Are Utility Fleets Ready for Electric Pickups?
The idea of an electric pickup is exciting to utility companies — as is the news that Ford, GM, and Rivian are all set to bring theirs to market by 2022. Electric vehicles aren’t new to fleet managers, however. They’ve been purchasing electric sedans for more than five years. So, what does data show us about current electric vehicle usage?
Utilimarc found that electric sedans in the utility industry are driven 70% less than a gas or hybrid equivalent vehicle. Some users even preferred driving 10-year-old gas vehicles instead of a new electric one. Why? Fleet managers told us it all comes down to range anxiety.
Modern electric sedans see an average of 125 miles per charge, which suggests a problem with user perception rather than limitations of the technology. This raises the question: What range will an electric pickup need to achieve to be successful in the utility space?
Utilimarc leveraged both our telematics and benchmark data to find that half-ton pickups are used 3.5 out of 5 business days and average 12,646 miles annually. That tells us new electric pickups will need to average 69.5 miles of range on a single charge to cover the daily usage patterns for the majority of the utility industry’s half-ton pickups.
For the electric pickup to be successful within the industry, OEMs will have to work hard to deliver a vehicle that meets real range needs, and fleet managers will need to change the culture of their organizations to accept this new technology.
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Most people tend to associate electric vehicles with smaller, lighter duty models that are not designed for heavier work loads. However, with Ford’s new F-150 model, they are setting themselves apart from their competitors by pushing the boundaries and setting the standard for other brands to pursue fully-electrified models that can get the tough jobs done in the future.
“They don’t have time to research it and study it. That creates a challenge for adoption. And so for what we do, and knowing lithium-ion, our goal is to make this not so scary. Make the transition simple for our customers, simple for the users. And that’s what we focus on.”
For those of us that like internal combustion engine vehicles, or perhaps we really need them, whether it’s your personal vehicle or perhaps you operate or run a fleet that simply cannot electrify due to lack of vehicle option availability, it doesn’t suit your region or type of work, et cetera, how can we make them to be more sustainable?