The reality of putting electric pickup trucks into your fleet

The reality of putting electric pickup trucks into your fleet

We’re all hyped about electrification possibilities, but the reality is a bit more sobering. Sure there’s a lot to consider in terms of application demand and infrastructure availability, but the commercial trucking industry is starting to answer those big questions that loomed a year or so ago when electric trucks were just starting to roll out.

And there are more on the way. Light-duty pick-ups look to be a growing electric truck segment with the coming of battery electric vehicles like the Ford F-150 Lighting, to name one of the biggest brands. In October 2021, Geotab conducted a fleet electrification study with Enterprise Fleet Management that analyzed over 91,000 of their vehicles. Using Geotab’s EV Suitability Assessment (EVSA), the study showed that they could replace up to 45% of the analyzed vehicles with EVs once electric pickup trucks entered the market, potentially saving them hundreds of millions of dollars. 

So Geotab set out to grow its EV Suitability Assessment to include pickup trucks to help fleet managers answer the question: Do the savings on fuel and maintenance offset the premium cost of the vehicle?

For that answer, The Buzz Editor David Sickels and I connected with Charlotte Argue, senior manager of fleet electrification at Geotab to talk about the impact electric pickups could have on light-duty fleets. Watch the video above for all of her insight.

You May Also Like

Mullen shares on-road test results for solid-state polymer battery pack

Tested in its Mullen One Class 1 EV cargo van, Mullen says the integrated battery pack performed better than expected.

Mullen-ONE-Class-1-EV-van-solid-state-battery-testing

Mullen Automotive Inc. recently began on-road tests of its Mullen One Class 1 EV cargo van with the integrated solid-state polymer battery pack, and the company reports that the results were better than anticipated. The company says higher energy density of the solid-state battery increased total pack energy from 42 kWh to 72 kWh. They estimated that the range would increase from 110 miles to 190 miles (a 73% increase), yet the first real-world tests saw a range of 205 miles (an 86% increase).

Navigating the EV charging market

Thoughts on future-proofing charging infrastructure installations and charger/EV compatibility.

Amped-Featured-Image-EP36-AUTEL-1000x500
This year’s truck trade show EV trends

Companies focusing on truck maintenance are approaching zero-emissions differently than OEMs designing new EV offerings.

Amped-Featured-Image-EP34-2023-Truck-Shows
The electric school bus rollout reality

Taking commercial vehicle battery electric technology to school.

Proterra-Electric-School-Bus-1400
Extending equipment sustainability strategies to electric transportation refrigeration units

How fleets are starting to use electric TRUs in zero-emissions operations.

Amped-Featured-Image-Carrier-1400

Other Posts

Powerfleet, MiX Telematics approved for business combination

The combination is expected to be complete in the first week of April, after which the businesses will be branded as Powerfleet.

Powerfleet-x-MiX-telematics-integration
Maximizing ROI in fleet decarbonization

How do we achieve an orderly and economically viable fleet decarbonization at scale?

Electric-Truck-Tire-Generic-1400
How are natural gas truck engines different this time?

Cummins talks us through launch of the X15N engine and what fleets are saying about natural gas powertrains.

FE-Unscripted-Cummins-1400
Goodyear unveils two RangeMax tires deisgned for regional work

Goodyear says the new tire models balance traction, range and mileage for work vehicles running on electricity, gas or diesel.

Goodyear-rangemax tires-group-logo