FROM THE
INDUSTRY
Balancing the books on the road to net zero
By Beverley Wise, Webfleet Regional Director for Bridgestone Mobility Solutions
As fleets navigate the shifting terrain towards more sustainable operations, electric vehicle (EV) adoption emerges as both a strategic imperative and a complex financial equation.
The move, propelled by increasingly stringent environmental regulations and a growing societal push for greener transport solutions, requires a delicate balance between achieving sustainability goals and managing operational costs effectively.
Within this context, telematics platforms stand out as an essential tool to help fleets ‘balance the books’.
The journey towards electrification begins with understanding the investment required – from vehicle procurement to the cost of installing charging infrastructure.
A meaningful cost-benefit analysis, however, should look beyond this. Electric vehicles, despite their higher upfront cost compared to traditional internal combustion engines, promise long-term savings. With careful planning and management insights, the total cost of ownership (TCO) of electric vehicles can be lower than for their internal combustion equivalents.
Furthermore, navigating through the complexities of regulations such as Clean Air Zones – which can add costs to maintaining a traditional fleet and make the financial case for electric vehicles even more compelling – is essential.
“In the journey towards electrification, telematics platforms emerge as essential tools, helping fleets 'balance the books' by providing data insights to navigate the complexities of EV adoption and optimise operational efficiency”
Beverley Wise, Webfleet Regional Director for Bridgestone Mobility Solutions
Fleet management solutions such as Webfleet can play an important role in helping fleets determine potential TCO savings by delivering data insights that enable comparisons to be more easily made between current vehicle running costs and real-world EV performance, based on driving patterns.
At the same time, EV range limitations and the availability of charging infrastructure must also be considered. Fleet management platforms can simplify the crucial analysis of operational patterns, including journey distances and vehicle downtime, to ensure EVs can be integrated without impacting service levels.
They also provide a wealth of wider insights – from heightened visibility over real-time vehicle movements to fuel usage and driving behaviour intelligence – that help operators identify where savings can be made for their conventional fleets. By doing so, more informed decisions can then be made on the optimal timeline for EV adoption.
Telematics platforms also address the challenges of operational efficiency and utilisation of electric vehicles head-on by optimising route planning and vehicle deployment. They can now empower businesses to plan journeys that take account of their battery levels, capacity, average energy consumption and charge point locations.
The path to electrification, while fraught with financial and operational considerations, offers a compelling opportunity for fleets to redefine their role for a more sustainable and economically viable future.
