Fleet electrification solutions: Marketing efforts must scale ahead of the sector

Fleet owners and managers have long recognized that commercial vehicle emissions are a major factor in climate change. Decarbonizing fleets is essential to fulfill government and corporate climate mandates.

Excitement runs high at sustainable transportation trade shows, where the latest electrified trucks, buses, vans, and tractors offer a gleaming promise of a zero-emissions future. A recent industry report from energy consulting firm TRC Companies, Inc. (TRC) shows that deliveries of medium- and heavy-duty battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in the U.S. nearly doubled between 2022 and 2023. One reason for the uptick is the unprecedented $32 billion in state and federal funds, which have been made available to fleets for clean vehicle and infrastructure projects.

Even so, the intersecting realities of supply chain shortages, uncertain and uneven regulations, and grid capacity issues threaten to slow EV adoption. Equally challenging are the hurdles in financing, planning, implementing, and operating the infrastructure required to charge and manage EV fleet operation.

Myriad specialized solution providers have stepped up to meet these challenges. But to successfully convert fleet decision makers, these companies’ marketing teams must graduate from exploratory, proof-of-concept approaches to commercial-scale marketing strategy and operations. This is not only necessary but also possible for teams of all sizes.

To successfully convert fleet decision makers, marketing teams must graduate from exploratory, proof-of-concept approaches to commercial-scale marketing strategy and operations.

Electrification successes put doubters in the rearview mirror

As is the case with many technological advances, a few fleet electrification trailblazers can provide compelling evidence that the once emerging trend is becoming mainstream. A very recent example is the gushing testimonial of an Amazon delivery driver about the Rivian electric delivery van (EDV). The driver extols the virtues of the built-in mapping, keyless go system, and air conditioning. Though these are all user-experience features—only one factor in choosing an EV—the ability to recruit and retain delivery drivers can make or break a company’s last-mile logistics. Rivian rival Tesla is making headway on a number of essential fronts, including reducing production costs and boosting charging capacity and speed.

Of course, some remain focused on the hurdles still ahead for electrification. In a hearing this April, Rick Crawford (R-AR), Chair of the House Highways and Transit Subcommittee, laid out a litany of reasons why the federal government should not rush to electrify the transportation sector. These include claims that electric buses and trucks are cost-prohibitive, ranges are insufficient, and charging times are too long to be practical for commercial trucks and buses. Whether or not these assertions are true, or will continue to be true for much longer, they can have a chilling effect on fleet decision makers.

Other parties are concerned with the operational aspects of transitioning to an electric fleet. The North American Council for Freight Efficiency (NACFE) cites the difficulty and time needed to deploy charging infrastructure at depots and along freight corridors, as well as the complexity of coordination between truck OEMs, charger manufacturers, utilities, depot site management teams, and others.

Finally, there are concerns with the capacity of the electric grid itself. The Electric Highways report from National Grid and others estimates that the peak load for a large highway truck stop in 2035 will be 19 MW, almost as much as the load of a small town. Pundits in the trucking industry and elsewhere worry that the expansion of the national grid cannot keep up with EV adoption mandates.

Marketing should not wait

Given the obstacles, it’s not surprising that fleet managers are cautious and skeptical about embarking on fleet electrification programs. It may seem prudent for electrification solution providers to avoid the cost and effort of heavily promoting their offerings until the utilities, the regulators, and EV makers are more aligned.

But that would be a mistake. Because, as the impacts of global warming become increasingly salient, pressures to decarbonize remain strong. Organizations with commercial fleets urgently need to show they are making progress on any front. Electrification solution providers can pave a compelling path forward by identifying unrealized opportunities and showing how they can help fleets make the most of them.

For example, FEDweek reported in July that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) did not take advantage of all the government incentives available to it when it electrified its fleet of delivery vehicles. An audit revealed that the USPS could have saved or earned as much as $5.5 million with available incentives. Identifying incentives and other financing options is a big part of the value that fleet electrification solution companies offer. Assertive marketing and sales outreach leading to a consultation might have resulted in a better outcome for the postal service provider.

All marketers can scale their outreach

Convincing fleet managers and their purchasing teams to move ahead requires ramping up marketing outreach at all stages of the customer journey. This can help dispel misinformation, allay fear of the unknown, and help visualize what success looks like.

What does a marketing ramp-up look like? At a high level, it involves expanding communication formats, frequencies, and channels to meet prospective customers where they are. Marketers must be able to persist in a conversation about the prospects’ needs and concerns and provide ample evidence to support moving forward decisively.

In practical terms, it means allocating sufficient resources to

1. Continually evaluate and refine personas and messaging to drive the customer journey. This will mean spending more time with subject matter experts and customer-facing teams within the company.
2. Identify opportunities to demonstrate thought leadership wherever important conversations are taking place—in transportation industry verticals, in policymaking arenas, and among utilities.
3. Create and promote content consistently, with the ability to spike production for events and opportunities that may arise.
4. Ensure that owned channels (such as the company website and social media accounts) are consistently refreshed to gain and maintain meaningful ranking in search.

Commercial-scale marketing efforts require increased spend in both media and staff. Although this can be a challenge, especially for smaller providers, strategic marketing resource allocation and streamlined processes can create considerable leverage. Early organization-wide alignment on positioning statements and personas can save time and effort in content creation and communication across channels and verticals. Expert content strategists and creatives can help fleet electrification solution marketers make fewer content pieces go farther through reuse and repackaging. Judicious selection of media channels and timing can deliver maximum exposure to the most relevant audiences for the provider.

Like their fleet-owner customers, solution provider marketing teams need to take bold steps now to secure a strong foothold in commercial fleet operations of the future. And as in the transport sector, partnerships—across the organization and outside of it—will be key to the solution provider’s success.