MARKET AVAILABILITY Almost every major vehicle manufacturer has at least one plug-in vehicle in the market now, or one in the works, and more are on the way, says EDTA’s Cullen. “By the end of 2016, approximately 40 plugin electric drive vehicles will be on the market.” NAFA’s Barton notes that EV makes and models are increasing in the market and fleets are starting to pay more attention to this type of vehicle. “Everyone knows about Tesla,” he says, because the company has gained a lot of excitement because of the way its vehicles look and perform. Because the same Lithium-ion battery technology that Tesla uses is now open sourced, other OEs, such as GM and Nissan, are breaking into this technology to considerably extend the range of EVs. For instance, he says, the “Chevy Bolt is a pure EV model with 200-mile range.” Light Duty | BARRIERS AGAINST EVS Lack of awareness of the variety and benefits of electric drive options is a market challenge that the EDTA, its members and others are working together to address, says the group’s Cullen. NAFA’s Barton says range anxiety plays a large part for fleets that are worried about EV adoption. He describes range anxiety thusly: When vehicles a good buy? Continued Page 26 VehicleServicePros.com ❚ APRIL 2016 ❚ FLEET MAINTENANCE 25
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