by Brianna Crandall — November 19, 2010—The Electrification Coalition, a year-old nonprofit group of business leaders, released on November 15 the Fleet Electrification Roadmap, an analysis of the business case for U.S. fleets to adopt electric-drive technology. The report argues that the lower operating costs of electric drive vehicles coupled with the operational norms of commercial and government fleets could make adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) and electric vehicles (EVs) highly attractive.
The report includes a detailed examination of commercial and government fleets, highlighting common practices that could make them significant early adopters of EVs and PHEVs. The analysis suggests that with targeted, temporary policies in place, a cumulative 200,000 electric-drive vehicles could be on the road by 2015. PRTM, a global management consulting firm, partnered with the Electrification Coalition to provide the analysis, technical input, and life cycle cost modeling for the report.
The report was released four days after General Electric Corporation (GE) announced that it will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for its own fleet—and through its Capital Fleet Services business—making what it said was the largest-ever single electric vehicle commitment. GE will initially purchase 12,000 GM vehicles, beginning with the Chevrolet Volt in 2011, and will add other vehicles as manufacturers expand their electric vehicle portfolios. GE and its partners will use a mix of electric vehicle technologies to meet their individual needs.
