Flexible Power Systems (FPS) and PA Consulting have fired a timely warning shot across the bows of UK fleet operators eyeing a shift to zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). Rather than treating fleet decarbonisation as a simple tech upgrade, the report makes it abundantly clear – it's a whole-business transformation.
Titled Mitigating Risk, Maximising Value, the paper outlines a strategic framework built on three essential pillars.
Three essential pillars for a successful EV transition
Organisation-wide coordination and engagement
The report makes it clear that decarbonisation isn’t just a fleet issue. To deliver a truly effective transition, fleet managers must collaborate with finance, operations, facilities and procurement teams. Securing cross-departmental alignment ensures the entire organisation is geared up to support and sustain long-term change.
Integrated infrastructure, data and digital systems
Seamless access to high-quality, real-time data is vital for informed decisions around vehicle use, charging infrastructure and scheduling. The paper highlights the importance of fully integrated systems, allowing operators to simulate performance and cost scenarios before committing to infrastructure or procurement strategies.
Strategic asset planning across the business
EV deployment should never be treated as a standalone project. Instead, fleet strategy must be tied to broader business priorities and capital investment. That means understanding operational interdependencies, rethinking utilisation, and building internal capability to support a more connected, resilient and efficient fleet model.
It urges fleet managers to act early, build resilient infrastructure, and embed ZEV planning deep into the business fabric.
Reactive operators, it cautions, face disruption, compliance issues and spiralling costs. Real-time, integrated data systems are flagged as vital for planning charging infrastructure, vehicle deployment, and cost modelling. But this isn’t just a fleet manager’s job – finance, facilities, ops and procurement all need to be in the room.
Rather than tacking EVs on as an afterthought, businesses should assess their entire operation and align fleet transformation with wider strategic goals.
FPS managing director Michael Ayres puts it bluntly: “The scale and pace of the challenge leaves little room for delay. Planning ahead is essential if you want to stay compliant, efficient and profitable in the ZEV era.”
Read the report here.