Becoming an environmentally friendly business is all the rage lately. Luckily, this move isn’t just good for businesses but also for the planet and your company’s reputation. When it comes to fleets, becoming a green business often means taking on electric vehicles. Electric vehicles are becoming increasingly popular among fleet businesses as fuel prices increase and climate change becomes a hotter issue. Let’s discuss the pros and cons of becoming an environmentally friendly fleet.
Advantages of Electric Vehicles
There are many advantages to taking on electric vehicles, but they can be summed up under the umbrellas of two primary benefits. We will break down those benefits below.
Cleaner Fleets
You’ve undoubtedly heard about fossil fuels’ harmful effects on the environment. That’s why investing in electric vehicles is a great way to show your commitment to helping improve those effects. You can turn electric vehicles into a fantastic selling point for potential clients and even win awards for your efforts. Electric vehicles will have a considerable impact on your business’s future.
Cheaper Maintenance
If you’re running a fleet right now, we don’t need to tell you that gas prices are a significant burden on a fleet business’s budget. It’s not only gas prices; maintenance costs are rising due to the increasing prices of parts and labor. However, electric vehicles are cheaper to run and maintain than traditional vehicles. For example, their batteries have fewer moving parts and require less service. They don’t use exhaust systems, starter motors, or radiators either.
Disadvantages of Electric Vehicles
Like any decision, there are pros and cons to electric vehicles in your fleet. You’ll need to weigh these factors before making the switch for yourself.
Long Distances
Unlike diesel or gas-powered vehicles, electric vehicles can’t travel over long distances on a single charge. Of course, technology advances every year, and this may soon change, but the fact remains that in their present state, you will need to charge electric vehicles every 250 to 300 miles. There is an exception in the Tesla Semi, which can travel 500 miles without a charge, and perhaps other vehicles will catch up soon. For now, it seems that local fleets will do best with electric vehicles, and long-range fleets will want to stick with gas-powered vehicles.
Charging Stations
Electric vehicles are growing in popularity, but they are not the norm. Electric vehicle charging stations are not as common as gas stations. Since many electric vehicles cannot travel very far on one charge, you may find it challenging to get where you need to go efficiently. Many fleets are holding off investing in EVs until more charging stations are built, and this may be a fair decision if you don’t live in an area with many charging stations. Evaluate your area and see if you can easily charge any electric vehicles you purchase.
Keep Up with the Conversation
Just like any technology, the conversation around electric vehicles continues to evolve. If you want to know how this affects fleets, our blog is one of the best places to go. We will keep you updated on everything fleet-related, including electric vehicles and environmentally-friendly initiatives.
