BETT - Battery Electric Truck Trial

Assessing Suitability

1. Factors to Consider

This page summarises the main factors that need to be considered by fleets when switching to battery electric trucks and associated charging infrastructure, expanding from operational to technical, economic and environmental feasibility.

Key Points

An assessment of the suitability of BEVs for your fleet should consider three main criteria areas:

  • Operational viability – range, charging infrastructure, payload, load volume, and dealer support and servicing.

  • Financial viability - upfront cost, running costs, whole life costs, and funding mechanism.

  • Environmental performance - pollutant emissions, CO2 emissions, noise and vibration, and local restrictions on vehicle use.

Detailed Guidance

Factors to Consider

The factors to consider can be used along with the fleet suitability plan to assess the suitability of BEV trucks for your fleet. Assessment criteria are divided into three categories:

  1. Operational: vehicles must be practical, including having enough range, payload, and load volume to meet your needs. Charging needs must also be considered - see the Charging Electric Trucks page for more information.

  1. Financial: vehicles should be assessed on a whole life cost basis, though upfront cost and funding mechanism should also be considered. Electric trucks typically have high upfront cost but lower running costs (energy, maintenance, and servicing).

  1. Environmental: vehicles should have clear environmental benefits compared to a conventional diesel model and be compliant with any local regulations.