What are the key steps to successful fleet greening?

In France, road transport is responsible for nearly 30% of greenhouse gas emissions. Company vehicle fleets account for a significant portion of these emissions.

Since 2019, to address climate challenges, the government has established a regulatory framework aimed at accelerating the energy transition of company fleets by relying on several mechanisms, thus requiring companies to rethink their mobility and commit to greening their fleets .

Reminder of current regulations concerning the greening of vehicle fleets

The LOM Law

Adopted in 2019, the Mobility Orientation Law (LOM) requires companies with fleets of more than 100 vehicles to include a quota of low-emission vehicles (LVEs) when renewing their fleets. From 2021, the Climate and Resilience Law (published in the Official Journal on August 24, 2021) further strengthens the objective of greening fleets.

The imposed quotas change in stages:

• 40% in 2027
• 70% by 2030

These quotas apply to fleets owned outright, leased on a long-term basis and made available during the calendar year.

The vehicles taken into account in these quotas are:

• Vehicles in category M1 (passenger cars)
• Vehicles in category N1 (light commercial vehicles)
• Vehicles with a maximum authorized weight of 3.5 tonnes or less

Penalties for failure to comply with quotas for very low emission vehicles

Since the adoption of the finance law on March 1, 2025 , a new tax has been in place: the annual incentive tax on the acquisition of low-emission light vehicles (TAI). This new tax now penalizes companies that do not meet the following objectives:

The amount of this tax is progressive. From March 1, 2025, it will be calculated on the basis of a unit amount (€2,000 in 2025, potentially rising to €5,000 in 2027), multiplied by two factors:

1. The number of vehicles missing to reach the target of integrating light low-emission vehicles (15% in 2025).
2. The annual renewal rate of the company's high-emission light vehicles

Case study for a company with 1000 internal combustion engine vehicles in its fleet.

For a fleet of 1,000 100% thermal vehicles, renewed by a third each year, we have estimated the total amount of penalties over the period 2025-2027, according to four scenarios.

Scenario 1	Scenario 2	Scenario 3	Scenario 4
0 VFE introduced	50 VFE/year	100 VFE/year	150 VFE in 2025 30 VFE in 2026 70 VFE in 2027
749 100 €	285 600 €	23 000 €	0 €

The optimal scenario, allowing for the avoidance of penalties, would consist of deploying:

•  150 VFE by 2025
• 50 in 2026
• 125 in 2027

This trajectory must, however, remain realistic, preserve operational continuity and guarantee the well-being of employees.

The challenge is not to rush, but to proceed strategically in order to achieve a controlled and sustainable energy transition.

What are the key steps to successfully greening your vehicle fleet?

Many companies view electrification as simply acquiring electric vehicles. In reality, it's a comprehensive transformation affecting the fleet, its day-to-day management, energy supply methods, and sometimes even the operational organization of activities related to vehicles.

Without rigorous preparation, this transition can quickly turn into a cost center and a source of constraints and dissatisfaction for employees, rather than a lever for performance, energy transition and budget optimization.

To make your greening plan and a true strategic asset, certain steps are essential.

1. Conduct an audit of the electrification potential of the vehicle fleet

Many companies believe that integrating electric vehicles is not suited to the company's needs and that it risks becoming a constraint rather than a positive development.

However, a detailed analysis of daily journeys as part of an audit can identify vehicles whose usage is compatible with the range of an electric vehicle. It is also possible to estimate the necessary charging times, particularly the charging required while traveling on long journeys.

To guarantee reliable audits and define scenarios truly tailored to your company's needs, several essential criteria are analyzed:

• The average real-world driving range threshold to consider based on the types of vehicles already included in your car policy
• The frequency with which this threshold is exceeded during the year by each of your vehicles
• The number of charging sessions that would be carried out while roaming by each vehicle, assuming it were replaced by an electric vehicle
• The time lost during these emergency recharges
• The operational impact of switching to an electric vehicle on employee activity

This analysis goes beyond simple estimates; it's based on your actual usage data. By leveraging fuel card transactions, route schedules, and toll data, it's possible to achieve sufficient accuracy to identify vehicles truly compatible with electrification.

Reality often shows, despite preconceived notions, that the distances travelled daily are compatible with the range offered by electric vehicles available on the market.  

This audit can also highlight the incompatibility of assigning an electric vehicle to an employee. Indeed, frequent long-distance travel needs can also impact operational activity and lead to decreased profitability, particularly due to the need for charging while traveling. For these vehicles, other options could be considered, such as alternative energy sources.

2. Rethinking the Car Policy

In parallel, it is necessary to develop an electric vehicle policy that aligns with the project. Among the criteria to consider when choosing models, the following are particularly important:

• Real autonomy consistent with the previously identified travel needs;
• Charging performance, in terms of power, adapted both to the infrastructure available on site or at employees' homes and to any potential needs for fast charging while traveling;
• TCO optimization factors that make fleet electrification economically relevant: eco-scored vehicles, consumption, maintenance costs…

Of course, the models chosen must also meet the operational needs related to the type of activity: volume, payload, comfort, etc.

3. Determine the required number of charging stations (EVCI – Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure)

A fleet electrification project must necessarily include charging options at the vehicles' usual parking locations. Indeed, relying primarily on roaming charging makes the economic equation for electric vehicles less compelling. This also leads to significant time losses, whereas charging stations at the parking location save time compared to refueling internal combustion engine vehicles.

The cost of installing charging stations is a significant expense in a fleet electrification project, often borne by facilities or building services rather than by the fleet itself. Therefore, it is essential to anticipate this cost and size the installations accordingly before any deployment.

This involves evaluating:

• Actual fleet usage : number of vehicles to be recharged per site, simultaneity of charges, average duration of stops, vehicle rotation times, seasonality and peak activity.
• The actual power required : avoid costly oversizing, define the optimal power of charging points, ensure consistency between the power of terminals and the power accepted by vehicles, find the right balance between slow (AC) terminals for long charging and fast (DC) terminals for occasional needs.
• The electrical capacity of the sites : available power, internal network constraints, potential reinforcement needs, or creation of new delivery points (PDLs). These factors can have a significant impact on the final cost and installation time.
• Compatibility with fleet evolution : projections for 3, 5 and 10 years, anticipation of the increase in the number of electric vehicles, modularity of the infrastructure and anticipation of any civil engineering work to avoid subsequent additional costs.
• Optimization solutions : smart charging to smooth power demand, energy storage to reduce consumption peaks, scheduling of charging during off-peak hours to lower the cost per kWh and relieve the grid, self-consumption of solar energy.

Taking these parameters into account not only ensures operational continuity, but also preserves the overall profitability of the greening project, while avoiding future bottlenecks.

4. Plan the energy transition of your vehicle fleet

The transition to electric vehicles cannot be improvised. It requires a multi-year plan that progresses at the same pace on three axes: compliance with the objectives of the LOM law, the deployment of compatible electric vehicles and the progressive installation of charging infrastructure.

This coordinated approach allows for:

• To calibrate the number of electrified vehicles per site and per year according to regulatory quotas, actual uses and operational constraints;
• To anticipate the provision of charging stations and the installation of future stations by pre-equipping your parking lot;
• To control the TCO of its fleet over the long term;
• To preserve the balance between sites, taking into account specific constraints and testing feasibility in a multi-site context.

5. Train and involve the drivers

Employee buy-in is a key factor in the success of a fleet electrification project. However, this change can sometimes generate resistance: people often imagine that electric vehicles mean endless charging, more frequent and longer stops, and a driving style that's difficult to adapt. Venturing into the unknown can sometimes create a natural sense of apprehension.

In some companies, the company car is also a benefit in kind, or even a strategic tool for building team loyalty. Therefore, there is no question of compromising employee well-being or creating a sense of loss.

Involving stakeholders from the outset of the project helps minimize resistance and address concerns. By leveraging real-world data on usage and distances traveled, the frequency of charging required while roaming, and including exceptional journeys, you can, through the preliminary audit, provide concrete evidence that electric vehicles are compatible with your business and reassure stakeholders about their operational impact.

The transition to electric vehicles also requires acquiring new habits. Simple actions can be integrated into training to maximize efficiency and reduce obstacles:

• Practice eco-driving: adopt a smooth driving style, limit sudden accelerations and anticipate braking to optimize range.
• Plan your routes: identify in advance the charging needs while traveling and the charging stations available along the route.
• Charge intelligently: estimate the charge level needed to reach the target and avoid charging to 100% unnecessarily, especially if on-site charging is planned. This reduces waiting time and costs while preserving the battery's lifespan.
• Manage charging times: take advantage of planned downtime (meetings, breaks, returns to the usual parking spot) to optimize charging and limit interruptions in activity.

To encourage a smooth adoption of electric vehicles, you can opt for a phased rollout, starting with volunteers or ambassadors (managers, HR, influential figures). This allows you to lead by example and create a positive ripple effect, while maintaining employee satisfaction and engagement.

Get support from a fleet manager specializing in greening

Do you want support in greening your vehicle fleet to comply with regulations while optimizing the costs associated with this transition?

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