Electrification of fleets - barriers/opportunities to deployment

Background 

The take-up of electric vehicles in the fleet sector is progressing faster than anticipated with electric buses accounting for approximately double the proportion of new registrations that electric cars are achieving and a few commercial vehicle fleets considering sizeable depot investments.

Fleets face multiple considerations in how to electrify their fleet, apart from issues of availability and understanding: connecting to the grid can be a costly and protracted, resulting in difficult to justify investment decisions under the present regulatory regime. Awareness of significant cost savings and grid services being developed or offered by innovative companies is low. This is coupled with sometimes poor information for, and understanding of, smart technologies.

There are several trailblazing fleets which are going through this process for the first time with limited guidance available. For many fleets the lack of accessible information and the scale of the issue and the risk associated with the investment may be a barrier. It is clear, however, fleet engagement is vital in the transport decarbonisation process.

The experience of the fleets, infrastructure providers, electricity suppliers and DNOs participating in the electrification shift is a vital evidence base for improving the process.

Objectives

Building on the work of the Electric Vehicle Energy Taskforce (EVET), this project will seek:

• To develop guidance and support for fleets adopting electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.
• To work closely with members in the bus, commercial vehicle and electric infrastructure sectors.
• To develop a set of complementary case studies and guidance advice to help spread best practice and consistency across the market.
• To create an expert group to identify barriers and opportunities to increase the electrification of fleets.

NB: Hydrogen is not planned to be included in this particular project unless there is sufficient member demand to support its inclusion.

Project Management & Stakeholder Engagement

LowCVP Secretariat to lead alongside an appointed contractor, in collaboration with stakeholders from CVWG, BWG, EVET and local authorities.

Stakeholder engagement and dissemination will be undertaken via a series of regional workshops, targeting the bus and freight fleets, infrastructure providers, vehicle manufacturers, the energy sector and local authorities.

Workshops will be delivered by LowCVP and the drafting of reports covering best practice case studies and barriers and opportunities will be contracted to a third party.

Timeline & Deliverables 

June 2019 – March 2020

The project will be delivered through case studies, workshops and production of reports.

Case studies

Identify case studies covering the range of approaches to electrifying fleets.

Best practice

Commission a report drawing from the case studies to identify best practice in electrifying fleets.

Workshops

Hold six workshops to disseminate best practice arising from the case studies.

Barriers & Opportunities

Establish an expert group drawn from organisations involved in the case studies to identify barriers and opportunities and make recommendations to encourage the future electrification of fleets.