See how much your company's fleet can save by going electric
The convergence of cost savings, sustainability goals and government requirements means that now is the time for every fleet to electrify.
Fleet operators are turning to electric to create operational efficiencies. EVs offer significant advantages when it comes to operational costs, including fueling and maintenance costs.
Electric motors convert over 85% of electrical energy into motion, compared to less than 40% for a gas combustion engine.
NRDC
Electricity is less expensive than fossil fuels and can offer more predictable pricing. It also allows fleets to optimize charging activity for the most efficient and least expensive use of energy, including scheduling vehicles to charge at times with off-peak electricity rates or using renewable energy sources.
EVs are much more efficient than combustion engine vehicles as well, getting more out of the fuel they use. Baseline operations are much more efficient for electric vehicles.
Approximately 75% of available battery energy goes to propel and operate a medium-duty electric vehicle. In a similar medium-duty diesel-powered truck, only about 35% of the fuel energy translates to useful work to propel the vehicle (Gao et al). That's a major efficiency gain.
The energy consumption per mile for an electric truck may be one-quarter to one half that of a modern conventional truck.
NREL
Electric motors convert over 85% of electrical energy into motion, compared to less than 40% for gas combustion engines (NRDC), Additionally, EVs convert about 77% of electrical energy of the grid to power at the wheels, compared with only 12-30% for conventional gas vehicles (DoE).
Due to fewer moving parts, EVs require significantly less maintenance: no oil changes and almost no part replacements. This not only cuts costs, but also allows EVs to spend more time making deliveries or running routes and less time under repair orders in the workshop.
Many fleets have found that fleets offer substantial savings. New York City estimated that EVs reduce maintenance costs by 75 to 80 percent. Beginning to electrify vehicles can have a positive impact on your maintenance budget.
Transportation is a leading source of greenhouse gas emissions, and medium- and heavy-duty vehicles generate a disproportionate share of these emissions. Electrification allows any fleet to reduce emissions in a measurable, scalable way and report on emissions avoided using solutions like ChargePoint (below).
A growing number of organizations have established ambitious sustainability goals that are driving new business choices, and electrification is a major way to reach those goals. Later in this report, we'll take a look at some of the brands that lead the way in sustainability commitments for their fleets.
Shopping habits are shifting, with weekly online purchases growing nearly 30 percent in early 2020. With online purchases comes an expectation for speedy delivery: 80% of shoppers want same-day shipping (Temando).
At the same time, 81% of consumers feel strongly that companies should help to improve the environment (Nielsen). Electrification offers companies the opportunity to meet customer preferences while achieving efficiency and cost savings.
Last-mile or last-meter delivery is particularly well suited to electrification, because EVs recover range through regenerative braking and are more efficient for city driving than gas or diesel vehicles. This means delivery vehicles can recover some range with every stop.
Health is an underrecognized factor driving the need for electrification. Emissions from gas and diesel vehicles can exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma and contribute to other conditions, including heart disease and cancer. This endangers the health of individuals, particularly in frontline communities, and increases societal healthcare costs.
American Lung Association research, shown in the table below, finds that EVs can help save thousands of lives while delivering US$72 billion (60,8B€) in health benefits and US$113 billion (95,5B€) in climate benefits. The opportunity to contribute to community benefits may be particularly important to many municipal fleets.
US$72B (60,8B€)
Climate benefits
US$113B (95,5B€)
Analysis of data from The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed an economic impact of $0.01 per vehicle mile travelled (VMT) for treating children affected by traffic-related asthma in Los Angeles County. Reducing emissions could save millions of dollars in healthcare expenses as well as prevent suffering and premature deaths.
Better health for the community can also mean better health and well-being for fleet delivery drivers, who can enjoy a quieter ride and cleaner air even when their vehicles are idling for delivery. Many drivers come to develop a preference for driving EVs when they are available in their fleets.
Delivery fleets are always in need of great drivers, and the global COVID-19 pandemic complicated recruitment efforts. According to leading industry publication Transport Dive, "The ongoing driver shortage has prompted fleets to raise pay for drivers, in hopes of enticing new talent to the workforce and retaining truckers already on the payrolls."
A creative way to attract new drivers might be the opportunity to drive an electric vehicle, which provides superior performance while being more enjoyable to drive (not to mention environmentally friendly) thanks to being quieter and having fewer emissions. Most EV drivers give positive feedback on their experience.
