Fleets recognise that the time to start the electric journey for both cars and vans is now, according to head of direct and municipal sales Stephen Gafson.

However, there is a clear split, he believes.

Everyone knows where they need to get to and by when, certainly in terms of the Government-imposed deadlines. But some are well-advanced on their journey; others are just starting out.

Then there are those who know where they need to go, but don’t know how to do it.

“The last 12 months has seen our role change dramatically,” Gafson (pictured) said. “We are acting much more as a consultancy now, especially on the charging side in terms of home, public and workplace.”

Ford lead delivery business development manager Andy Hill added: “They are all talking about electric, but some are talking about having one more diesel cycle first. That’s a senior management decision, but they have to be on the path to electric.”

Gaps remain in the product portfolio, particularly serving the needs of fleets that have towing requirements.

“This is the big challenge,” said Gafson.

“It’s a case of having the right vehicle for each job – do vehicles have to tow and how often? Fleets could switch some to EV and have one or two diesel vehicles for occasional towing.”

The launch of Ford Fleet Management with its full service leasing proposition has brought in a lot of new business – “it’s the strongest proposition we’ve ever had,” said Gafson.

It has also enabled Ford to put greater focus and resource into improving uptime, assisted by the acceleration in connected data and telematics.

“This allows proactive vehicle management and reduces the risk of failure or breakdown,” said Gafson.