Fleet van insurance for electric vehicles will soon become the norm among commercial vehicle fleet managers according to a piece of research by GPS fleet tracking and management firm Geotab.

It said that it anticipates that by 2030, nearly nine in ten (89%) of all fleet van insurance policies will be for fleets of electric vehicles, which, given that less than half of all UK-based fleets currently include an electric vehicle, would mark a seismic change in the fleet management landscape.

Fleet managers are largely enthusiastic about the prospect of chance, with one in six of those surveyed saying that they believe adoption of electric fleets will have a welcome environmental impact. Only 2% reported feeling resistant to the idea of change.

However, there is also an acceptance that regulatory, legislative and technological changes are driving the decision-making of fleet managers, with the study citing government programmes (48%), changes to charging infrastructure (48%) and an enhanced offering of electric vehicles (32%) as the major incentives to make the change to a fully electric fleet. In addition, 88% of commercial vehicle fleet managers say that they anticipate that future regulatory changes will make full adoption of electric vehicle fleets all but inevitable.

However, fleet managers report finding themselves in a transitional period in which they must overcome the challenges of new rules and regulations, prohibitively expensive electric vehicles, poor charge-point infrastructure, low distance range and the need to familiarise themselves with new technologies.

"These survey results help to demonstrate that the government's call for an EV future is not something businesses are taking lightly," commented Geotab's vice president in Europe, Edward Kulperger.

"With most fleet leaders looking to have a fully EV-dependent fleet over the next few years, it's no longer a question of if, but rather how soon a complete overhaul can take place."

This survey emphatically indicates that fleet managers are largely ready to begin the process of making the transition to fleets of electric commercial vehicles. However, it is also clear that they will need support through this process, and the onus is on both government and various regulatory bodies to ensure that suitable guidance and infrastructure is in place to help them on the journey. We all want a greener, healthier future, and by adopting green electric technologies for their vehicles, fleet managers can fulfil their obligations in this regard, but they cannot be expected to do this alone.