Merchants Fleet is Leading the Charge
Two of my favorite books of all time are The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell and Crossing the Chasm by Geoffrey Moore. The Tipping Point talks about how little things lead to big things. The best way I can describe an actual tipping point is it’s like magic – when an idea, trend or social behavior crosses a point and becomes mainstream. In Crossing the Chasm, which I read in 1998 as I embarked on my journey through Silicon Valley during the dot.com era, I learned about marketing high-tech products during the early startup period. Crossing the Chasm aligns with the 5-stage technology adoption lifecycle – innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority and laggards.
We are fast approaching a tipping point in the Fleet industry with electric vehicles (EVs) and we will accelerate through the first two phases of the technology adoption life cycle like a GM 1000 horsepower Hummer EV. We will cross the chasm…and fast.
As automakers worldwide plan to spend $185 billion on developing new EVs and advancements in battery technology continue to drive prices down, EVs are finally becoming a viable and sustainable alternative to their gas-powered counterparts. At the same time, corporations are seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint and do their part to reduce the impact of transportation on our environment. And, most recently, the US government has made their electric commitment, too.
At the current moment Merchants is the fastest-growing fleet management company in the industry, and I am pleased to announce our biggest and boldest new initiative ever undertaken – ELECTRIFY FLEET – which is our bold, brave and smart commitment to the future of electrification across the fleet industry and to lead our clients into this new era. We are dedicated to educating, deploying and infusing the fleet industry with EVs. Our commitment is to have 50% of our Mobility fleet electric by 2025, and 50% of our managed clients’ fleets by 2030.
Merchants is committed to being the most electric fleet management company on the planet, and to put each of our clients in a strategically advantaged position to reap the benefits of this transformational technology. It’s our job to find the right EV fleet application for you. EVs may not be a fit for all your current or future fleet applications, but there’s a great chance that EVs can be a solution to achieve your objectives—current and future. Merchants is ready to help.
Welcome to Electrify Fleet.
Brendan P. Keegan
CEO, Merchants Fleet
Why Consider Fleet Electrification?
Electric Vehicle Services Designed for You
Get an expert with a trusted electric vehicle ecosystem on your side
We’re at the tipping point for electric vehicles to find widespread adoption in fleet operations. For the first time ever, electric vehicles are an affordable and sustainable option for fleets who want to reduce their total cost of ownership while contributing to their organization’s corporate social responsibility initiatives.
Decreased fuel & maintenance costs, as well as tax incentives, are making it more affordable to integrate EVs. Merchants Fleet has & is continuing to build the tools and services you need to make a seamless and cost-effective entry into the electric vehicle market. Our ecosystem of partners brings together the best in infrastructure & technology to present a suite of services to help you manage your EVs from acquisition to disposition.
Electric Vehicles Resources
Learn More About How Electric Vehicles Can Benefit Your Fleet
Electric Vehicles in the News
A Curated Source of the Top News Stories Right Now
9/30/2021 – Auto Rental News
Wireless Charging Could Cut EV Fleet Costs in Half
9/28/2021 – Tech Crunch
GM’s electric commercial vehicle unit BrightDrop introduces second, smaller van for Verizon
9/28/2021 – New York Times
Ford Will Build 4 Factories in a Big Electric Vehicle Push
9/22/2021 – Automotive Fleet
Merchants Fleet Hosts Industry Leaders at Fleet Summit
9/15/2021 – Engadget
New York passes law that will ban all gas-powered car sales by 2035
9/14/2021 – Inside EVs
First Production Rivian R1T Rolls Off Assembly Line
9/2/2021 – Barron’s
ChargePoint’s CEO Explains Why the Best Is Yet to Come for EV Charging
9/2/2021 – Electrek
Genesis announces all-electric future, ending new internal combustion models in 2025
8/31/2021 – Wood Mackenzie
Electric vehicle sales to vault over 6 million in 2021
8/18/2021 – Electrek
Tesla is prepping for giant Supercharger expansion ahead of opening the network to other EVs
8/17/2021 – ACT-News
Volvo VNR Electric Makes it East Coast Debut
8/17/2021 – Bloomberg
Biden Pressed to Slash Big-Rig Pollution as Next Climate Target
8/12/2021 – Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne study on costs and benefits of new transportation technologies the most comprehensive to date
8/11/2021 – Inside EVs
FedEx Ground Operators Order 120 XOS Electric Trucks
8/6/2021 – Charged Fleet
Nissan Sets Target of 40% EV Sales by 2030
8/5/2021 – Electrek
Biden to sign executive order for 50% of new cars being electric by 2030, reiterates new point-of-sale EV incentive
8/4/2021 – Green Car Reports
Legislators propose $2,500 federal tax credit for used EVs
8/4/2021 – Tech Crunch
GM is adding two new zero-emission commercial vehicles to its lineup
8/3/2021 – Charged Fleet
Nissan Cuts Price of 2022 Nissan LEAF by $4,000
7/28/2021 – Electrive
Minnesota adopts California emissions standards
7/26/2021 – Electrek
Polestar to double global market and retail presence by year’s end
7/22/2021 – Automotive Fleet
Electrified Vehicles Now Fastest Growing Auto Segment in US
7/22/2021 – Automotive Fleet
Mercedes-Benz to Go All-Electric by 2025
7/20/2021 – Electrek
Elon Musk confirms Tesla plans to open Superchargers to other automakers later this year
7/20/2021 – Investors
Tesla Close To Semi Production; GM Confirms 3rd Electric Truck
7/20/2021 – Bloomberg
Biden Team Sees Chip Supply Gains, Relief Soon for Carmakers
7/20/2021 – Tech Crunch
ChargePoint to buy European charging software startup for $295M
7/20/2021 – Electrek
Tesla could make more money from software subscription than hardware, says analyst
7/19/2021 – Charged EVs
New CEO confirms Honda will go all-electric by 2040
7/15/2021 – Automotive News
GM’s BrightDrop to open first dealership this year
7/14/2021 – Inside EVs
European Commission Proposes Ban For ICE Cars From 2035 On
7/13/2021 – Charged Fleet
Study: Fleets Can Electrify Fleets Faster Than Assumed
7/6/2021 – Charged Fleet
Ford Electric Vehicle Sales and Orders Soar
7/2/2021 – Electrek
GM to source lithium for next-generation EV batteries in US
6/28/2021 – MotorTrend
2024 Honda Prologue: The Brand’s Electric SUV for North America Has a Name
6/22/2021 – Bloomberg
Electric Vehicles Seen Reaching Sales Supremacy by 2033, Faster Than Expected
6/22/2021- Electrek
Audi says it will produce its last internal combustion engine by 2033, only launch new EVs by 2026
6/17/2021 – Electrive
Lincoln to electrify entire lineup by 2030
6/17/2021 – Bloomberg
Volkswagen Readies ‘Massive’ Rejig to U.S. Plans on Biden’s EV Shift
6/16/2021 – Tech Crunch
GM increases EV and AV investments to $35B through 2025
6/10/2021 – Green Car Reports
GM asks EPA for national acceleration of EVs, supports California CO2 targets
6/8/2021 – Electrek
Ford hints at cheaper and smaller electric pickup truck based on new Maverick
6/8/2021 – US Department of Energy
Department of Energy Takes Immediate Action to Shore Up Battery Supply Chain, U.S. Competitiveness and Spur Job Creation
6/1/2021 – Charged Fleet
ELMS Prepares to Bring Class 2-3 Electric Truck to Fleet Market
6/1/2021 – Charged EVs
New report: US transit fleet could electrify by 2035 for an investment of less than $89 billion
5/28/2021 – Charged Fleet
Ford Outlines EV, Tech and Customer Growth Strategy
5/26/21 – Bloomberg
Senate Panel to Advance Electric Car, Clean Energy Tax Credit
5/20/2021 – Automotive Fleet
Ford Reveals More Details on All-Electric 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
5/19/2021 – Inside EVs
US: The Average Cost Of ‘Fuel” Is 60% Lower For EVs Than ICE
5/13/2021 – National Grid
National Grid Join Coalition to Increase EV Charging Across US
5/12/2021 – Charged EVs
Daimler, BMW, bp join to invest in EV charging venture
5/8/2021 – Inside EVs
Half Of US States Have At Least 1,000 Charging Points
5/7/2021 – Green Car Reports
California plan: 80% EVs by 2035, 50-mile plug-in hybrids, tighter tailpipe emissions
5/1/2021 – Forbes
Electric Vehicle Charging: Is It Really Such Big Problem?
4/28/2021 – Electrek
GM launches new partnership to have ~60,000 public chargers from 7 networks on the same app in US & Canada
4/27/2021 – Bloomberg
Ford to Open Battery Research Lab in Electric Vehicle Push
4/23/2021 – Tech Crunch
Honda targets 100% EV sales in North America by 2040
4/22/2021 – Inside EVs
Cadillac Plans To Go All Electric, And It’s Starting Immediately
4/21/2021 – Electrek
12 US governors ask Biden for all new vehicle sales to be 100% zero-emission by 2045
4/19/2021 – Power-Grid
Eversource joins Electric Highway Coalition to expand EV charging across the US
4/19/2021 – Business Insider
Toyota has unveiled the first of 15 new electric vehicle it plans to sell by 2025
4/15/2021 – Bloomberg
Stellantis CEO Vows to Speed Up Carmaker’s Electric Shift
4/12/2021 – Charged EVs
LG Energy to invest $4.5 billion to expand its US battery production capacity
4/10/2021 – Bloomberg
LG, SK Reach $1.8 Billion Settlement to End EV Battery Spat
4/6/2021 – Charged EVs
New study says commercial truck electrification is within reach
4/6/2021 – Tech Crunch
GM to build an electric Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck with more than 400 miles of range
3/31/2021 – Politico
Electric Vehicles and biofuel: Pentagon poised to go greener under Biden
3/31/2021 – Charged EVs
President Biden’s infrastructure plan includes $174 billion for EV programs
3/30/2021 – Bloomberg
Volkswagen’s U.S. Name Change Was an April Fools’ Joke Gone Awry
3/29/2021 – ABB
ABB and Amazon Web Services steer fleets to an all-electric future
3/22/2021 – Tech Crunch
BMW and PG&E team up to prepare the electric grid for millions of EVs
3/21/2021 – New Energy Report
Electric trailer trucks are cheaper to own than diesel
3/17/2021 – Clean Technica
EV Connect Pilots Large US V2G Project
3/17/2021 – MSN
It’s the end of the road for ICE at Audi and Aston Martin
3/16/2021 – Inside EVs
Next Generation Ford Transit Custom To Get All-Electric Version in 2023
3/15/2021 – Tech Crunch
Volkswagen will bring 240 gigawatt hours of battery production capacity to Europe by 2030
3/12/2021 – USA Today
General Motors forms join venture to pursue batteries for longer-range electric vehicles
3/10/2021 – Wood Mackenzie
Commercial electric vehicle charging equipment market worth over $870 billion by 2050
3/10/2021 – Work Truck Online
DOE Sustainable Transportation Strategy Will Succeed with Innovation, Cooperation
3/8/2021 – Inside EVs
Rising EV Sales In The U.S. In February Are Not Just Credited To Tesla
3/3/2021 – FedEx
FedEx Commits to Carbon-Neutral Operations by 2040
3/2/2021 – American Electric Power
AEP, Five Others Plan To Add EV Fast Chargers Creating Electric Highway Coalition
3/1/2021 – Automotive News
Volvo to be electric-only brand by 2030; EVs will be sold exclusively online
2/25/2021 – City of Santa Monica
LACI Launches First-In-Nation Zero Emissions Delivery Zone With City of Santa Monica and Partners Including Nissan, Ikea
2/23/2021 – The Washington Post
USPS selects Oshkosh Defense to build greener mail truck
2/21/2021 – IHS Markit
EV registrations exceed 2% of overall US market share in December
2/16/2021 – Charged Fleet
Corporate Action On Electric Vehicles Doubled in 2020
2/16/2021 – The Boston Globe
Massachusetts to Subsidize Electric Trucks in Expansion of Rebate Program
2/11/2021 – Tech Crunch
Planning 500,000 charging points for EVs by 2025, Shell becomes the latest company swept up in EV charging boom
2/9/2021 – Automotive World
Kia unveils roadmap for transformation, focusing on EVs and mobility solutions
2/4/2021 – Electrek
Ford doubles electric vehicle investment to $22 billion through 2025
2/2/2021 – Wall Street Journal
Auto Makers Abandon Challenge to California on Emissions Rules
2/2/2021 – PR News Wire
Merchants Fleet Slated to be BrightDrops First Fleet Management Customer, Second Major Customer Overall
1/28/2021 – Green Car Reports
GM’s all-electric pledge: No tailpipes by 2035, net-zero carbon by 2040
1/27/2021 – Reuters
Biden Wants to Replace U.S. Fleet Vehicles with American-Made EVs
1/25/2021 – Inside EVs
Shell to Acquire Ubitricity – The UK’s Largest Charging Network
1/19/2021 – The Guardian
Electric car batteries with five-minute charging times produced
1/15/2021 – Automotive Fleet
Electric Vehicle Fleet Sales Likely to Grow in 2021
1/12/2021 – CNBC
GM unveils EV van as part of new commercial business unit
1/11/2021 – Electrek
Lordstown claims more than 100,000 pre-orders for its electric pickup truck
1/8/2021 – General Motors
To Advance Zero-Emissions Future, GM Invites “Everybody In”
1/7/2021 – Autosphere
Geotab Drives Electrification Forward with Launch of Geotab Energy
1/4/2021 – Morningstar
Workhorse Receives Purchase Order from Pride Group Enterprises for 6,320 C-Series All-Electric Delivery Vehicles
1/4/2021 – Engadget
Massachusetts plans to ban the sale of new gas-powered vehicles by 2035
12/29/2020 – Automotive Fleet
Electric Last Mile Solutions is Bringing Electrification to E-Commerce Delivery
12/21/2020 – WARL Tech Wire
Startup Spotlight: EV startup picks Charlotte for US headquarters, plans 150 jobs
12/18/2020 – Green Car Reports
Canoo’s $33,000 Electric Delivery Van Aims for Efficiency and Ownership Costs
12/16/2020 – Bloomberg New Energy Finance
Battery Pack Prices Cited Below $100/kWh for the First Time in 2020, While Market Average Sits at $137/kWh
12/10/2020 – E&E News
An all-EV government fleet? It’s possible, report says
12/3/2020 – Electrek
Daimler announces $85 billion investment, mostly toward accelerating electrification
12/2/2020 – Bloomberg
Biden’s Charging Plan Could Sell 25 Million EVs
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