2017 was a record year for electric cars. In November last year, the number of fully electric and plug-in hybrid cars on the world’s roads passed 3 million.
Now, in August 2018, electric cars sales are continuing to climb all around the world. So much so, that the number of battery-powered cars on the world’s roads is expected to surpass 5 million before the end of the year. Here, we take a look at some of the factors driving the growth of the EV market and why fleet managers should consider making their fleets electric in the future.

What’s driving the global switch to electric cars?
In December last year, the Tesla-challenging NIO ES8 launched in China. NIO, formerly known as NextEV, is one of several startups that sprung up in China after the introduction of incentives for new-energy carmakers which work to cut China’s reliance on imported oil. 

It’s not just China that’s realizing the potential of electric cars. As governments around the world work to phase out vehicles powered by fossil fuels in a bid to curb pollution, carmakers are rushing to develop zero-emission technologies. Right now, batteries are emerging as the dominant viable alternative to internal-combustion engines.

In the USA, electric car sales are still low, at around 1%, which means that the country is a long way from widespread EV adoption. However, recent breakthroughs in bus production, along with lower battery costs, mean that some American cities have been able to invest in greener electric transport. L.A. is currently leading the way, but other cities are starting to learn about the potential savings of emission and costs, which means that we can expect to see more and more electric cars and alternative modes of transport here in the future.

Driving down emissions
For a while now, the biggest concern about electric cars was that the energy source used to charge them often came from power sources powered by coal-fired plants. These EVs were far from the “zero emissions” ideal. However, more and more countries are now pushing to upgrade their grids with renewable sources of energy, which means that electric cars will produce less and less emissions in the future, making them even more attractive to companies seeking to operate more sustainably.

The future
As it stands, every company stands to benefit from electrifying their fleet of cars as savings can made in terms of both emissions and costs.

Yet, it can be difficult for fleet managers to know where to start. And that’s where our AlphaElectric product comes in. AlphaElectric is flexible and is highly customizable, which means that each AlphaElectric solution is tailor-made to each client’s particular mobility needs.

Using our Mobility Consulting Tool (MCT), our experts carry out a full Electrification Potential Analysis (EPA) which forms the basis of the client’s unique e-mobility solution. The EPA points out exactly where a client can swap out the more traditional combustion engines for EVs in its company fleet. We then offer an end-to-end solution which consists of EVs and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) as well as the relevant charging infrastructure required to run these cars and on-top mobility services. Find out more with our " Three questions to Giuseppe Sacchi" blog article - Alphabet's product manger for eMobility. 

Let us help you electrify your fleet and make electric cars the future!