Fleets are being warned that a combination of skill and vehicle shortages could hold them back from the electrification of their vehicles…

Shortages And Electrification 

Shortages in terms of skills and vehicles could hold British fleets back from electrification. That’s according to FleetCheck, a telematics company. Peter Golding, the company’s managing director, believes long lead times (caused by Brexit and the coronavirus pandemic) are being made worse by skill shortages. He explained, “shortages of vehicles are being widely reported. And, for some models, manufacturers are simply unable to quote any delivery time at all, such is the production backlog. This is true for many vehicles but especially for EVs”. He continued, “what this does is create tough choices for fleets, especially those that are pushing hard for electrification. Do they hang on and wait? Do they opt instead for petrol or diesel models that are in better supply? Or do they use interim measures such as medium-term rental?” 

Golding stressed that each strategy comes with its own pros and cons, varying between fleets and fleet drivers. However, making the right decision could prove problematic as many fleets simply don’t have access to the level of research and expertise required.

Don’t Wait For Your Favourite EV 

Some fleets, in light of lengthy waiting times, may feel tempted to wait until their favoured electric vehicles become available. According to Golding, however, this is a poor strategy. He said, “if you decide to hang onto cars and vans for what might turn out to be an extra year or more, then you could be incurring a large amount of additional cost; depending on each individual instance, whether that means replacing all four tyres or a cambelt change”. He suggested that, ultimately, it could prove cheaper to opt for medium-term rental options instead. 

Nevertheless, these are tough decisions to make for any fleet and SMEs are particularly vulnerable to knowledge gaps. Golding said, “all of this is true in some larger organisations but especially so in SMEs; where quite often the fleet responsibility is part of a shared role and there tends to be less of a strategic approach to vehicle acquisition”. 

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