As the EV market takes the world of fleet management by storm, Barney Goffer, UK product manager – ‎Teletrac Navman UK, looks at the six fundamental principles vital for EV success.

Barney Goffer, UK product manager at Teletrac Navman

1. Standardisation

Standardisation across the EV sector is vital to achieving shifts in attitudes and approaches towards the electrification of fleets. As such, industry experts need to articulate to policymakers the drastic need for a cohesive strategy across the wider ecosystem. For example, by uniting network operators, chief product officers and original equipment manufacturers under one standardised framework that supports interoperability across systems, there is a higher likelihood that mass adoption will gain momentum.

2. Chargers

The charging of electric vehicles is undeniably a significant challenge that the sector needs to overcome. The government must implement a strategy to assess geographical and future needs to ensure charging infrastructure is deployed successfully. If the location of charge points isn’t seriously assessed, then millions could be wasted on poorly situated, unused charging points. What’s more, the subsidisation of chargers is an effective way to influence more private and professional uptake. For example, the government’s grants to support the broader use of electric and hybrid vehicles via the Office of Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) should help accelerate adoption.

3. User Experience

User experience is key to adoption. For the EV market to truly boom, it must be straightforward and stress-free to charge, pay and use the systems. Whether recreational drivers or transport professionals, individuals need to trust that EV products can be both intelligent and straightforward to use.

4. Smart thinking around mining

As central components of rechargeable batteries found in electric vehicles, cobalt and lithium are critical to the renewable energy transition. However, the mining of these two substances has a substantial social and environmental cost- providing it with the potential to be the kryptonite for the success of the EV market. Therefore, the key to long-term success is to pursue innovative ways to re-use and recycle batteries. Australian minerals company, Neometals, is one such company that is making advances in the world of EV batteries, having built a battery-shredding industrial-scale plant to try and combat the issue.

5. Education on range anxiety

Range anxiety – the fear of running out of power on a journey and not finding a changing point – is cited as a significant factor that’s halting greater EV adoption. And yet range anxiety has more to do with psychology and perception than the actual range of EVs or the availability of charging points. Unfortunately, it’s exacerbated by negative press surrounding grid failures caused by individuals charging simultaneously. But if last year’s petrol crisis proved anything, it’s that any system can fail when society is led by hysteria and individuals are scare mongered in to taking unnecessary actions. If industry leaders can proactively spread accurate information, we’ll have won half the battle.

6. The role of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)

In order to meet demand, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) need to commit to increasing their offer and supply of commercial EVs to the market to help accelerate the shift to net zero. Until sufficient options and supply increase, you could argue a big obstacle remains for commercial fleets as, ultimately, the OEMs determine the future of mobility and what we drive. This means all European vehicle manufacturers need to retool for 100% commercial EVs, and subsequently, fleet operators can scale up their EV strategies. Although more models are expected in the next few years, the supply is predicted to be limited with long order wait times. What’s more, with a global shortage of semiconductors expected to last beyond 2022 and into 2023, we risk UK adoption being shunted into the slow lane and holding back progress in the short term.