- Compare vehicles against the same payload and duty requirements.
- Make infrastructure allocation and disposal assumptions explicit.
- Show which inputs could reverse the procurement decision.
Compare the same transport job
Two vehicles are only valid alternatives if they can complete the same work. Payload, route, duty hours and access requirements belong in the comparison before purchase price or energy cost. If one option needs an additional vehicle or changes the operating schedule, that effect belongs in the financial model.
Energy Saving Trust's fleet toolkit includes acquisition or lease costs, running costs and charging infrastructure in a whole-life assessment. The business must then make the assumptions specific to its operation. A published efficiency figure or a headline electricity tariff is a starting input, not evidence of the cost a fleet will actually incur.
Separate cash flows from accounting views
For purchased vehicles, show the acquisition cash outflow and an explicit disposal assumption. For leased vehicles, use the actual contractual charges and relevant end-of-term exposure. Avoid counting depreciation and the full purchase cost as separate economic expenses in the same comparison.
Infrastructure needs similar care. A depot installation may serve several generations of vehicles. State the allocation method and show the initial cash commitment separately so that an apparently attractive per-mile figure does not obscure the funding requirement. Include maintenance, software and other recurring costs associated with the charging operation.
Show what would change the answer
Run scenarios for mileage, energy price, charging mix and disposal value. Add disruption costs where they are material and support the assumptions with operating evidence. A result that depends on universal access to a low overnight tariff should be presented differently from one that remains robust with occasional public charging.
The most useful output is the decision boundary. Identify the conditions under which each option works, then assign an owner to validate the uncertain inputs. Refresh the model when quotations or duty cycles change. That creates a practical procurement tool rather than a static justification for an already chosen vehicle.
Show the assumptions that could reverse the decision
- Compare alternatives against the same payload, routes and operating hours. Include additional vehicles or changed schedules where needed.
- Separate the initial cash commitment, infrastructure allocation and disposal assumption so that costs are neither hidden nor counted twice.
- Vary mileage, tariff, public-charging share and exit value. Record the boundary where the preferred option changes and who must validate each input.
Editorial prompts for your operation. Confirm the evidence with the responsible specialists.
Sources & further reading
Energy Saving Trust: Total cost of ownership fleet toolkit ↗
Sources checked 2026-10-14. Corrections and feedback.
