EV Fleet Adoption: Lessons from Early Adopters

Being the first to do something can be daunting. You are taking a step into the unknown, and you have to learn and adapt quickly. Fortunately for fleet owners who are considering switching to electric vehicles (EVs) from conventional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, many fleets have already made this transition. New EV fleets can take advantage of key lessons from their predecessors. Here's what you need to know if you're considering switching to an EV fleet.

Who Are the Early Adopters in EV Fleets?

As of 2021, there were more than one million EVs in commercial and government fleets throughout the United States, according to Smart Energy Decisions' State of Vehicle Fleet Electrification report. Heavy hitters like Walmart, which has deployed Chevrolet Brightdrop EVs in the US, and FedEx, which has expanded its EV fleet around the world, are leading the way in purchasing and leasing EVs to help them reduce their carbon footprint.

According to Smart Energy Decisions, there are three key factors driving the transition to fleet electrification:

1. Pressure to decarbonize from governments and the financial community.

2. Automotive manufacturers moving towards EVs.

3. Corporate readiness to purchase EVs.

When the biggest corporations in the world are switching their fleets to electric, it’s safe to say that electric fleets are the way of the future.

And while it’s relatively easy for major corporations to transition their fleets to electric since they have the available funds to do so, smaller entities that have fewer vehicles can get started by using some of the lessons learned by these corporate trailblazers.

Key Lessons from Early Fleet EV Adopters

With that in mind, we will look at some of these crucial lessons learned and how to apply them to your own fleet.

Infrastructure Planning is Crucial

In addition to buying or leasing new electric vehicles, fleet owners must also install electric vehicle charging stations to recharge them. Buying and installing fleet EV charging stations requires meticulous planning to select the best possible locations and minimize installation costs. This is why conducting an EV charging site assessment is important before you begin your installation.

You also need to consider the available grid capacity in your region and determine the best time to charge your vehicles. Generally, charging during off-peak hours will not only help your local electricity provider manage the demand on the electrical grid, it will help you save money, as it is usually cheaper to use electricity overnight, on weekends, and on holidays, during off-peak hours.

Most light- and medium-duty fleets will require a mixture of Level 2 (L2) charging stations, like the Blink Series 7 ISO and Blink Series 8 ISO, and at least one Direct Current Fast Charger (DCFC), like the Blink Series 9 40kW DC Fast Charger.

Learn more about selecting the right charger for your fleet.

Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Matters

Fleet owners are always looking for ways to lower costs and EVs often provide lower TCO over the lifetime of the vehicle’s fleet service. With fewer moving parts and no need for many of the liquid lubricants that an ICE vehicle requires, EVs have lower maintenance costs over their lifetime.

How much lower the TCO is for fleet EVs depends on a number of factors, including upfront cost savings with grants, rebates, and tax incentives, and the ongoing price of electricity and liquid fuel. Non-profit think tank RMI (formerly the Rocky Mountain Institute) found that with the United States federal tax credits for new electric vehicles, EVs consistently had 9% lower TCO than ICE vehicles.

However, noting the possibility of federal EV tax credits ending in 2025*, RMI also ran a comparison of fleet EVs and ICE vehicles both with and without the federal tax credits and found that the difference in TCO between EVs and ICE vehicles largely depends on the price of gasoline and diesel.

Driver Training & Buy-In

When discussing transitioning fleets from ICE vehicles to EVs, it’s essential to remember the human factor. In addition to procuring your fleet vehicles, you will also need to train your drivers on driving and charging your EVs.

With proper driver training and education, you can improve your EV fleet’s efficiency and optimize range. For example, there are ways to drive an EV that will enable you to get the best possible range, which is something you may have to teach drivers who are not used to driving an EV.

Data-Driven Decision Making

Because of the nature of EV refueling, which is done primarily at the fleet depot, EV fleet management software, like Blink Fleet Management, can help you optimize routes, find public charging stations along routes, and help you manage your fleet’s charging schedule.

For example, with Blink Fleet Management, you can schedule your chargers to wait until a specific time to start charging, even if a vehicle has been plugged in. In practice, this means that regardless of when a driver returns the vehicle to the depot, your fleet would not begin charging until off-peak hours, saving you money. 

Blink Fleet Management, an additional dashboard for fleet owners within the Blink Network, allows you to easily keep track of all your charging stations and fleet EVs, and gives you the ability to set whatever parameters on charging suit your fleet best.

Grants & Incentives

By utilizing grants and rebate programs offered by state and municipal governments, as well as utility operators, fleet owners can help offset the upfront cost of purchasing EVs and/or EV charging stations. 

Blink’s Commercial Incentives Finder can assist you in seeing what grants, rebate programs, and tax incentives exist in your area of the country.

Conclusion

Fleet owners who haven’t transitioned their fleets yet can learn from the major corporations and government entities that have already taken those all-important first steps to make the switch as seamless as possible. With careful planning, route optimization, and charging management that takes advantage of off-peak electricity rates, any fleet can switch to EVs with ease. To speak with a Blink fleet electrification expert, please contact Blink Charging today.

*Per the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the federal Clean Vehicle Credit will end on September 30, 2025. If your business is considering the consumer or commercial tax credit, we recommend speaking with an accountant.