Lower operational costs and demonstrate a commitment to the environment.

The EV market is rapidly expanding and commercial fleets have achieved parity in many vehicle classes. With a range of incentives from federal tax credits and grants to state and utility rebates, exploring an EV fleet transition may be a smart move for your organization.

While EVs provide operational savings and short-term incentives, implementing a sustainable fleet is ultimately a total cost of ownership decision. These resources are provided to help you understand the impacts of an EV fleet conversion, including determining if EVs are right for your organization, identifying candidate vehicles, reviewing available incentives, calculating your potential savings and evaluating your carbon impact.

We’re here to help you meet your fleet, budget and climate action goals. Ask us for help early on in your project, we’ll be pleased to be of assistance in your evaluation and implementation. Please contact your Key Account Representative or a Business Service Representative at bsr@snopud.com or call 425-783-1012.

Are EVs right for your fleet?

Electric vehicles require a different approach to operations and maintenance (O&M). Consider upfront costs, ongoing O&M, and organizational change management requirements as a first step to evaluating if fleet electrification if right for your business case.

Up Front Cost Considerations: Infrastructure Changes
- Power infrastructure upgrade cost
- Charger acquisition and installation cost
- Management software cost (ongoing)
- Mechanic training & tool acquisition

Ongoing Operations & Maintenance Considerations: Total Cost of Ownership Reduction
- Higher vehicle costs (acquisition cost)
-Fuel savings
-Oil change cost eliminated (time, materials, vehicle availability)
-General maintenance cost (no belts, less fluids, less brake maintenance)

For additional information please visit the Vehicle Model Overview Page

EV basics for fleet managers

Rebates and incentives reduce upfront capital costs.
Many classes of EVs are already cost competitive, with more classes and models proving to be cost-effective alternatives for a number of fleet use cases. With Federal tax credits and state incentives, combined with lower lifecycle costs, some models prove cost positive in as little as two years.

For additional information please visit the Incentives and Programs page

Develop a proactive charging plan to optimize costs.
As a fleet owner, you’re not just buying a vehicle, you’re investing in a new technology with a different operating profile than internal combustion engines. Managing EVs requires a proactive charging plan, including on-site, off-site and en route applications. There are three typical ways to charge today's EVs, 120V, 240V and DC fast charging. Most business applications will utilize 240V level 2 charging equipment. This requires your business to have off-street parking, or the ability to install equipment at the curb. Additionally, depending on the size of your fleet, you may need to develop a charger utilization plan that helps you manage charging resources and charge-readiness. There are a wide variety of software solutions available to help with this, some can even be integrated with your existing facilities management software.

Electric vehicle charging takes longer than filling up at a gas station.
While it may take longer to charge an EV than it takes to fill a tank with gasoline, it's important to note that vehicles can be charged during off-hours, on-site, thus alleviating the requirement for employees to take vehicles to a gas station. Additionally, they can plug the vehicle in and walk away, rather than remaining with the vehicle as is required with gas/diesel. This may leave them with more time to do their job, ultimately helping your bottom line.

Vehicle chargers may require power infrastructure upgrades.
Electric Vehicle fleet charging requires careful planning to ensure you develop a plan that maximizes your savings and ensures vehicles are charged and ready when they are needed. It's important to work directly with the utility and a qualified engineer to accurately assess your power needs and to develop a smart fleet charging plan for your business.

ROI can be outstanding.
Electric Vehicles can deliver tremendous savings with proper planning and infrastructure development. Savings opportunities vary, but savings typically comes from:
- Reduced fuel cost
- Reduced maintenance expenses
-Reduced time at the gas station pumping fuel

For additional information please visit the Incentives and Programs page

Advancing electrification in your community.
If you’re a high profile enterprise in your community, a progressive municipality, or if you’re looking to attract and retain talent by offering innovative commuting and transportation benefits to your employees, we’ve also added resources for you to consider in your ‘pacesetter’ role, including organizations that can provide support, and available grants and rebates.

For additional information please visit the Operations and Maintenance page

Employer at-work charging programs

Your employees and customers will soon be arriving at your place of business in EVs. Are you prepared?
Many employers provide EV charging to visitors and employees; larger firms typically provide managed L2 access. In most cases, charging is free, or free for a limited period. Even if a network service is used to collect fees, many EV drivers will gladly pay for the convenience of charging. For companies with their own fleets, charging is managed as a company asset. In all but the smallest firms, managed access is required, ensuring that only clients and employees use the chargers with sessions managed as necessary.

Incorporating EVs into employer benefit programs to drive competitive differentiation and preference.
Business of all sizes are evolving their employee transportation and commuting programs to attract and retain top talent, including free, easy to access charging, in addition to EV and/or EVSE purchase incentive programs. Companies can utilize EV charging programs to achieve corporate social responsibility goals as well as contributing to quality of life improvements for their employees. While upfront costs for charging and installation may be required, ongoing charger operating costs may be considered nominal in light of employee and customer satisfaction.

For additional information please visit the Case Studies page

Municipalities and other policy-makers

As a municipality, you will likely serve a dual-role as both a fleet manager and a local EV community facilitator—regulating, permitting, and potentially promoting EV charging and EV fleets.

Municipalities are in a unique position to accelerate the adoption of EVs through:
1. Policy: Acknowledging EV benefits and actively supporting development of charging infrastructure.
2. Regulation: Implementing development standards and regulations that enable EV use. Simply stating and publishing objectives and educating developers can be effective at driving momentum.
3. Administration: Creating a transparent and predictable EV permitting processes.
4. Programs: Developing public programs to overcome market barriers.
5. Leadership: Demonstrating EV viability in public fleets and facilities.

Leveraging municipal grants and incentives to spur EV market transformation
Some communities are actively working to capture early adopter benefits, including grants that will only be around for a few more years. These early adopter positions can act as a differentiator for attracting progressive businesses and residents, or for the competitive siting of larger DCFC fueling centers, being both a tax base issue, and for derivative collateral businesses. Attracting, or even owning and operating, sufficient public chargers is one municipal role. There are EVSE companies that will do this at no charge, but beware of attached strings.

Cities often view their offices or City-owned destinations (e.g. parks, arenas, senior centers, recreation centers) as opportunities to support the EV transition. In an hour or two on a L2 charger, only a dollar or so of energy can be dispensed. You can decide whether to collect fees, or, if free, you can set fees that will charge after the free period. Some grants, available only to municipalities and, in some cases, their contractors, offset increased up front cost of today’s fleet vehicles, or the addition of your own fleet’s charging assets. There are many grants and other incentives, and they change often. There are also incentives from various charger OEMs and Service Providers.

Establishing policy to factor EVs into new construction
Municipalities can also ensure that new construction codes accommodate future EV charging requirements. This can be the number and location of EV parking or charging spaces per MDU, make-ready circuitry for build-out by owner residents, or even anticipatory Amperage ratings at residential panels. Sometimes, just the mention of a preference, or naming of an unadopted standard, will cause the owner/developer to include EVs in their planning. Cities can choose to make preferred EV parking and charging available at their own sites, setting an example for other.