There are many reasons why a business or government agency may be interested in adding EVs to their fleets, such as reaching sustainability goals, lowering maintenance costs, or reducing fueling costs. However, learning how to convert your fleet to a mixed-energy fleet takes careful thought, and details of the planning process are often overlooked when fleets look to transition. From planning and constructing the charging infrastructure to operating impacts and vehicle replacements, this article will share advice from experts on how to build a mixed-energy fleet electrification strategy.
For more tips on planning, check out Louisiana Clean Fuels’ online webinar First Steps for Fleets Interested in EVs (Fleet Electrification Pt. 2) featuring guest speakers Mary Till, Director of Business Development at Sawatch Labs and Robert Mowat, Transportation Mobility Electrified Lead at HDR, both of whom share advice throughout this article.
The Basics
With rising greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) becoming a local, national, and global issue, fleet electrification is one of the most direct methods that an organization can adopt to help lower their company emissions, reach sustainability goals, and lower costs. Apart from these benefits, less maintenance and quiet operation can also improve driver quality of life.
However, adding one or two light-duty vehicles to your fleet is a lot easier than adding a dozen medium or heavy-duty EVs or transitioning the entire fleet. According to Mowat, challenges may include operational feasibility, construction requirements, power demand, charging strategy, and capital costs. Fleets should consider these and other potential obstacles as they begin to research and build a fleet electrification strategy.
What Does it Take to Convert a Fleet to EV?
Converting a fleet to EV requires matching each vehicle's real duty cycle to an EV that can handle it, building a charging infrastructure that fits your site and your utility's capacity, and phasing replacements over several years. The most successful fleet electrification strategy begins with a detailed analysis of how every vehicle operates today, completed before a single purchase order goes out.
Why Do Fleets Convert to Electric Vehicles?
Fleets convert some vehicles to EVs to cut fuel and maintenance spending, reduce emissions, and meet sustainability commitments set by leadership, boards, or public mandates. When the right vehicles are selected, these savings add up to a lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over the life of each vehicle.
Lower fueling costs: Electricity typically costs less per mile than gasoline or diesel, and depot charging gives fleets predictable energy pricing.
Reduced maintenance: EVs have fewer moving parts, no oil changes, and less brake wear thanks to regenerative braking, which keeps vehicles on the road and out of the shop.
Emissions reductions: Every internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle replaced with an EV eliminates its tailpipe emissions, moving organizations measurably closer to climate goals.
Better driver experience: Quiet cabins and smooth acceleration make shifts more comfortable, which supports driver satisfaction and retention.
Which Vehicles Should You Electrify First?
Light-duty sedans and small SUVs with predictable, return-to-base routes are the traditional starting point because their daily mileage fits comfortably within current EV range. Your own operational data gives the definitive answer, and it frequently reveals pickups, vans, or specialty vehicles that are ready for replacement sooner than expected. The telematics section below explains how to find them.
Planning Ahead
As a Clean Cities Coalition, Louisiana Clean Fuels is a helpful resource to get started tackling your own sustainability and clean transportation goals. Learning what questions to ask, how to engage with utility partners, and how telematics data can help your fleet are good first steps in planning for fleet electrification. The Louisiana Clean Fuel webinar series on fleet electrification offers tips and tools for fleet managers developing a fleet electrification strategy for a mixed-energy fleet.
There are various ways to begin electrifying your fleet, with different possible approaches to development, testing, and research. Mowat suggests a phased approach because technologies advance over time, so a gradual transition is the most viable approach. Jumping right into electrification can also lead to common industry problems such as lack of space for charging infrastructure, purchasing the wrong equipment, or operating vehicles unable to meet route requirements. To avoid these pitfalls, he recommends three guiding principles.
1. Idea to Implementation
“Idea to Implementation” involves securing the partners and experts who will guide your electrification project from the first concept through final deployment. Lay out your scope early and keep the overall solution in view with each step you take, so every purchase and construction decision supports the same end goal.
2. First Things First
The “First Things First” philosophy means building a solid foundation and a clear roadmap before buying vehicles or breaking ground on chargers. This stage of the planning process establishes where your fleet stands today and where it needs to be.
3. Data-Driven Decisions
Data-driven decisions use your fleet's own operational data to guide every electrification choice, from vehicle selection to charger placement. Telematics data is the most direct source of that insight, and it helps you make the most sustainable, cost-effective decisions for your organization.
How to Convert Your Fleet to Mixed-Energy: A 5-Step Fleet Electrification Roadmap
Mowat's three principles translate into a practical fleet electrification strategy that any fleet can follow, whether you are adding a handful of EVs or planning a full transition. Each step builds on the data and decisions from the prior step.
Step 1: Analyze Your Fleet’s Operational Data
Start by collecting telematics data from your existing vehicles and running an EV suitability assessment. This analysis identifies which vehicles can be replaced with an EV today, which makes and models fit their duty cycles, and what each replacement will save over its lifetime. Learn how telematics data powers this step.
Step 2: Plan Charging Infrastructure and Grid Load
Use the same operational data to predict when, where, and how much each vehicle will need to charge. Bring that forecast to your utility early so power upgrades, permitting, and construction stay on schedule. Plan charging without overtaxing the grid.
Step 3: Build Partnerships and Secure Funding
Assemble your partner network, including your utility, technology suppliers, peer fleets, and your local Clean Cities coalition. These partners help identify state, utility, and local incentives that strengthen your business case.
Step 4: Launch a Pilot, Train Drivers, and Scale in Phases
Deploy your first EVs on the routes your data flagged as the strongest fit, and give drivers hands-on training in charging practices, range planning, and regenerative braking. Early wins from a well-matched pilot build confidence across the organization, ease range anxiety, and create internal champions who make each later phase smoother.
Step 5: Verify Savings and Report Emissions
Track deployed EVs against their projected TCO targets and report emissions reductions quarterly. This ongoing measurement proves the value of each phase and informs which vehicles to electrify next.
Using Telematics To Plan
Telematics data is an important planning tool for executing an electrification project. A fleet can use telematics data from its existing vehicles to decide which vehicles and routes are best suited for electrification. Available data includes vehicle location, vehicle downtime, and fuel consumption (see Table 1).
Till said. “In an eight-year life span on a vehicle, many variables can change. Total cost of ownership can be impacted by that life span as well as vehicle purchase price and fluctuating gas prices.”
The chart below contains more detailed information on what data telematics and Sawatch Analytics can provide for your fleet.
Table 1 includes examples of the type of vehicle information from telematics that can be used to help you plan your EV fleet project. Sawatch Labs takes telematics to the next level; providing a deeper analysis of your fleet.
There are many considerations when planning to add EVs to your fleet. The average charge time and power requirements of your vehicles must be considered along with charging and infrastructure needs.
Partnerships
Types of partners to consider in your process should include third-party specialty groups, internal resources, technology suppliers, advocacy groups, peer groups, utility groups, government entities, and your local Clean Cities Coalition.
Mowat explained. “An example of what a partner group offers is an analysis of your whole operation, what your fleet will need including power demand, utilities, facilities, and what can be done to improve your EVSE.”
To get the most out of your partnerships, you’ll need to define clear goals, whether they are financial or sustainability goals. Each partner will be able to assist your process in different ways. Peer organizations are a great place to start for lessons learned or personal recommendations. Louisiana Clean Fuels or your local Clean Cities coalition will assist in planning, finding funds, and educating employees.
Frequently Asked Questions About Converting to a Mixed-Energy Fleet
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Second-by-second vehicle telematics data captures every trip, idle period, and parking window. With it, an EV suitability assessment can test each vehicle against what its route demands. Sawatch Labs' ezEV tool uses this data to pinpoint the vehicles ready for replacement and determine their TCO with precision.
Looking at an average daily mileage can be deceiving. A vehicle might average 30 miles per day on paper, but an average won’t reveal the coldest day of winter when running the cabin heater drains the battery or the long shift when a driver idled at a job site for hours. ezEV models each of those moments against specific EV makes and models, including battery performance in cold weather, which means every recommendation reflects how that vehicle truly operates. Till's analysis builds on that foundation, showing how shifts in purchase price or fuel prices change the TCO for each vehicle
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Fleet charging plans start with knowing when and where each vehicle will need energy, how much it will draw, and how long it will sit parked. With that information, you can size your Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), choose the right mix of Level 2 and DC fast chargers, and give your utility a precise load forecast.
Physical depot site assessments and early conversations with your local utility are essential, since power upgrades and transformer work can take many months to complete. Sawatch Labs' ezIO platform strengthens both conversations by predicting charging timeframes and energy demands for every vehicle you plan to electrify. Utilities recognize the value of this precision.
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Fleets can avoid peak demand charges by charging when vehicles are parked and grid demand is low, and by sizing infrastructure to the amount of power their fleet will need. ezIO forecasts each vehicle's charging window and energy need. Use it to optimize EV fleet charging sessions and keep your facility's charging predictable.
Commercial utility customers are often billed based on their highest power use during a short interval of time, so plugging in an entire fleet at once can be expensive. Using vehicle-level charging forecasts, you can install the right number of chargers and schedule charging sessions intelligently.
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Yes. Emergency response vehicles, snowplows, and utility trouble trucks can transition safely when every electrification decision is modeled against the vehicle's most demanding duty cycle, including extreme weather and extended shifts. Sawatch Labs calls this approach electrification without impact.
Fleets that serve the public carry an obligation to keep critical services running through storms, outages, and emergencies. Granular data modeling shows exactly which of these vehicles can handle their toughest days on battery power, which are better suited to a plug-in hybrid, and which should remain internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles until technology or infrastructure catches up. The result is a fleet electrification strategy that advances sustainability goals while keeping response times, coverage, and reliability intact.
This same modeling identifies resilience needs, such as backup power or strategically placed chargers along response routes. This provides decision-makers with a clear record of operational continuity.
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Post-deployment tracking compares each EV's actual energy use, operating costs, and utilization against the TCO projections that justified its purchase. Sawatch Labs' ionEV software monitors these metrics continuously and flags any vehicle not hitting its targets, so you can adjust assignments or charging practices in response.
A pilot program is a great way to start. Once EVs are in daily service, ongoing tracking shows which vehicles are overperforming, which are underused, and where a reassignment would unlock more savings. Those insights make every future procurement round smarter than the last.
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Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) deliver their fuel savings when drivers plug them in regularly and drive on electricity as much as possible. ionEV tracks PHEV charging behavior and the share of miles driven on battery power, giving fleet managers the data they need to coach drivers and hit fuel reduction goals.
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Fleets should calculate emissions reductions using standardized, auditable methodologies. Examples of these are the GHG Protocol and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES). Sawatch Labs' EMIT software automates this process by running calculations directly in accordance with both GHG Protocol and MOVES methodologies. Rather than relying on static estimates or manual spreadsheets, EMIT leverages your existing telematics data to accurately measure GHG, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter, producing audit-ready reports from your existing telematics data.
Standardized reporting gives sustainability progress credibility. Public agencies can share transparent results with residents and elected officials, companies can support environmental, social, and governance (ESG) disclosures with confidence, and grant recipients can document the outcomes to share with funders. Automated reporting also frees staff from time-consuming manual spreadsheets, leaving more time to plan the next phase of electrification.
Start Converting Your Fleet to Mixed-Energy With Confidence
Adding EVs to your fleet can be a daunting task, but it can be made easier by planning ahead and relying on trusted partners. Knowing how to convert your fleet to EV starts with your own data, and every step that follows, from charger placement to emissions reporting, becomes clearer when that data guides the way.
As Till says, “There are people who have started to clear the forest and start[ed] looking for what needs to be done as we go forward. Start the conversation, engage partners and start building your network.”
Hear more from Mary Till and Robert Mowat about fleet electrification in our recorded webinar, First Steps for Fleets Interested in EVs. This webinar covers what to consider when making the decision to try EVs, fleet analysis and EV suitability of your fleet, utilizing data and telematics to inform your EV procurement decisions, and understanding the networks to join and the types of partnerships you will need.
Ready to see which of your vehicles can go electric today? Schedule a demo with Sawatch Labs to put your fleet's data to work.
Resources
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