Speaking at the Association of Fleet Professionals’ (AFP) Annual Conference, at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Russ Boulton at Ayvens warned that, while fleets are at the forefront of decarbonisation, “sustainability and budgets don’t always go hand in hand.”

He went on to explain that Ayvens was tackling this issue with access to a “data lake” that allows it to create a “3D view of operations,” factoring in different regions, manufacturers, models and more, in order to highlight genuine value compared with the cost of electric vehicles.

Nevertheless, he added that while the rules and regulation around zero emissions vehicles are in flux, this makes it hard for businesses to plan.

Boulton said: “[People] are under intense pressure to control rising operational costs as a result of this squeezing budget, and at the same time, sustainability is no longer a future mission, it’s a present day expectation. Then, driver safety obviously remains critical as well. ]

“Then there’s a political and regulatory [environment] which is constantly shifting, and the rules are in flux, which is making it a lot harder to plan with confidence. 

“A fleet manager is not just trying to keep vehicles moving, they’re also being asked to make strategic choices about the environment and the risks involved.

“When clarity is in short supply, that’s when flexibility is 100% needed.”