Paving the Way: Electrification Coalition Releases Plan for 16 Million Electric Fleet Vehicles
The Electrification Coalition has unveiled the Fleet Electrification Roadmap detailing the business case for electric vehicle adoption for the 16 million commercial, corporate and government vehicles in the United States.
The comprehensive report highlights opportunities where the low operating costs of electric vehicles could be attractive to government and commercial fleets which could make them "early adopters of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs).
The report also details the technological challenges facing fleet operators considering electric vehicles. Based on the following recommendations the Fleet Roadmap suggests "fleet adoption of PHEVs and EVs could result in a cumulative 200,000 vehicles on the road by 2015":
- Tax credits for light-duty PHEVs and EVs deployed in fleets
- Tax credits for medium- and heavy-duty PHEVs and EVs
- Clean renewable energy bonds for infrastructure
- Guarantee of residual value for the first generation of lithium-ion batteries
- Federal fleet electrification, including the Postal Service
"Our main focus continues to be the promotion of a comprehensive policy framework for accelerating consumer adoption of PHEVs and EVs. But it is important to consider all of the applications where electric drive technology makes sense, and what we have found is that the case is very strong for a number of fleet applications over the next five years," said Coalition Member Frederick W. Smith, Chairman, President, and CEO of FedEx Corporation.
He further added, "Fleet electrification alone will not solve our pressing energy security challenges, but by bringing costs down, it will provide a critical boost to the consumer electric vehicle market."
Read the press release at Electrification Coalition: EC Releases Fleet Electrification Roadmap
Image Credit: James Provost via Flickr
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Joseph Baker is a freelance writer living in Vancouver BC. His areas of focus include renewable energy, sustainability and climate change.
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