EVgo is a big player in the EV space. While it is not as “cool” as many EV companies, nobody is going anywhere without getting a charge. I’ve spent far more hours than most sane humans sitting in front of an EVgo station when I was working rideshare in a Nissan LEAF. To say that the company knows a thing or two about deploying EV fleets would be an understatement. That’s why its new guide on the subject should be very helpful.
“EVgo has been leading the way in helping fleets unlock the significant benefits of electrification. Most fleets carry a much more intensive drive pattern than retail drivers, including a dramatically higher level of miles driven, amplifying the value of going electric,” said Cathy Zoi, CEO of EVgo. “But the vehicles comprising the fleet segment are not homogeneous, and neither are the charging infrastructure needs. From light duty EVs to electrified trucks and buses, EVgo is leading the development of customized fleet charging solutions with our partners across the country.”
What’s In The Fleet Electrification Guide?
The main points of the guide are three:
First, there are a lot of benefits to switching to EVs. Total cost of ownership is lower, and that’s before great government incentives that exist. They’re also more sustainable for the environment. Companies entering the market early will also have the upper hand when later mandates to switch to EVs come around. Being caught flat-footed in a few years isn’t a great idea.
Second, there are challenges as the industry switches. It’s an emerging segment that can introduce pitfalls. Initial purchase prices are higher than gas and diesel vehicles. Vehicle options are often very limited, and they can’t serve the needs of all business fleets. Choosing charging solutions can also get complicated for fleets. Vehicle ranges can also be a problem if you don’t plan ahead for the loads you want to put in the vehicle.
Finally, EVgo shares its lessons learned to overcome the obstacles and obtain the benefits. It recommends that companies:
- Build a data-driven fleet transition plan
- Take a holistic approach
- Prioritize infrastructure deployment expertise in a partner
- Have a plan for ongoing operations and maintenance
- Learn and adapt
The guide itself (download the PDF here) is only 13 pages long, so it’s accessible for busy fleet and small business owners to dig into without spending hours sifting through data to figure things out.
Is It Any Good?
For those of us who are EV drivers already, much of what’s in there is something we’d thank Captain Obvious for sharing, but keep in mind that electric vehicles are a bit of a mystery to many people. On top of that, nobody wants to risk their livelihood on the unknown. Crazy people like me do stuff like that (and it largely didn’t work out very well trying to do Uber in a Nissan LEAF). You have to understand what business owners with no EV knowledge are going through.
The thing I appreciate about the guide is its honesty. It doesn’t try to paint a rosy picture of EVs. It tells the good, but it also tells the bad and the ugly. Even more importantly, it tells people how to deal with the bad and the ugly, so it’s a good form of advocacy.
EVgo sticks to the outline I laid out above, but fills it out with lots of details (but not too many details). The company explains, in simple terms, how EVs are dropping in price and what to expect to see in the market in the next few years. It encourages fleet owners to switch to EVs and to not use guilt tripping or “This is a cool car, bro! You should buy it!” type language. They speak to business owners in the right language: profits and losses. While the nerds and enthusiasts who early adopted EVs wouldn’t get much from it, it’s exactly the information that fleet owners need to get started with a realistic EV plan.
Of course, the aim of the guide ultimately is to get drivers to use EVgo’s services, but there’s nothing wrong with that. The guide doesn’t do anything dishonest to get there and it establishes itself as a good partner for fleets to use for expert advice. Truth be told, EVgo is a good company to call for help.
Featured image provided by EVgo
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