Shell’s business mobility arm, Shell Fleet Solutions, has published a new report that discusses the practical steps that fleet managers can take to decarbonise their fleets in a cost-effective manner.

Among the report’s key findings is that the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) is expected to grow. This comes despite only about a fifth (21%) of fleets saying that they have formally committed to decarbonisation by incorporating it into their key performance indicators.

The report also found that total cost of ownership and operational efficiency remained key to fleet managers.

Shell’s senior vice president in business mobility, Giorgio Delpiano, said about the report:

“As fleets advance their decarbonisation journey, they need to balance the need to decarbonise with continuing to operate at low cost. Our latest report explores practical steps that fleets are taking to manage costs and unlock the value of low- and zero-carbon solutions.”

Shell, which also produces commercial vehicle oil and passenger car engine oil for fleets, cites some steps to take to overcome the challenges of carbonisation.

For example, it suggests cutting an existing fleet’s emissions by improving efficiency, such as by taking advantage of telematics data to inform decision-making. It also suggests looking beyond the upfront costs of transitioning to EVs by considering the total cost of ownership. This may compare well with internal combustion vehicles once reduced fuel and maintenance costs, along with increased uptime, are taken into account.

Shell also suggests considering the sort of ecosystem that will be needed to keep a fleet charged in a cost-effective way.