Showerthought: My crew's truck hit 100,000 miles this week and I realized we've driven the distance to circle the Earth four times just for service calls.

It hit me that switching just one van to electric this year could cut our shop's fuel use by a quarter, so has anyone in a small trade made that switch and how's the math working out with charging and range?

3 comments

3 Comments

rivera.simon2mo ago

Honestly, that's a solid idea. The math gets tricky with real world range though, especially with tools draining the battery. Have you found any electric vans that can actually handle a full day of your calls without needing a charge?

jessew8324d ago

You got me thinking actually. I used to be all "range is overrated, just charge at lunch." But you're right about the tools draining the battery, I didn't really consider that. My buddy runs an HVAC service and he had to swap back to gas after a week with an electric van, the compressor killed his range in no time. So yeah, your point about the math getting messy with real world use is spot on. I'm starting to think electric vans are more for light duty stuff, not heavy tool hauling all day.

jenkins.wade2mo ago

Look into the Ford E-Transit with the bigger battery pack.