Blog 34 – BEV’s, Home charger and it’s associated costs is a must
As you may have read in previous Blogs, I have mentioned the uneconomical cost of BEV’s (Battery Electric Vehicle) and their running costs. To me it’s a simple equation, aside from the claimed environmental benefits, Fleets need to make business sense or it’s a non-starter!
If the original purchase cost of the Van/Truck is 20% or so higher than the ICE equivalent, which is a reasonable average, there has to be a saving further down the line to make it viable. Residual values on disposal is not showing any benefits over ICE vehicles as yet, so there has to be a running cost benefit. It isn’t in insurance as that presently is more expensive, or in tyres as BEV’s are so far using them at a rate 20%+ higher than ICE’s.
A recent extract from ‘Fleet News’ stated:
The total cost of ownership (TCO) argument for BEVs is based around low-cost charging. Electric cars and vans are relatively expensive to buy, and residual values remain difficult to predict, but operators should be able to at least partially balance this out with low charging costs.
Fleet users need Home/Office charging to make economic sense. Where this isn’t possible, some fleets are simply finding themselves priced out of electrification. The situation is also unlikely to change until ‘on-street’ charging infrastructure is dramatically improved. More and more, it feels as though massively improved public infrastructure is the number one element that would help EV adoption,
Not only would widespread low-cost on-street charging help Fleets with affordability, but it would mean that day-to-day operation of electric Vans would become more viable for many Fleets by providing overnight facilities. Unless people can charge economically, they are understandably unlikely to buy.
So... Is the Government likely to provide the funds needed for ‘on-street’ charging in the near term? I know what my guess is, what’s yours?
Fuelcard Frank
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