Lack of supply delaying switch to electric vehicles

There are a number of companies wanting to adopt electric vehicles but they are increasingly confronted with a lack of vehicle supply, a new report by the Climate Group reveals.

The Climate Group's EV100 Progress and Insights Annual Report shows that members are making the switch to electric vehicles, with around 80,000 EVs already deployed and over 10,000 charge points installed to date. However, the slow roll-out of electric vehicles from the auto industry is the top barrier to switching their entire fleet, cited by 79% of respondents – up by a third from last year.

Helen Clarkson, CEO, The Climate Group, said: “For years automakers have raised the lack of demand as a problem for moving faster on electric vehicles. Our report shows that big business demand for EVs is increasing but is still not being met by manufacturers. If automakers want to stay competitive, they need to shift to a higher gear on producing EVs – or risk losing their largest customers."

Christine Weydig, Director, Environment and Energy Programs, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, said: “Vehicle availability is a big challenge and as of now we mostly seek to procure American vehicles – and we’re seeing that US manufacturers are much further behind some of their foreign counterparts. As more fleet owners like us look to adopt electric vehicles and expand these fleets, we’ll have the purchasing power to catalyze the US market and domestic manufacturers.”

Jim Massey, Global Vice-President, Global Sustainability, AstraZeneca, said, “There are obstacles we face, such as infrastructure, such as access to the electric vehicles we’re going to bring into our fleet. So we’re putting out there the demand and the need for infrastructure so that all of us – government, other sectors – can help solve this problem together.”