How to start your fleet’s electrification journey

Nov 5, 2025

A female construction worker wearing a hard hat and safety vest stands in front of a work van, holding a tablet and a toolbox.

Organisations with fleets of vehicles that transport technicians, goods, or services to customer locations fall under the umbrella term “field services”. These operators face growing pressure to cut emissions, lower fuel costs, and comply with tightening sustainability regulations. As a result, electrification is becoming a business necessity, but it can feel daunting without the operational and financial data to guide the way.

This article outlines how field service fleets can begin their electrification journey, from identifying the best vehicles to transition to electric, to optimising EV performance and securing a strong return on investment (ROI).

Step 1: Identify the best candidates for electrification

For field service fleets, not all vehicles and work structures will be immediately suitable for EVs. To confidently plan a transition roadmap, you need clear data on shift patterns, range requirements, dwell locations and durations, and vehicle utilisation, alongside insights into the real-world capabilities of comparable EVs.

With this information, you can identify vehicles that offer immediate cost and carbon savings, while ensuring service levels remain unaffected.

Telematics data can help you evaluate:

Daily distance: Vehicles with regular, modest daily mileage are strong candidates for switching
Dwell time and location: Vehicles that return to the depot or an employee’s home with a private driveway overnight are ideal for low-cost charging
Route consistency: Low variability enables better planning and range assurance
Vehicle utilisation: Higher-use vehicles typically deliver a faster ROI

These insights support the development of a phased transition roadmap that minimises risk and maximises operational viability.

Step 2: Quantify the financial savings

Electric vehicles can offer significant lifetime cost savings, often referred to as the total cost of ownership (TCO). You’ll need to model these savings early on to build internal support and justify investment.

Focus on two core metrics:

Comparative “fuel” costs: EVs are cheaper to run, especially when they’re charged overnight on lower electricity tariffs
Maintenance: With fewer moving parts, EVs typically incur lower maintenance costs

The more a vehicle is driven, the greater the savings. When combined with the upfront cost and mileage data, these figures form a compelling business case for the cost savings over the vehicle’s service life.

And don’t forget reputational value: running a low- or zero-emission fleet can improve brand perception and help your organisation to win new contracts, especially when tendering for contracts with the public sector or larger organisations, where sustainability credentials are increasingly important.

Step 3: Optimise EV performance

Once the new EVs have been introduced into the fleet, you’ll need to ensure they deliver a strong ROI. EVs will require closer data monitoring than for internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to extend their range and provide range assurance, and reduce the load on charging infrastructure.

Some of the most important EV-specific operational insights include:

State of Charge (SOC): Real-time visibility helps dispatchers assign new jobs based on available range
Charging behaviour: Understanding where, when, and how vehicles charge can reduce energy costs
Energy efficiency: Monitoring driver performance and comparing vehicles helps extend range and improve cost-effectiveness
Temperature impacts: Cold weather has a significant impact on range, so route planning must consider seasonal variations
Battery health: Avoiding excessive DC fast charging helps preserve long-term battery value

Geotab success story – SIRO tracks EV efficiency for greater cost control

MyGeotab provides a single source for the fleet’s electricity consumption data, making it simple for the Sustainability Specialist to track seasonal trends in energy consumption. This is much easier than pulling data from 4-5 different sources, as she had to do before. Energy economy monitoring and benchmarking enables her to track the fleet’s EV energy economy against best-in-class performers within similar fleet types across the Geotab ecosystem to identify opportunities to improve performance.

Electrification is a phased, data-driven process

For field service fleets, the success of an electrification project lies in starting small and scaling with confidence. A pilot programme allows the fleet team to understand EV performance in real-world conditions, build effective charging strategies, and adapt operations before expanding deployment fleetwide.

Start your journey today by downloading our free ebook.

The Fleet Sustainability Playbook