Could EVs be a Smart Choice for Your Fleet?

A number of Madison businesses are adding electric vehicles (EVs) to their corporate fleets. MGE can help you see if EVs might work for yours - contact us at 608-252-7007 to find out.

What's driving the move to EVs?

Yerba Mate Co.

Yerba Mate Co. uses a fleet of electric vehicles to deliver beverages to retailers.

Reduced fuel and maintenance costs: An electric "fill-up" is usually about half the cost of a tank of gas. But fuel savings are just part of the story. EVs have an electric motor instead of an internal combustion engine. There are fewer moving parts. Plus, no more oil or transmission fluid changes.

More vehicles available: There are now more than 40 fully electric vehicles. More truck options are on the way. Some major truck manufacturers have announced medium and heavy-duty options.

Environmental benefits: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector is the largest single source of carbon emissions in the U.S. EVs produce lower tailpipe emissions than conventional vehicles.

But what about range and charging?

These issues tend to top the list of concerns when people are debating an EV purchase.

New models of all-electric vehicles can travel farther on a charge. The Chevy Bolt, for example, has a 238-mile range. Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) have an electric motor and battery, with a gasoline engine for backup, which means greater range flexibility.

If drivers need a charge in the greater-Madison area, it's likely a charger isn't too far away. There are now nearly 60 stations in the Madison area (find them here). Eight are DC fast charging stations which will provide enough charge for 60 to 80 miles of range in about 20 minutes.

Ready to investigate EVs?

Look who already has EVs!

Acumium, a Madison-based digital marketing and web development agency, is walking the talk with a company EV and on-site charging for employees.

Beverage distributor Yerba Mate Co. has a fleet of nearly 50 EVs throughout the U.S. and Canada. Locally, it relies on a Chevy Bolt and MGE's DC Fast Chargers to deliver its products in the most sustainable way possible.

The Madison Metropolitan Sewerage District uses a number of EVs on plant grounds—golf carts, a utility vehicle and GEM vehicles (small, low-speed EVs often used for light-duty hauling). They also recently added a Nissan Leaf for traveling to the 26 communities the district serves.

Schedule a fleet analysis with MGE. We understand the factors you'll need to consider and can help you investigate your options. In fact, MGE is currently evaluating and adding EVs to our fleet. You can benefit from our experience.

Your EV Fleet Analysis includes the following:

  • Fleet review. We'll look at how your vehicles are used, daily and annual miles, where you typically fuel and the time of day your vehicles are on the road.
  • EV recommendations. Which current PHEV and all-electric choices could be a good fit for your organization?
  • Total cost of ownership summary. We'll summarize both initial and ongoing expenses for recommended EVs and compare these to your current vehicle costs.
  • On-site charger support. Considering adding chargers at your facility? We'll help you analyze if on-site charging makes sense for your organization and assist you with model selection, installation, ADA compliance, charger location, employee issues and more.

Want to learn more?

Contact your MGE Account Manager or the Business Energy Line at 608-252-7007.