Electric vehicles: Five myths about fleet deployment put to the test

High temperatures, limited ranges and supposedly unsafe batteries continue to be seen as obstacles to electrifying commercial fleets. According to the telematics provider Geotab, however, these reservations can be relativized through extensive driving and charging data. Analyses of millions of trips showed that electric vehicles can operate reliably in fleet use and can be operated economically.

Range: Temperature effects are often overstated

According to an evaluation, electric vehicles reach up to 115 percent of their nominal range at an outside temperature of 21 degrees Celsius. Only at minus 15 degrees Celsius can the value drop to 54 percent. Such extreme subzero temperatures, however, occur comparatively rarely in daily German fleet operations.

As a key factor influencing efficiency in heat above 25 degrees Celsius is not the battery chemistry, but the energy demand for air conditioning of the interior. Also in winter, range is mainly lost due to the heating demand. Targeted preconditioning during the charging process can increase the available range.

Battery life: charging behavior is decisive

An analysis of more than 22,700 electric vehicles shows an average annual degradation rate of 2.3 percent, according to Geotab. After five years the batteries still had on average 88 percent of their original capacity. Modeling indicated that the majority of batteries would remain usable for at least twelve years.

Charging behavior has a markedly stronger effect. Vehicles with a high share of DC fast charging above 100 kilowatts reached degradation rates of up to 3.0 percent per year. Thus aging is about twice as high as for vehicles that predominantly charge with AC or low-power charging. For fleets, it is therefore advisable to have a charging capacity that covers operating needs without permanently relying on high shares of fast charging.

Range anxiety in everyday life put into perspective

The so-called range anxiety proves, in commercial use, to be often unfounded. In Germany, a fleet vehicle travels an average of 131 kilometers per day. 56 percent of vehicles never exceed a daily distance of 350 kilometers.

The study “Taking Charge,” for which data from around 750,000 light commercial vehicles in seven European countries were evaluated, also shows that 67 percent of these vehicles travel daily routes within the range of current electric vehicles. At the same time, 45 percent of European fleets begin charging at a battery state of charge above 50 percent, which reduces cost-effectiveness.

Infrastructure: depot charging in focus

According to the company, the frequently voiced doubts about insufficient charging infrastructure primarily concern the public network. For depot-based fleets, however, this plays a subordinate role. 50 percent of the electric vehicles in fleets charge at only one or two locations, usually overnight with AC charging.