The benefits of fleet electrification are well-documented. Municipalities can benefit from lower operating costs and less vehicle maintenance. EVs go a long way toward supporting sustainability goals and making a demonstrable impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution.
However, you need a strategic plan to outline your transition toward electrifying your fleet. Here are six tips to make the process easier.
Six steps to electrify your fleet
1. Immediate planning
Vehicles, charging infrastructure, grid updates, and financing all take time. For example, getting a charging station up and running can take between nine and twenty-four months. Delays are often the result of long approval cycles, budgeting concerns, and supply chain bottlenecks.
Many municipalities and states have set 2027 and 2030 as key target dates to electrify fleets in earnest or complete transitions. That means those not starting the planning process now may not be ready by then. Chelle Izzi, VP of Energy Transformation at Walmart, predicted that many companies will be filing interconnection applications at the same time to meet mandates: “I don’t want to be at the end of that line.”
2. Collaborative effort
To electrify your fleet, you need to get all stakeholders in municipalities on the same page. This includes coordination with state and regional efforts to avoid overlap.
Start talking to local utility partners. Most power grids require charging infrastructure updates, so engaging with utilities early in the planning process is crucial. You’ll also want to know the impact of fleet electrification on rates before deciding on the design and deployment. This can significantly impact the design and location of equipment to handle the increased electrical load.
3. Identification of vehicle needs
It’s an excellent time to take stock of your current fleet and provide an objective assessment of your vehicles and duty assignments. Do you currently have the right size vehicles in your fleet to match your future needs?
For most municipalities, moving to EVs will happen in phases. You will want to check current vehicle mileage and conditions to target vehicles for replacement over time.
4. Evaluation of funding mechanisms
Significant grants and incentives are available, including federal, state, and regional awards.
Many utility companies also offer rebates and discounts to help electrify your fleet. However, most of these grants and incentives have deadlines and a cap on funding. Early movers are likely to have the best opportunity to land funds.
5. Development of charging infrastructure
One of the most challenging aspects of fleet electrification is developing charging stations. Most municipal fleets will travel within a defined area, allowing for the return to home base for charging at night. Depending on the size of your community and use cases, however, you may also need to build additional charging infrastructure to support your fleet.
6. Procurement
When you think about electrifying your fleet, you might first consider buying vehicles. However, a great deal of work has to happen before procurement.
Once you are ready to buy, you will need to evaluate sources for vehicles, accessories, charging infrastructure, maintenance and replacement items, and telematics for tracking performance. Sourcewell can help with cooperative purchasing agreements. These competitively sourced, ready-to-use contracts leverage the bulk buying power of many government agencies and educational institutions for economies of scale to lower pricing.
Lessons learned
Municipalities will benefit from networking with their peers. Here are a few case studies from communities that have undergone this transition, along with lessons learned.
Anaheim, CA
Anaheim’s transit fleet is nearly 90% to its goal of operating an all-electric public transportation fleet, beginning the transition almost two decades ago. Lessons that it learned include:
Philadelphia, PA
Philadelphia aims to become carbon neutral by 2050, including 100% EVs for passenger vehicles and light-duty trucks by 2030. City planners recommend:
- Encouraging participation from stakeholders across departments to get buy-in and help with coordination
- Creating a Clean Fleet Committee to support coordination and track goals
Charlotte, NC
Charlotte has set a target to transition to 100% electric fleets by 2030. As the process begins, it’s already started planning for tracking and reporting, including:
- Establishing benchmarks for current fuel consumption and real-world driving data
- Projecting financial and environmental impacts from fleet electrification to help make the case for EVs and gather public support.
How Sourcewell helps municipalities transition to electrify their fleet
Sourcewell can help you meet your fleet electrification goals. Besides significant cost savings, you can also streamline the procurement process to ensure that you do not miss out on deadlines.
See how easy it is to get the EV fleet you need without the hassle, using Sourcewell’s cooperative purchasing program. Streamline the public procurement process by choosing from hundreds of suppliers already on contract. Sourcewell’s procurement experts competitively solicit and award contracts on behalf of 50,000 participating agencies in North America. Check out our EV contracts and more for free here.
