Key Insights On EV Fleet Challenges From Fleet Forward

posted 21 November, 2022 by Justin Mitchiner
News, Business, Fleet
 
Spiffy, the leading provider of on-demand car care and fleet management services, recently attended the Fleet Forward Conference in San Diego. The conference is designed to deliver fleet solutions for electrification, connected vehicles, autonomous technology, last-mile mobility, IoT, shared mobility, Fleet Management as a Service, next-generation telematics, and more. As a company that is always looking to innovate for our customers, we were eager to learn more about the future of fleet management, and we are excited to incorporate what we learned into our services to continue providing the best possible experience for our fleet clients.
 

Optimistically Electric

During our time at Fleet Forward, we learned that fleet managers are cautiously optimistic about EV fleeting, emphasizing that setting up EV infrastructure is expensive and the US grid needs significant improvements for the country to move towards majority electrification. 
 
One speaker noted that Europe is already moving towards majority electrification and that the US could follow suit if the necessary changes are made. Another panelist stated that truck fleets are a particularly promising area for EV adoption, as they tend to have set routes and can take advantage of charging stations along the way. Overall, it was clear that there is a lot of excitement about the potential for EVs, but several challenges also need to be addressed.
 
"At this year's Fleet Forward, EVs were the proverbial Belle of the Ball. Over the last 5 years we've gone from a lot of strategy discussions and predictions to when EVs would be front of mind for fleet managers. Now, as an industry, we are talking about tactical items such as charging infrastructure, choosing from an exploding selection of models, maintenance, and the optimization of EV fleets." - Scot Wingo - Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder
 
The upfront cost of EVs is high, but the total cost of ownership is lower. The challenge is getting customers to think long-term. As battery prices continue to drop, EVs will become more appealing to a broader range of consumers. Right now, it's primarily early adopters who are willing to pay a premium for the latest technology. Another challenge is building out the infrastructure needed to support a mass switch to EVs. It's a chicken and egg situation - people are hesitant to buy EVs because there aren't enough charging stations, but it's tough to justify investing in charging stations when there aren't enough EVs on the road. Then there's the issue of the US grid. It needs significant upgrades for the country to be able to handle a majority electrified fleet. These improvements will require time and money, but they are essential if we want to achieve our climate goals.
 
2022-FleetForward-Blog-BodyImage1
 

“Fleet Forward opened my eyes to the complexities behind reaching the goal of moving to an EV future, and how important fleet management as a service will be for companies looking to take the leap and become early EV adopters.” - John Hession - Spiffy Integrated Marketing Coordinator

Short Circuit

Fleet Forward highlighted that mobile charging solutions are a significant pain point for fleet managers due to the current state of EV infrastructure. Currently, EV fleet vehicles are mainly used in final mile scenarios due to the lack of range, even with the largest batteries available. Battery tech needs to improve to electrify fleets around the country entirely. To keep up with demand, we are investing in research and development and partnerships to create mobile charging solutions that are efficient and reliable. With the right technology in place, we can help fleets maintain their electric vehicles as they switch to cleaner, more sustainable transportation.
From a business perspective, we are looking to counter these future challenges fleet managers face by providing convenient mobile maintenance services designed for the EV lifecycle.
 
We aim to simplify fleet electrification as new obstacles emerge by combining our service offerings with FMaaS powered by proprietary technology; we are poised to tackle future fleet challenges. Our comprehensive approach to EV maintenance includes mobile services, charging, batteries, tires, brakes, safety inspections, camera maintenance, and regular cleaning services. In addition, we offer a wide range of value-adds that can help fleets save time and money. By investing in complete EV maintenance, we are committed to making fleet electrification more convenient and efficient for our clients.
 
“The fleet forward conference brought an enlightened view to the future of fleet management as a whole. The future is bright with the introduction of EV and Autonomous vehicles being added to fleets more and more each year, and from a Spiffy perspective, this opens doors for offering fleet management as a service for EV and connected fleets. My experience at this conference has changed my perspective on what we could offer in the future apart from PM and detail services. I think the road ahead is very exciting and the opportunities are limitless for fleet management services in a world of connected vehicles.” - Casey Garrett - Spiffy Fleet Account Manager
 
2022-FleetForward-Blog-BodyImage3
 

And Beyond…

As fleet managers increasingly transition to electric vehicles (EVs), many challenges must be addressed to achieve the goal of electrification at scale. One of the most critical issues is infrastructure, specifically the need to increase the national grid's capacity by more than 100% to reach the electrification goal set by the government. This will require significant investment in lithium mining and electricity generation, and it is still being determined how this will be funded. In addition, there are challenges posed by the need to service and replace EV batteries, which are much more complex than traditional gasoline-powered engines.
 
However, despite these challenges, the future of EV fleet management is still very bright. EVs offer many advantages over conventional vehicles, including lower emissions, operating costs, and performance. As more companies that commit to sustainability switch to EVs, the market for EV fleet management services will only continue to grow. Spiffy is proud to be at the forefront of this exciting industry and is committed to helping our customers transition to EVs smoothly and successfully.
 
Transitioning your fleet to EV or need a one vendor solution for EV preventive maintenance and mobile service? Learn More!
 
Fleet-Demo-CTA

Posted in News, Business, Fleet

Written by Justin Mitchiner

Justin is a Senior Content Marketing Specialist with Spiffy's Marketing Team. He enjoys gaming, content creation, and coffee....lots of coffee.