Electric vehicle demand among potential buyers is growing, but it’s slower than many had hoped. That said, commercial buyers, especially those with large fleets, may be the short-term savior for automakers with deep EV investments. Ford recently announced that Ecolab would purchase more than 1,000 EVs to electrify its California operations through the next year.
Ecolab will buy the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E to electrify its sales and service fleets. The company also plans to employ Ford’s charging and telematics services to manage the influx of EVs. Ecolab’s CEO said the move would save around $1,400 per year for each vehicle replaced, but the company also wants to go all-electric in North America by the end of the decade and reach zero emissions overall by 2050.
Ford and Ecolab have worked together for nearly a century, and almost 95 percent of the company’s fleet comes from the automaker. It’s a helpful relationship for Ford, as the company plans to earn more than $1 billion by 2020 by providing services and products like these. The automaker said it expects 20 percent of its earnings to come from similar agreements.
While consumers worry about road trip range and charging, EVs tend to be a good fit for regional fleets. Their range and ability to charge at a central dispatch location make them a solid choice for delivery businesses and those like Ecolab with local route drivers.
[Image: Ford]
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