Carbon reduction main motivation for electrifying LCV fleets, Northgate finds

Date: Tuesday, August 1, 2023 | Author: Sean Keywood

Carbon reduction is the number one reason LCV fleet operators are interested in moving from diesel vehicles to EVs, according to research by Northgate.

The rental company asked attendees at its Drive to Zero roadshow event for their views on electrification, and 50% gave carbon reduction as their main motivation for reducing emissions.

Potential cost savings were the main motivation for 22%, while a further 22% said they were motivated by fulfilling customer requirements.

Just 3% of those surveyed said they were not feeling any pressure to move away from diesel, while 9% admitted to not having given any consideration to starting electrification.

Northgate found 63.6% of fleets were just starting out on their electrification process, while 21.2% said they were already on their way to a zero-emission fleet.

Of those surveyed, 36.3% said the cost of electrification was a major concern, while 33.3% said implementing the change was set to be their biggest challenge.

In addition, 15.1% of fleets said they were concerned at both charging and vehicle choice in equal measure, especially when looking to replace diesel LCVs directly with equivalent EVs.

Northgate EV business development manager Melanie Creedy said: “These roadshows are extremely useful as they are giving us real time feedback from different types and sizes of fleet during their move to electric. It enables my team to understand the type of help and support they need.

“Everybody’s journey is different, but whatever stage they are at, cost and implementation consistently keep coming up as their main challenge.”

What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide