You’re not just buying a commercial electric vehicle when you decide to invest in zero emissions equipment. You’re working with a partner that will (or should) help you plan and install battery electric vehicle charging infrastructure. A partner that will help map out shifts in your equipment applications that would be necessary to get the job done. And a partner that continues to support you well after the electric vehicle rolls onto your lot. It can make things easier if all those partner functions are rolled into one.
“I like to tell people as I’ve been doing this for the last couple of years–we care less about selling you an electric vehicle than we do about you having a successful adoption with electrification,” said Trish Reed, vice president, zero emissions, Navistar. “That’s how we accelerate and get customers through this because we like to say, ‘It’s not difficult, but it is different.’ And you need to understand what’s different in this transition to battery electric vehicles.”
Reed sat down in the first of the EV Fleet Road Map, a Navistar podcast on your fleet’s path toward zero emissions, to talk through the impact EVs are having in commercial trucking and school bus segments, what she’s learned over the past several years of helping early adopters overcome EV hurdles and what she thinks fleets should look for in a partner to assist with the successful transition to zero-emissions vehicles.
Range anxiety and doubts about the power grid’s capacity to support EVs, for example, are among the top concerns for fleet managers. Reed addresses these issues by highlighting ongoing technological improvements and strategic planning, assuring that such challenges are being actively managed. She also dispels myths in the early days of EV adoption and discusses the financial considerations that are needed to make a shift–because the shift is happening.
“I think a lot of our customers think, ‘If an administration change happens, this is all going to stop and go away.’ This is not going away,” she stated. “This is happening, speed might vary, but this is happening. So definitely don’t stick your head in the sand and pretend this is not going to happen. Start planning now.”
The best way to start planning is to educate yourself–watch the video above.
