In an 85-page guide the federal government goes through processes and lessons learned in their journey to electrify their fleet

The federal government is targeting 100 per cent light-duty fleet electrification by 2030.

In order to support this, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering a Greening Government Fleets Program coast-to-coast-to-coast. Now, it’s giving a peek behind the curtain and sharing what it takes to transition a fleet and the mistakes to avoid along the way.

The Green Fleet Best Practices Guide, released earlier this year, is done in partnership with CIMA+, an engineering consulting service. It’s an 85-page report into the federal government’s processes and learnings as they push to meet their fleet electrification target.

“[F]leet decarbonization comes with additional complexities due to varying operating configurations, range requirements, and the state of facility-level infrastructure which can often be undersized, outdated, and unable to meet the newest codes for installing alternative fuelling and charging equipment,” reads the report.

“While this guide cannot offer a one-size-fits-all solution for fleet decarbonization, five necessary elements have been identified for a successful transition.”

Five learnings

The key pillars of advice in the Best Practices Guide are:

1. To make a clear commitment from the organization;
2. Break down silos;
3. Make decisions based on up-to-date information;
4. Procure vehicles and equipment that align with operational needs and
   develop a phased, data-driven plan for future vehicle replacements; and
5. Plan for long-term success

These signposts are what will, generally, stand up an organization’s transition to zero-emission mobility, finds NRCan. In between these umbrella topics are considerations like weather impact on vehicles, access to charging infrastructure, special equipment needs and battery recycling/disposal.

“This guide provides fleet managers with practical strategies to support this shift while recognizing that each fleet’s transition must be tailored to meet specific operational needs and challenges,” reads the report.

“As ZEV technology continues to improve in terms of range and charging capabilities, many current challenges relevant to fleet decarbonization may be minimized or cease to exist entirely in the future.”

To read the full Green Fleet Best Practices Guide, please access it here.