Electric vehicle adoption hindered by inconsistent pricing
The wide gap between list and sales price is slowing electric vehicle adoption among fleets.
According to FleetCheck, vehicle manufacturers are having to heavily discount electric vehicles to meet sales targets set by the ZEV Mandate.
This has broadened the gap between list price, prices available to fleets, and forecourt prices.
As a result, businesses looking to electrify their fleets are no longer able to accurately judge a good deal.
Discounts
Peter Golding, CEO at FleetCheck, said: “Largely because of the ZEV Mandate, many manufacturers are making more electric cars and vans than buyers can accommodate, and subsequently having to discount them heavily. The situation is bad for cars but probably worse for light commercial vehicles, where demand for EVs is lower.
“Spot deals that last a few weeks or a month are an additional issue. Everyone across the fleet sector hears of ridiculously low prices on particular EVs that become available when a boatload of stock arrives that a manufacturer needs to clear.
“Of course, fleets expect a discount over list but the official price remains a reference point. We regularly speak to operators – especially at the small and medium end of the fleet spectrum – who feel they don’t know whether the real-world price on offer for a particular EV is reasonable. Yes, the discount is attractive but the list price itself is meaningless.
“This situation hampers EV adoption because fleet decision makers are hesitant to push the button on acquisition when a much better deal might be available elsewhere or next week.”
