During the research period, Geotab quizzed 250 fleet managers across the nation to garner their views on electric vehicles (EVs), Government transport policies and current motoring infrastructure.
Of the survey respondents, almost half (46%) said their fleets currently have no hybrid-electric or fully-electric vehicles – but just 2% said they were happy with this model and saw no benefits in making the EV switch.
In contrast, 89% of the survey respondents said they expected EVs to play a “dominant role” in their fleets by 2030 – two years ahead of the 2030 goal outlined in the Government’s Road to Zero strategy. Six in ten of these fleet managers noted environmental sustainability as the main benefit of electrification, with other commonly cited benefits including reduced fuel costs and lower maintenance costs.
“These survey results help to demonstrate that the government’s call for an EV future is not something businesses are taking lightly,” Geotab’s vice president for Europe Edward Kulperger said.
“With most fleet leaders looking to have a fully EV-dependent fleet over the next few years, it’s no longer a question of if, but rather how soon a complete overhaul can take place.”
Barriers to electrification
Geotab additionally asked the fleet managers to explain what the most prominent barriers to EV adoption were in the current transport sector, with the most common answer being high upfront vehicle purchase costs.
Other common challenges included long charging times, low distance ranges and a lack of charging infrastructure.
These findings echo those made recently by the Department for Transport, which identified a lack of charging infrastructure, distance travelled per charge and vehicle cost as the three biggest barriers to EV adoption in the UK.
In response to the findings, Geotab will now lobby for ministers to introduce more incentives aimed at encouraging fleet managers to make the EV switch, and to build more modern charging infrastructure.
“Based upon the outcome of this survey, it’s clear that businesses and fleets feel they now need additional government initiatives and smart updates to critical infrastructure across the UK,” Kulperger added.
“If this can be made a priority, we are confident that the UK can take a spot as one of the most innovative global leaders trying to help push the widespread adoption of green transportation in the coming years.”
The survey comes shortly after the Committee on Climate Change penned a letter warning ministers that the Road to Zero strategy would not be sufficient to meet national and international climate targets, citing a lack of grants supporting EV uptake as a key failure of the roadmap.
Sarah George