Chris Joyce, managing director of Sogo Mobility, on the need for more driver education to support EV adoption.

Electric vehicles are no longer a fringe technology. They are established, improving quickly and, in many use cases, already competitive on cost and performance. Despite that progress, resistance to EVs across fleets remains stubborn. In most cases, the issue is not the vehicles. It is the people who are expected to use them.

A strong anti-EV narrative continues to circulate in parts of the national media and across social platforms. Misleading headlines, recycled memes and selective anecdotes shape opinion far more than evidence. Range anxiety is often overstated, charging reliability is misrepresented and isolated incidents are routinely presented as proof that EVs do not work. For many drivers, perception can outweigh experience, and that gap continues to slow adoption.

At the same time, the market is becoming more complicated. As more Chinese manufacturers enter the UK, the number of EV models available to fleets will increase sharply. China alone has more than 100 active new energy vehicle brands, even though only a minority are likely to survive in the long term. That level of choice will filter into the UK. There will soon be an EV to suit almost every role and duty cycle, but only if fleets and drivers know how to choose and use them properly.

In this environment, driver education should be prioritised; it’s central to successful electrification.

Confidence is the first issue to address. Range anxiety is rarely about battery size or quoted range. It is about unfamiliarity, and drivers who do not understand how EVs behave in day-to-day use tend to assume the worst. Drivers who are trained and experienced behave very differently. Research shows that informed EV users are less concerned about a low state of charge and more willing to use EVs routinely, rather than treating them as specialist or fragile vehicles.

When drivers understand realistic duty cycles, charging options and energy consumption, anxiety reduces quickly. EVs stop being seen as a risk and start being treated as tools suited to specific jobs. This confidence is critical and, without it, fleets can struggle to deploy EVs where they make sense and face resistance when vehicles are removed from routes they are not suited to.

Education also has a direct impact on efficiency. EVs are far more sensitive to driving style than internal combustion vehicles. Smooth acceleration, controlled speeds and effective use of regenerative braking can significantly reduce energy consumption. In some fleets, targeted EV-specific driver training has cut energy use by 15-25%. That can be the difference between a route that barely works and one that is comfortably viable.

This matters because many fleets fail to achieve the ranges suggested by OEM data and then blame the technology. In reality, payload, temperature and driving behaviour all play a part. When drivers understand how those factors affect consumption, fleets are far more likely to hit the expected range and efficiency. That strengthens the business case for further rollout and reduces internal scepticism.

Operational risk is another area where education makes a clear difference. Incorrect charging practices, confusion over connector types or poor charge scheduling lead to downtime, congestion at charge points and unnecessary use of expensive public charging. These issues are often logged as EV problems when, in reality, they are training failures.

Modern EV dashboards and alerts also need to be understood. Battery health indicators, consumption data and warning messages add value only if drivers know how to interpret them. Training drivers to respond correctly supports earlier fault detection, safer operation and lower maintenance costs. Without that understanding, minor issues escalate and reinforce negative views of EVs.

Education also plays a decisive role at an organisational level. Driver resistance remains one of the main reasons why electrification pilots stall. Fleets can invest in vehicles and infrastructure, but if drivers feel excluded or unprepared, uptake will be slow and sentiment will turn negative.

Targeted training, familiarisation sessions and pilot programmes will improve driver attitudes, and when drivers feel confident and supported, retention improves. Education helps position EVs as a shared transition rather than a change imposed from above.

Education must extend beyond drivers. Fleet managers also need structured support. Training, pilot data and telematics-led feedback help build internal expertise in range planning, total cost of ownership and infrastructure strategy.

Safety is another area that is often underestimated. EVs introduce different risk profiles, ranging from silent operation at low speeds to high-voltage systems and instant torque delivery. EV-specific safety training directly addresses these risks.

Ultimately, driver education underpins the broader EV narrative. When vehicles are operated smoothly and reliably, fleets will see higher uptime, lower emissions and more predictable costs. Sustainability becomes credible when backed by results.

The next phase of fleet EV adoption will not be decided by battery chemistry or charging standards alone. It will be decided by how well fleets bring drivers with them. As vehicle choice expands and misinformation continues to circulate, education remains the most effective counterweight.

EV technology will continue to advance, and driver education must advance with it. If it doesn’t, the gap between potential and reality will continue to be filled with doubt, noise and missed opportunity.