Fleet managers remain committed to transitioning to electric vehicles, but many still face serious roadblocks in making data-informed decisions, according to new survey results released by EVAI, a company that provides AI-driven fleet analytics.
The survey, conducted in March among more than 2,500 fleet executives, found that 41% of respondents manage fleets with 51 to 100 vehicles, and 39% oversee fleets with more than 100. Nearly half of the fleets have already begun transitioning to EVs, while 40% are still evaluating options.
Top barriers to adoption include high upfront costs, charging infrastructure concerns, and uncertain resale values, each cited by 20% of respondents. Meanwhile, the primary drivers for EV conversion were lower operational costs, ESG goals, and government incentives—also cited at 20% each.
TCO (total cost of ownership) tracking remains a critical issue: 41% of respondents said they rigorously track TCO, while another 40% said they lack sufficient tools. Vehicle purchase price and charging infrastructure costs were the most important financial considerations when evaluating TCO.
Long-term operational savings are a key factor for 70% of fleet managers when considering EVs, while 41% said they would accelerate adoption if they had access to real-time TCO insights and better management tools.
“Clearly there is growing interest and continued commitment toward electric vehicle adoption among fleet managers,” said Ian Gardner, founder and CEO of EVAI. “However, the survey results highlight significant challenges that need to be addressed to facilitate this transition.”
Gardner added that EVAI’s mission is to provide advanced tools and insights to help fleet managers make informed decisions and achieve sustainability goals.
The survey also revealed a strong need for cost comparisons between EVs and internal combustion vehicles over time (41%), and predictive analytics for battery performance (39%). Fuel efficiency and maintenance costs were the most-used KPIs for tracking EV performance.
According to EVAI, the findings show that while fleet managers are motivated to go electric, better data and tools are essential to making the leap.
