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Fleets set to go electric more quickly than expected
Date: 07 February 2018 | Author: Sean Keywood
Fleets are set to rapidly increase the number of hybrid and electric vehicles they run, new research suggests.
According to Sewells Research & Insight's twice-yearly Market Barometer, 71% of fleets currently have diesel cars, but only 59% expect their replacement cars to be fuelled by diesel.
Sewells says that while petrol cars will take up most of the slack in the short-term, by far the most dynamic growth will be in sales of hybrid and electric vehicles.
It says that as many as 30% of fleets expect to run hybrid cars within the next 12 months, and a further 7% say they will have pure electric cars on their books by the end of the year.
This represents a big increase from the 12% of fleets that currently have at least one hybrid car and the 3% of fleets with a pure electric car.
Corporate fleets employing 250 or more people are leading the way, with 47% expecting to take on hybrids this year and 16% expecting to go pure electric.
Sewells says that essential vehicle users such as utility companies, transport firms, and construction businesses are at the forefront of the move to cleaner fleets. In terms of company car segments, upper medium, executive, SUV and MPV models are set for the most significant changes, with hybrid alternatives replacing diesel, while electric cars gain a toehold.
Simon Staplehurst, commercial research director at Sewells, said: "The Market Barometer reveals that fleets intend to switch to cleaner, lower-emission cars much more quickly than many people in the industry expect.
"The fleet sector has passed the tipping point from a default to diesel towards a greener future."
