The growing choice of EVs – almost there, but not quite
In the beginning, there was the LEAF. A mid-sized, 5 door, pure electric car from Nissan. It had a range of 109 miles (NEDC) and a 24kWh battery. In 2010, the LEAF was the most advanced and only real mass-produced electric vehicle (EV) available. In 2012, the LEAF was joined by the Renault Zoe, but other manufacturers were slow to join the electric party.
EVs sectors are growing, but there is still room for diversity
Fast forward to today, and the choice of electric vehicles has increased greatly. Plus, all of the traditional manufacturers now have an electric offering as well. Alongside those traditional OEM’s, there have been a number of new entrants, such as Tesla and NIO, who are disrupting the traditional vehicle market’s thinking. But there are still a number of vehicle sectors that either don’t yet have a battery electric vehicles (BEVs) available or have a limited choice. The cost of most of the new EVs has potentially ‘pushed’ new entrants into the electric space into more premium vehicle sectors and this has meant that to many, a BEV is just too expensive.
EVs leading the pack
Some vehicle sectors are serviced by manufacturers more strongly than others, for example, the launch of the Jaguar iPace and Audi e-Tron who were both entering a space that had been dominated by the Tesla Model X. The Mercedes EQC has also now joined this trio and it’s true to say that whilst a lot of the media focus has been on the ‘premium and executive’ end of the market, there have been a number of new entrants further down the price scale with over 40 models now available between €20k - €40k and these aren’t just small city vehicles. The MG5, VW ID.3 and Hyundai Kona Electric all come in at sub €30k, the Peugeot e2008, Skoda Enyaq iV and VW ID.4 are just three of the vehicles ranging between €30k - €40k.
Don’t compare apples with oranges
It's fair to say that vehicles are available in most price brackets, but choice can be limited and a direct comparison between cars isn’t always possible. It’s also worth remembering that BEVs often have a higher level of specification as standard, when compared to equivalent ICE vehicles.
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When implementing an EV policy for a fleet, it’s always advisable to use a total cost of ownership (TCO) model, which can help broaden the choice of vehicles within the different business sectors, as TCO provides a more realistic overall cost for running a fleet over the vehicles lifetime.
A bright future ahead
Manufacturers will continually bring new electric products to market over the coming months and years, and this will bring greater choice of vehicles to fit within the majority of budgets. Vehicle specifications, battery range, charging capability will all continue to develop, as it did with ICE vehicles for over 100 years.