calculate total cost of ownership (TCO). The report showed 42 percent of operators understood that there are unique factors and considerations for EVs, but they are not familiar enough with them to calculate TCO.
To take a leadership position in the race to adopt EVs, fleet decision makers, product manufacturers, and service providers must proactively develop catered solutions that mitigate up-front costs and knowledge burden for shoppers.
Fleet Advisory Hub is one of the largest collection of commercial vehicle and fleet decision-maker insights available on the market today. Currently. Nearly 10,000 fleets collectively numbering over 800,000 vehicles are represented.
