Expert Panel: Transition to Electric

Switching to electric vehicles requires careful planning and a well-researched strategy. Our expert panelists share their advice on how to get it right and what pitfalls to avoid

With new diesel and petrol cars and vans no longer sold after 2030, many fleets will be thinking about switching to electric vehicles. But this requires a re-think of traditional fleet management practices, and many fleets will be feeling daunted by the task at hand.
    
However, with careful planning and some support and guidance, switching to electric vehicles need not be a burdensome task.
    
That said, first and foremost, electric vehicles must be be fit-for-purpose for an organisation’s specific fleet requirements. So how does a company establish if they can make the switch?
    
A suitability assessment is the first step, according to Naomi Nye, head of sales at Drax Electric Vehicles. She says: “Carrying out a suitability assessment that factors in operational requirements like trip mileages, geographical spread and ‘dwell’ times and locations can show whether electrification’s practical for a fleet.
    
“Running a trial involving telematics will show you, by existing fleet vehicle, what an EV would need to do. You’ll be able to analyse data to show average and maximum mileages – both by trip and by day. From this, you’ll be able to see whether an EV would need to stop to recharge during a given working shift.
    
“Looking at factors such as these will highlight the vehicles from your existing fleet that will be simplest to switch to EVs – and the ones that might be trickier. From there, you’ll be able to create a transition schedule and plan for any changes to business-as-usual operations.
    
“Suitability assessments offer other benefits, too. Knowing when a vehicle’s stationary, and for how long, reveals the best locations for charging facility installation and the best times for charging. Understanding total fleet mileages will enable you to calculate potential fuel savings – and CO2 savings – from switching to EVs. All this information will be valuable in securing internal-stakeholder buy-in to your electrification plans.”

The right time to switch

Richard Parker, Webfleet UK EV lead at Bridgestone Mobility Solutions agrees that having data on current fleet operations will help companies decide when is the right time to switch to zero emission vehicles. Richard says: “The capabilities of electric vehicles continue to improve, as does UK charging infrastructure, making fleet electrification an ever more viable option. Deciding upon the optimal time for change, however, remains crucial.
    
“Telematics solutions can play a helpful role here by generating data insights to simplify comparisons between petrol and diesel vehicle running costs and real-world EV performance. EVs may not be right, at this point in time, for all businesses and all use cases, but planning reports will point to which vehicles can be cost-effectively switched to EV alternatives.
    
“TCO (total cost of ownership) modelling should form part of this assessment, signalling whether the cost of procuring, operating and maintaining EVs is lower than for their incumbent vehicles.
    
“Charging infrastructure and availability is also an important consideration. This should include the scale of local public provision, opportunities for charge station installations at drivers’ homes, and the requirements for chargers at business premises.”
    
Regarding commercial vehicles, a combination of increased ranges and efficient driving style means that electric vans can go a long way. Richard says: “The capabilities of the latest electric vans – when driven in an energy-efficient manner and deployed with tyres engineered for outstanding mileage and low rolling resistance – were highlighted by Webfleet’s new Guinness World Records® title. The record for the greatest distance travelled by an electric van on a single charge has now been set at 311.18 miles!”

Information is key

Steve Beadle, head of 0Zone at The Grosvenor Group, agrees that gaining insight into vehicles and their journeys is a key starting point to an electric vehicle journey. Steve says: “Data should be gathered on the types of journeys your drivers make, the frequency, mileages, what they carry in the vehicles, in which geographical areas they drive them and the availability of charge points in that area, which drivers come into the office regularly and which do not – and whether drivers have the ability to install home charging points.
    
“The best way to gather this information is through a driver survey, and in parallel with that it is also important to develop electric vehicle, and plug in hybrid, choice lists using whole life cost analysis so that the types of vehicles offered to drivers fit within job grade budgets based on total cost of ownership.
    
“By combining all of this information means you can very quickly see which drivers can definitely have a fully electric vehicle, and which may find a plug in hybrid more suitable.”
    
Once this is established, you can then begin to drill down to the suitability of individual makes and models, within the approved choice lists, on a driver by driver basis. “At Grosvenor Leasing, our 0Zone team has run webinars, roadshows and support lines for drivers who want to understand the suitability of different vehicles based on their requirements,” adds Steve.

Fleet behaviour

A thorough assessment of fleet behaviour will allow an electrification plan to be set that should be smooth and meet minimal resistance, believes Alun Davies, operations director at ElectrAssure. Expanding on what this assessment should look like, Alun says: “Driver mileage and behaviour must be assessed in order to understand whether the electric vehicles are able to cover the mileage required by the operators usual driving patterns and whether adequate dwell time to charge the vehicle is available either in the working day or between shifts. If the driver mileage is lower than the expected EV range, then the assessment of when and where the vehicle is stationary and for how long will begin to form the basis for the charging provisions required as they will need to be adequately charged within that time frame.
    
“Charging is always best, where possible, at company or driver premises to avoid any delays or issues that can be encountered when using public charging, however, the increase of available and reliable public charging means that in exceptional circumstances, such as longer than average journeys, drivers are able to make it to their destination. Utilising home and public charging as part of the plan for charging fleets isn’t uncommon, however, it is critical that the payment for public charging or the reimbursement of home charging activities is simple and as close to autonomous as possible to prevent resistance from drivers.”

Supporting key goals

A successful electrification strategy must support both profitability and sustainability, believes Grant Robson, global business director for on-road solutions at MICHELIN Connected Fleet. And as the other panelists have said, insight into a company’s unique operations is vital to getting it right.
    
Grant says: “It is critical that fleet managers have the data, analytical capabilities, and insights, to define the right decarbonisation path for their unique operation. Key areas of consideration include the range of electric vehicles. Range anxiety is one of the top challenges we see fleet managers face in electrification, and mitigating this risk requires detailed analysis of real mileage and journeys – per vehicle, per day – across the fleet. This is critical to identify which specific vehicles or regions could be the right candidates to start electrifying based on intraday mileage.
    
“Charging management is a key success factor in electrification, and fleet managers need to have a detailed understanding of their fleets’ typical journeys and locations in order to plan charge points effectively, including whether they’ll charge on the public network, at private chargepoints or at home. Fleet managers also need the historical mileage and fuel usage data in order to perform accurate cost-benefit analyses to assess fuel vs. electricity costs under different electrification scenarios.
    
“Both of these areas can be enabled by having a robust fleet management system and partner to give fleet operators the data, insights, and advice they need to accelerate their electrification journey.”

Adapt your way of working

Fleets will have to adapt to new ways of working and some may find it easier than others, points out Tom Rowlands, FLEETCOR’s managing director for global EV solutions, including Allstar. 
    
Tom says: “It’s important to set the context that the 2030 cut-off for the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles will be with us in less than seven years, which really isn’t far away. It will mark a major shift in the future of mobility for both individual motorists and professional fleets.
    
“A smaller company that has a smaller fleet of company cars for salespeople and executives can simply change their existing vehicles to EVs as needed and provided their drivers have access to home charging there should not be any major changes needed. Fleet managers may want to switch from general fuel cards to those specific to EVs (EV charging cards) so that their drivers could use public charge points, but otherwise, day-to-day operations will stay the same.
    
“However, larger organisations will have to do more work to prepare. A company with large numbers of vehicles that see a lot of use – a delivery company for instance – may have to take a look at their operations and make some changes to adapt to the way that EVs differ from ICE vehicles. It’s a significant investment, but one with longer-term benefits.”

Interim options

If it’s deemed that full electrification is not yet possible, especially for light commercial vehicle operators, what interim options can fleet operators look at?
    
Chris Fower, sales and marketing director at Fischer Panda UK shares his thoughts: “Hybrid based vehicles are an obvious consideration before fleets are able to fully convert to electric, but there is often concern that hybrid vehicles do not offer the required performance or show a significant difference in CO2 emission reductions in everyday operation, particularly when used for longer journeys or in open, fast moving traffic. It’s not a popular answer but sometimes the Euro 6 diesel solution for vehicles and their planned operation, is still currently the best practical answer.
    
“HVO fuels are becoming more popular across Europe and can offer greatly reduced emissions and particulates; many current engines will run on alternative fuels but the take up will be restricted by the availability of these fuels which is currently rather limited. Government directives along with investment from the large refiners to develop a viable refuelling structure is required, but sadly this is currently substantially lacking in the UK.”
    
Chris points out that there are multiple factors at play in the transition to electric for fleet managers as vehicle use varies greatly in terms of driver mpg, daily miles covered, number of stops, average speed, and vehicle down time. Using this data can identify the ‘low hanging fruit’ for electrification. Chris explains: “Fleet managers can begin the transition by selecting from the choice of zero emission LCVs for the right vehicles within their fleet. For example, fleet managers should pick the vehicles that have low daily mileages (no more than 60-70 per cent of EV published range) and are returned to base nightly where even a relatively small slow 3.5-7kW wall charger can be easily installed to get the vehicle back to 100 per cent overnight. Finally, some involvement from the driver is required here, both in terms of how they typically drive and also by installing smarter home charging/tariff systems.”

Common perceived barriers

We asked our panelists what they hear as the most common cited barriers for not adopting electric vehicles.
    
Steve Beadle from The Grosvenor Group says that ‘range anxiety’ is the common objection to electric vehicles that he hears. However, Steve believes that when you drill down on this, range issues often only relate to a small proportion of fleets. Steve says: “This is where our 0Zone team at Grosvenor Leasing has been so successful in helping customers realise that electric vehicles are viable for a very large proportion of their fleet, and how those who genuinely cannot have a fully electric vehicle can have a plug in hybrid instead.
    
“But in my mind, those companies who say that they’re not ready for electrification are often the ones who really haven’t looked at it very carefully yet, and we are finding that this is particularly the case with some commercial vehicles operators. A key concern cited by many LCV operators is the inability to rely on home charging or the public network, but there are emerging technologies for simple and fast home charging that are worth looking into rather than ruling home charging out altogether.”
    
Regarding electric vans, Steve believes some lateral thinking is needed. He explains: “Rather than see how electric vans can fit into a business’ current operating model, this is far more a case of how the business needs to adapt to electrification; there being an impact on operations, finance, human resources, property, facilities management and customer service. Trying to fit electric vans into an old/existing operating model is the classic square peg in a round hole, and the consensus from the customers we talk to is that this is an opportunity to review, and reengineer, your operations for a zero emission future.
    
“My concern is that many people believe that it’s a simple as just ordering electric cars or vans when the deadline is looming, and so it’s not really on their radar as a priority, but the truth is there is far more to it than that and I would encourage any business that is sitting back thinking they are not ready to go electric yet to start looking at it immediately.”

Cost and the economic climate

Drax Electric Vehicles recently commissioned some market sector research where it was revealed that the most commonly cited barriers to electrification were cost and the current economic climate. Naomi Nye expands: “Predictably, cost topped the list. EVs are more expensive than internal combustion engine (ICE) equivalents and implementing an effective network of chargers represents a substantial investment.
    
“However, electrification needn’t be an overnight process. Phasing transition – starting with the simplest-to-convert or most-viable vehicles – can help spread the cost. There are also options to lease vehicles rather than purchase them. Government grants are also available to help with the cost. It’s worth organisations carrying out a total cost of ownership (TCO) comparison. The upfront purchase cost of an EV can distort the overall financial implication of switching from ICEs. Looking at factors such as fuel versus charging costs, tax benefits, clean-air charge exemptions and residual value offers a more realistic picture of overall cost impact.”

Navigating the current economic climate was also cited as an issue in the research. Naomi Nye said: “With inflation high and energy prices having skyrocketed in recent years, organisations are feeling the pinch. So, it’s little wonder some companies are looking for a more stable financial footing before electrifying their vehicle fleets or investing in charging facilities.
    
“Organisations can address this by electrifying in the right way: avoiding short-termism in order to deliver longer-term cost savings. For the immediate future, intelligently using smart charging’s load management ability can optimise the efficiency of available capacity. In the longer-term, electrification can even pave the way for revenue generation through constructs such as demand-side response. While this might not bring down upfront costs, projecting future returns can make electrification seem like an investment rather than an expense.”
    
Naomi adds: “Another barrier we hear is that organisations don’t know who’s responsible for making electrification decisions. Switching to EVs and implementing charging facilities affects fleet, energy, finance, procurement, operations and HR teams. With so many stakeholders involved, who takes the lead and presents the plans? And who, ultimately, makes the decisions?”

A mindset shift

Tom Rowlands from Allstar has heard a number of barriers, and many are made worse by the media. He says: “With the 2030 deadline rapidly approaching, businesses know that electrification is a necessity but the barriers are typically not knowing where to start, investment in the new vehicles and then the charging conundrum. This is also in the context of where the country is economically, with purse strings squeezed.
    
“There are also a lot of myths in the media about cost of ownership and we’ve been working hard to not only enhance our solutions for businesses making the transition but also help educate the market on charging options, as well as debunking the ownership and investment myths. I’d argue that driving an EV is still significantly less expensive than using an ICE vehicle. Additionally, it’s the future of motoring and something we’ll all need to make the shift to.
    
“However, I must qualify that driving an EV is clearly different from what we’re used to with petrol or diesel vehicles. There is a mindset shift we all need to make, including working out mileage and charging requirements before setting off on a journey.”

Data driven approach

Grant Robson from MICHELIN Connected Fleet also hears range anxiety cited as a common barrier to electrification. But as other panelists have said, data can help identify if this will actually be an issue. He says: “Fleet managers need to take a data-driven approach to assess which vehicles are the right candidates for electrification based on mileage and activity data. This can be addressed through a fleet management system and partner to evaluate top EV candidates in their fleet based on their unique historical journey information.”
    
Another concern is charging electric vehicles. Grant says: “Fleet managers need to make informed decisions about where and when they will charge their vehicles to maximise productivity, optimise vehicle lifetime, and minimise charging costs. This can be supported through a fleet management system to understand the typical journeys of vehicles and locations of charge points effectively, as well as having live visibility on charge point location and availability for efficient job routing & dispatching.”
    
Finally, Grant believes that a resistance to change is another hurdle, and it is vital to get all stakeholders engaged. He explains: “A successful EV transition requires full commitment and engagement from all roles in the business, and drivers are critical stakeholders in this journey. For example, fleet managers need a clear plan – supported by data and insights – for how they will manage charging cost reimbursement (and mitigate fraud), as well as how they will evolve their driver performance scorecards based on EV usage, for example, incentivising drivers to charge vehicles efficiently to prolong battery life.”

Electrical capacity

As well as ‘range anxiety’, ElectrAssure’s Alun Davies has come across other barriers to electrification which include a lack of parking spaces for charging, electrical capacity, and the fact that many fleet operators do not have the experience to manage charging activities. Alun explains: “Available parking spaces for charging or a lack of suitable parking spaces can cause serious issues with rotation of charging vehicles and providing enough charging for the required vehicles.
    
“Available electrical capacity is also common issue. Simply put, without adequate available electrical capacity, efficient charging at the speeds required will not be possible.
    
“Management of charging activities is becoming increasingly problematic for fleet managers and staff. Making sure chargers are being used correctly and by the right staff and vehicles is a challenge that very few have experience with and can be a complicated and frustrating experience.”
    
These issues can be addressed however, by engaging with the right people, early in the process. Alun says: The right EV charging provider will have the staff, contacts or partnerships with organisations that can assess fleet behaviour, provide an automated management service and assess or even upgrade electrical systems to allow for the EV charging your fleet requires. It is also critical to engage with the right people early in the process to prevent costly mistakes being made during the consultation phase of the electrification process.”

Time-pressed fleet managers

Knowing where to start is a frequently raised barrier that Webfleet’s Richard Parker has come across. “For time-pressured fleets, it can often be difficult to know where to start, but the electric transition needn’t be a laborious undertaking,” comments Richard. “There’s a great deal of advice, shared knowledge and guidance available from industry specialists, while insights from dedicated EV management solutions can help support decision-making at every stage of the journey – from signposting charging requirements and the vehicles that can be cost-effectively replaced by EVs to optimising EV performance. “
    
High energy costs have been a notable concern in recent times, but there may be light at the end of the tunnel with wholesale energy prices starting to fall.
    
Richard says: “The impact of energy costs can also be mitigated by optimising EV operations. The driver has an extremely important role to play in EV cost control, and education is vital to ensure best practices behind the wheel maximise energy-efficiency and vehicle range.
    
“Furthermore, fleets should take account of total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations when carrying out their cost-benefit analyses. With careful planning and management insights, savings can still be realised over the EV fleet lifecycle.”
    
Other barriers include whether electric vehicles can handle heavy payloads. Richard says: “In some cases, concerns are harboured about the suitability of EVs for specific business uses. Heavy payload requirements, for example, can put a question mark over their suitability for longer journeys. EV technology, however, is advancing all the time and fleets should continue to scrutinise the capabilities of all latest models.”

Think smart to overcome challenges

Cost, payload, range and the speed of charging are challenges that Chris Fower from Fischer Panda UK has come across. He explains: “One of the largest barriers for most is the cost of change, which is high. Although, if you operate within in a city with a clean air zone, this initial cost outlay could be evened out throughout use due to reduced running costs and no daily emission zone charges to pay.
    
“There can be concerns around loss of payload capacity for electric vehicles; this is a hard one to get around but again, if fleet managers focus only those vehicle profiles that don’t need or use full current payload, this is where the more efficient changes can be made.
    
“Range anxiety can also play a role in the reluctance to go electric, but once again, we can apply targeted use to match the expected range, invest in driver training and promote buy in to the “zero emission roadmap”  which can be key to improving range and getting closer to those published target figures.”
    
The speed of charging is another barrier that Chris has come across. He explains: “Speed of recharge has always been a major downside in the adoption of electric vehicles but in response to that, faster and better chargers are being developed. In the meantime, we can be more smart with maximising payload capacity whilst not compromising the drive range and this is where auxiliary onboard power systems could be reviewed.
    
“As an example, Fischer Panda UK was instrumental in helping to create a fleet of eco-friendly, pure electric ITV/ITN broadcast vehicles in 2021. We used Mastervolt power electronics for the provision of a broad range of on-board energy requirements. Operators across all commercial vehicle sectors can ensure the development of properly engineered power solutions, air-conditioning and refrigeration as part of their transition to electric – these are measures that can be taken now.”

The public charging network debate

There has been some criticism of the public charging network, with some saying it is not keeping pace with the amount of electric vehicles on the roads. But the government is aiming for 300,000 public chargers to be available by 2030, and to address some of the other issues drivers face – such as differing payment requirements, new charge point regulations will soon be in force. So what do our panelists think about the current state of the public charging infrastructure, and how it affects fleets on the road?
    
Grosvenor’s Steve Beadle says: “Reports indicate that we are on track for the Government’s target of 300,000 charge points by 2030, however the general consensus is that progress needs to be accelerated quickly. More of a concern is the relatively small proportion of ultra fast chargers and the fact that 44 per cent are in Greater London and the South East leaving many UK regions under resourced so far.
    
“According to the SMMT, the Government’s EV Infrastructure Strategy forecasted that the UK would require between 280,000 and 720,000 chargepoints by 2030. The Government chose to set a lower-end figure of approximately 300,000 as the ambition. To put this in context, Germany’s target is one million. E
 
“This makes you wonder whether the Government’s long term vision is electrification after all or whether they are currently ticking a short-term box to move quickly to zero emission motoring through incentivising the shift to electric, but with a longer term view that hydrogen and synthetic fuels may be a more viable end goal.
    
“The reality is that company car drivers are moving into electric vehicles very successfully and the combination of home charging, workplace charging, and public charging is offering them the ability to remain mobile.”

Charging commercial vehicles

Regarding commercial vehicles, Steve Beadle believes the public charging infrastructure poses a greater challenge. He explains: “The extent of the public charging infrastructure, and its lack of growth at the correct pace, is far more concerning for commercial vehicle operators who cannot rely on drivers charging at home, and also cannot bring all of their commercial vehicles back to base every night to charge them there.
    
“They are therefore faced with the situation of looking at the public charging infrastructure and quite rightly believing that it cannot support their needs.
    
“If you are a business with vans, I would suggest that half of the public car parks with charging points have height restrictions which means you cannot access them anyway, and we have heard of instances of branded vehicles with company logos occupying charging bays resulting in the general public complaining that they should not be there because those bays are deemed to be there for shoppers and local people, and so there is brand reputation to consider as well.
    
“The truth is, there needs to be a very significant shift in the number of public charging points across the UK but there is very little evidence that this is happening in line with Government targets.”

Keeping up with demand

Allstar’s Tom Rowlands says that the rise in popularity of electric vehicles means that the infrastructure must keep up. Tom says: “Overall, global sales of EVs are forecast to surge to yet another record this year, according to the IEA, with sales expected to grow by another 35 per cent from last year (2022). In fact, our partners Zapmap, report the number of UK EVs registered in 2023 so far is already ~18 per cent higher than for the whole of 2022. This is very encouraging as our society moves through the electric transition. But clearly, as this uptake of EVs in the UK rapidly increases, it is vital that charging infrastructure and payment solutions continue to keep pace with the growing demand to enable drivers to tap and charge with ease and get back on the road.
    
“Essentially, we all need to play our part in increasing both the size of the public charging network, as well as access. On the first point, this starts with the government. The UK Government has already announced measures to help fleets to electrify, with £3.5 billion committed funding that includes the installation of more EV charge points and enhanced infrastructure across the country to support the rollout of EVs.
    
“On the second point, we’re playing our part. Our most recent EV network partnership with Fastned meant that the number of fast charge points in Allstar’s network increased to over 6,000 – taking the total number of charge points accessible through the Allstar network to over 11,000, at more than 4,000 locations across the UK, of which 94 per cent of chargers are fast, rapid, and ultra-rapid.”

On-going improvement

Naomi Nye from Drax Electric Vehicles believes that while the current level of infrastructure suggests that the government is not on track for its targets, a lot can change in six years. She says: “While the cumulative number of installed public charge points isn’t on track to hit the UK’s ‘300,000 by 2030’ target, we shouldn’t panic. Yes, the Government needs to communicate the benefits and the urgency – and it needs to ensure its plans to hit targets keep pace with the growing demand.
    
“But six years is a long time. A lot will change before 2030, both in terms of installation numbers and technological advances. We need to keep an eye on the future. But it’s more important that we make sure that the infrastructure effectively supports the EVs currently on our roads.
    
“There are approximately 45,000 public chargers in the UK across 27,000 locations. Although this might not represent a huge proportion of the 2030 target, it’s a 40 per cent increase on the total this time last year. It’s also crucial to understand that the numbers game can be misleading. An effective charging infrastructure needs the right hardware – energy-efficient, future-proofed and with minimal downtimes. And it needs this hardware in the right locations.” E

Fleets can also play their part in easing the demand on the public charging infrastructure. Naomi Nye says: “It’s worth considering the role of organisations in boosting charge-point numbers and in reducing the need for more public facilities, too. Destinations, for example, are increasingly looking to offer EV charging because of the benefits to them. Charging facilities can generate income streams, offer competitive advantage and increase customer loyalty at shopping centres and entertainment complexes, for example. But they can also provide additional public-facing charging services to supplement the government-funded infrastructure.
    
“Even non-destination businesses – or members of the public – implementing private charging solutions are reducing the strain on the UK’s main-route and residential-setting infrastructure.”

The signs are positive

Whilst some concerns about the public charging infrastructure are valid, the current rate of installations give reasons to be positive, believes Webfleet’s Richard Parker. He says: “According to SMMT calculations, at the turn of the year there was only one standard public charger for every 36 plug-in cars on the road.
    
“The government is targeting a nationwide network of 300,000 charge points by 2030, but by the end of June this year, Zapmap revealed there were just 44,000.
    
“The installation rate has to accelerate, but thankfully the signs are positive. In the first half of 2022, an average of 891 charge points were installed each month – in the first half of this year this figure had increased by 82 per cent to 1,622 a month.
    
“With EV adoption gathering pace, there can be little room for complacency. From a fleet perspective, effective charging strategies are crucial to ensure operational efficiency and minimise downtime. Fleet management solutions can support these by helping optimise EV routing, taking account of vehicle battery levels, capacity, energy consumption and charge point locations.”

Better visibility

Grant Robson from MICHELIN Connected Fleet, points out that there is regional disparity when it comes to charging provision, and that there needs to be better ‘visibility’ of a chargepoint’s status. Grant says: “Understandably, there are different levels of charge network maturity and penetration across regions, and each fleets’ experience is going to depend heavily on the nature and location of their operation. For example, a suburban landscaping business is going to have a very different level of public chargepoint accessibility than an urban facilities services fleet visiting high rises in London, and therefore needs a very different electrification and charging strategy.
    
“We support the continued expansion of public and private charging infrastructure to accelerate fleets’ electrification journey, and also believe that a key success factor for electrifying fleets is charge point visibility. A commonly cited challenge we see by fleet managers and dispatchers is lack of remote visibility on charge points status, such as if it’s available, in use, or out of service, as well as the speed of chargers, which challenges the ability of fleet managers, dispatchers, and drivers to effectively plan and execute jobs with EVs effectively day-to-day. It is critical that fleet managers and drivers have access to live charge point location, availability and speed to manage fleet performance.”

Playing catch up

Chris Fower from Fischer Panda UK highlights the problems that commercial vehicle drivers have if they must use the public charge network. Chris said: “Despite the visible and tangible pace gathering momentum along with the continued improvement of the charging infrastructure along the UK road networks, we will be playing catch up for some time as EV car sales volume also continue to rise.
    
“I believe it’s just not practical or viable at present to expect an LCV EV driver to park up and wait for a fast charger point to become available at a service station during their working day. So once again, utilisation of suitable full EVs should be for short range duties with the facility to return back to base for a recharge. The issues many fleet managers face around charging also highlights the requirement for self-charging hybrids for example, although limitations on the driving range for this type of vehicle need to be considered.”

Hurdles to installations

Speaking from a chargepoint provider’s perspective, Alun Davies from ElectrAssure says that hurdles exist that slow or prevent installations. Alun explains: “Planning permission, financial constraints, new DNO connections and availability of chargers being produced from the manufacturers mean that the amount of charging infrastructure required within the relatively short time frame simply may not be possible.”
    
Commenting on the government’s target, Alun says: “The provision of more reliable public chargers for the UK’s EV drivers is more important than ever but the target set of 300,000 by 2030 may just be a little too ambitious. It is obvious though from personal experience and that of those I have spoken with that bringing legacy chargers installed in public car parks or street up to standard to ensure ease of use would vastly improve the perception of public chargers.”

Government incentives

In the government’s aim to reach net zero, it has put in place funding support and policy measures to stimulate the electric vehicle mandate. But how successful have these been and what more could be done?
    
Steve Beadle from Grosvenor Group believes that the BIK incentives put in place for drivers to move to electric cars have been very good: “There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that the significant shift we are seeing of company car drivers choosing an electric vehicle, and the monumental growth of salary sacrifice schemes for electric vehicles, is largely down to the way the Government has made it so financially attractive.”
    
However, Steve believes more can be done in the commercial vehicle sector: “Far more should be done to encourage companies into electric light commercial vehicles and far more should also be done in helping them build an infrastructure to enable them to conduct their business successfully with zero emission motoring,” says Steve.
    
Tom Rowlands from Allstar believes that everyone must play their part to make the electric future a real reality, but that government plays an essential part by legislating and by putting in place funding support, such as the The Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure fund and the On-Street Residential Chargepoint Scheme.
    
Then there are also schemes that businesses can run with their own employees, such as salary sacrifice schemes. “This trickle down effect – starting from government, to authorities, to businesses – will be key in uniting everyone to full electrification,” says Tom.

Act before support runs out

Naomi Nye from Drax Electric Vehicles warns that support from government to stimulate the EV market is likely to come to an end soon, and so urges fleet operators to act now to access the funding. And now that early adoption is over, the government needs to continue its support so the country can fulfil its duty to electrify. Naomi says: “The government must ensure that it installs a public-facing charging infrastructure that’s stable and secure, that protects the National Grid and that suffers minimal downtime. The government has supported the UK to this point. It now needs to ensure it has a clear and strong voice to drive mass adoption.”
    
Grant Robson from MICHELIN Connected Fleet believes that government intervention is needed as it is important to help focus companies and incentivise them to transition. Grant says: “Businesses today are facing numerous challenges, especially around cost control, right now, and need the government’s help and guidance in order to be able to transition especially considering the considerable upfront costs and investment needed on the businesses’ behalf.
    
“To further help the transition, more innovation and technology is needed. Specifically to enhance vehicle range and types of vehicles available, as well as battery and storage technology.”
    
Richard Parker from Webfleet stresses the urgency to address climate change by eliminating transport emissions, and says that such a big change needs government leadership. He says: “Climate change is an existential crisis and this, on its own, is a significant motivating factor for change.
    
“Government levers remain a crucial stimulus for change, with mandated targets being among the most powerful tools at their disposal. A multi-pronged approach, however, is called for. Regulations, such as the ZEV Mandate can have an important role to play. But such policies can only work if they are supported by strategies that incentivise EV ownership, efforts to improve our charging infrastructures, and by prudent initiatives that encourage investment into e-mobility.”
    
Chris Fower from Fischer Panda UK urges the government to be consistent in its support to give fleet operators confidence. He explains: “The government has to be the driver of change, but it needs to give both those early adopters and the latter followers, the confidence that the rules are not going to change or be watered down so those who did take up the challenge and did the right thing for the planet, do still have a commercial advantage over those who did not! Consistency with policy is key here.”
    
Alun Davies from ElectrAssure points out other ways the government could drive up EV adoption, aside from funding schemes. He says: “What we are seeing have greater impact on businesses is the stipulation of government bodies that service providers must use EV fleets to carry out their contract works. This means that in order to be awarded a contract from a government body, businesses are having to provide transition roadmaps to zero emission vehicles.”
    
Speaking about how clean air measures can stimulate the uptake of electric vehicles, Alun believes that those businesses that need to make the change need support. Alun says: “The increase of the ULEZ in London will have a massive impact on those who operate personal and business vehicles in the city. Unfortunately, there will be a lot of pain caused to those smaller businesses and individuals who cannot operate electric vehicles due to lack of off-street parking or financial circumstances. So while less emissions in the UK’s largest city can only be seen as a good thing, additional mandatory costs to residents and businesses already struggling with the cost of living may not have been the most sensitive solution. It does, however, show how seriously the government is taking the air quality and pollution levels in London.”

Expert Panelists:

Steve Beadle, head of 0Zone, The Grosvenor Group
Alun Davies, operations director, ElectrAssure
Chris Fower, sales and marketing director, Fischer Panda UK
Naomi Nye, head of sales, Drax Electric Vehicles
Richard Parker, Webfleet UKI EV Lead
Grant Robson, global Business director for on road solutions, MICHELIN Connected Fleet
Tom Rowlands, FLEETCOR’s managing director, Global EV Solutions, including UK brand, Allstar