What Fleets Can Do to Stay Ahead of New EPA Standards

Like the rest of the country and world at large, fleet operators will be significantly affected by the ongoing transition to electric vehicles (EVs). In its bid to clean up the United States’ transportation industry, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released new emissions standards for light- & medium-duty and heavy-duty vehicles, known as Phase 3 standards. These latest EPA standards cover vehicle models from 2027 through to 2032 and beyond. Here's what fleet managers need to know.

What are the new EPA standards for fleet vehicles? 

The EPA issued final rules for light- and medium-duty passenger and fleet vehicles that will apply to model years 2027-2032 and for heavy-duty vehicles to build off the EPA’s earlier Phase 2 program. Recognizing that “the transportation sector is the largest U.S. source of [greenhouse gas] GHG emissions, representing 29 percent of total GHG emissions,” these rules establish more stringent standards for vehicle emissions.

As NPR notes, these standards are not a mandate or a ban on the sale of internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, but instead “standards that apply across an entire fleet — meaning an automaker still can make vehicles with higher emissions, as long as they also make enough very low or zero-emission vehicles that it averages out.” 

According to the EPA, the standards, which all came into effect in June 2024, will help to cut down on toxic vehicle fumes, a significant concern especially near major roadways. 

Why EV fleets? 

As emissions standards for internal combustion engines become more strict, one way to ensure your fleet is prepared for future requirements or corporate sustainability goals is to transition to electric vehicles and EV charging. 

When you need to lease or purchase new fleet vehicles, opting for EVs will ensure your fleet is already making strides to reduce GHG emissions.

Getting started with an EV fleet

Before transitioning a fleet to rely on electricity for refueling, you’ll need EV charging infrastructure in place. You might wonder: "Which kind of EV charging stations should I install for my fleet?"

The type and number of chargers you install will depend on several factors, including the size of your fleet, the types of vehicles, the electrical capacity of your location, how often your vehicles operate, and how far they travel from your depot.

Whether you’re running a fleet of taxis, shuttle buses, school buses, light-duty maintenance trucks, heavy-duty hauling trucks, or something in between, a mix of Level 2 (L2) charging stations and Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) is recommended.

DCFCs for fleet charging

DCFCs bypass an EV’s onboard charger and feed direct current straight into the battery, enabling them to charge a vehicle in under an hour. (Heavy-duty vehicles with larger batteries will take longer to charge than light-duty vehicles.) The Blink Series 9 30kW DC Fast Charging Station is ideal for fleet operations. Like the Series 7, it has payment options that can be used for pay-to-charge purposes or deactivated for in-house fleet charging.

DCFCs require a higher investment to install, and you may need to upgrade your electrical capabilities at your location, such as installing an on-site transformer. Therefore, we recommend using L2 chargers for most of your refueling needs, complemented by at least one DCFC for quick charging. The number of vehicles you need to charge and their schedules will dictate how many DCFCs you will require.

Determining the number of charging stations and their optimal placement is something Blink will assist you with during your site assessment. A Blink EV charging expert will work with your facilities manager to map out the best electrification plan for your site while keeping costs as low as possible. Our electrification experts know how to keep costs down while meeting all your EV charging needs.

Blink Fleet Management

All Blink charging stations are automatically added to the Blink Network. For pay-to-use chargers, the Blink Network allows hosts to control pricing, create user groups, collect fees based on power used or time spent at the charger (or a combination of both), and set fees based on the time of day.

Fleet managers get a specialized dashboard within the Blink Network, providing access to Blink Fleet Management. With this cloud-based software, you can track and manage all charging sessions for your vehicles, manage charging schedules, and monitor energy usage. It also enables you to take advantage of off-peak electricity rates by setting charging start and stop times. Additionally, Blink Fleet Management helps you see the environmental impact of your EV fleet by providing environmental reports that summarize barrels of oil saved, gallons of fuel saved, fuel dollars saved annually, and CO2 reductions, which you can view and download.

Funding for fleet EV charging stations

The U.S. federal government offers multiple EV tax incentives for businesses and fleet operators, including school divisions, to help procure EVs and build charging infrastructure. When you work with Blink, we will identify all eligible funding for your business and assist you in applying for it. In addition to federal funding, we will help you find and apply for any state and local funding you may be eligible for. To get started on finding funding, you can use Blink’s Commercial Incentives Finder.

Conclusion

To reduce GHG emissions and toxic fumes, the EPA continues to introduce stricter standards for ICE vehicles. Fleet operators can get ahead in lowering emissions by transitioning their fleets to EVs now. With Blink Charging, installing EV charging infrastructure for your fleet is easy and cost-effective. To begin your fleet electrification journey, contact Blink today to speak with a fleet EV charging expert.