Electric Vehicle Case Study

Significant economic and sustainability benefits revealed

by Dain Giesie, Enterprise Fleet Management

With the impending transition to electric vehicles (EVs) on the horizon, Enterprise Fleet Management sought to quantify the potential of fleet electrification. In partnership with Geotab, we used our real-world experience to analyze over 91,000 vehicles leased from Enterprise Fleet Management. Data points included depreciation, fuel costs, vehicle costs, maintenance, aftermarket costs, etc. The results of this massive study use hard data rather than assumptions to better understand how the shift to EVs will affect government and business fleets.

The first big takeaway is that there are significant economic and sustainability benefits to moving to EVs. The initial results showed that of 91,252 vehicles they ran through the study, 13% were good candidates to be electrified right away. The estimated cost savings associated with swapping this portion of the fleet equals $33 million. What’s more, moving the approximately 12,000 vehicles to electric is estimated to reduce tailpipe carbon dioxide emissions by 194,000 tons over four years.

Like many local governments, the fleet in the study was largely made up of medium-duty work vehicles and pickups. The study sought to compare the EV possibilities today with the opportunity changes afforded by the coming wave of commercial EVs and electric pickup trucks. The cost savings, coupled with an increased focus on improving sustainability, makes this study particularly interesting to cities.

The second big takeaway is that electric pickup trucks will be a game-changer. When the study shifted to look at the opportunity once electric pickups become available, the percentage of the fleet that could be economically transitioned to electric increased to 45%. With almost half the sample fleet electrified, the cost savings is estimated at an impressive $167 million or $4,056.20 per vehicle over a four-year service life. This shift would also equal 1.3 million tons of tailpipe emission reductions across the entire fleet. In addition, the per-vehicle savings represents a significant opportunity to offset the cost of installing EV infrastructure.

Comparing short- and long-term EV possibilities will be a vital component when governments make decisions on their next round of vehicle investments. Of course, cities always try to save taxpayer dollars, but a renewed focus on sustainability and the environment makes reducing carbon dioxide emissions equally important. One thing is certain: Electric vehicles (especially pickup trucks) will create monumental changes in government fleet management.

Dain Giesie is Assistant Vice President of Administration with Enterprise Fleet Management and can be contacted at dain.e.giesie@efleets.com. For more information specific to Florida, Don Duckworth is a Senior Account Executive with Enterprise Fleet Management’s Tampa Division and can be contacted at don.duckworth@efleets.com.

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