Switching to an electric vehicle comes with a host of considerations, including when and where to charge it.
For fleet operators, moving away from gasoline-powered vehicles also comes with business implications. Some companies might be interested in adding EVs to their fleets but don't know how to begin.
General Motors and Ford Motor Co. want to make it easier for business customers to go electric. GM has launched a turnkey program called EV Starter Kit to give companies more confidence that battery power can meet their needs, said Jennifer Costabile, director of marketing and sales enablement for the GM Envolve fleet and commercial business unit.
Ford offers a digital tool, E-Switch Assist, that analyzes gasoline vehicles' energy usage and estimates the energy needs for comparable EVs, based on data about driving distances, cargo loads, terrain, heating and climate, and driver behavior. E-Switch Assist, part of the Ford Pro commercial division, uses the data to suggest which vehicles could be a good fit to make the switch to EVs.
Ford said the tool has assessed more than 38,000 commercial vehicles and found that close to 53 percent could be suitably replaced by an EV.
"We are aiming to provide those insights to help fleet managers make those best decisions," said Nate McDonald, cross-vehicle brand manager for Ford Pro, whose work includes EVs. "It's about getting rid of the unknown."
GM starter kit
GM's program pulls in several components to help fleet customers make a successful EV transition — surveying drivers to determine the likeliest adopters and the best routes, i
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