Switching large commercial fleets from internal-combustion engines (ICEs) to electric vehicles (EVs) could cut the total cost of ownership by between 15 and 25 per cent, according to an estimate by McKinsey and Company.
Big owners are already getting on board, also with an eye on net-zero targets. Amazon and Hertz have placed orders for 100,000 EVs in the US to replace ICEs in, respectively, their delivery and rental fleets. Amazon is also investing in renewable energy to partly power its fleet and wider activities as it transitions.
These players are adopting EVs at pace. Courier DHL aims to have more than 80,000 in its global fleet by 2030. In the UK, it had grown its fleet of electric Transit vans to 270 by March, having added the first 50 in 2021. They now service more than 30 towns and cities including London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool and Bristol.
“This next stage of roll-out is a positive step towards achieving net-zero...