A new survey from the world’s leading automotive partnership highlights strong demand for electric and autonomous fleets, driven by growth of e-commerce and the rising demand for deliveries.

The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi LCV business commissioned the survey to gain insight into thousands of small business owners and decision makers globally. 3,257 global respondents of businesses with between 1 – 49 employees and with turnovers up to and above $100 million turnover took part in the survey, covering a variety of industries within the UK, USA, China, France, Mexico, Australia and Japan.

According to the global data, almost all (93 per cent) of business owners or decision-makers responsible for 50 vehicles or more consider environmental sustainability of high importance, while only 35% of respondents said that business efficiency is their main motivation for adopting new technologies.

Two thirds (66 per cent) of small businesses predict their fleets will be fully electric within the next 20 years, while 50 per cent expect this to happen in half that time.

This development comes at a time when automakers are dramatically increasing their efforts to respond to a growing customer need for sustainable vehicles, as businesses prepare for tighter emissions regulations and seek ways to address climate change.

Groupe Renault has announced that 100 per cent of its vans will be electrified by 2022. The small all-electric Nissan e-NV200 van is seeing a significant upswing in demand, with 2018 production up by 50 per cent compared to the previous year to reach a total of 6,000 units. 

Ashwani Gupta, Senior Vice President of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi LCV business, said: “These results show that the electrification of fleets is increasingly on the minds of our customers – not just for the financial efficiencies that EVs can deliver, but because environmental sustainability is clearly crucial to the future of their businesses. I’m impressed at how optimistic these fleet managers are about the speed in which their vehicles will be fully electrified.

“Renault is the global leader in making vans. Nissan makes great trucks and Mitsubishi are at the top when it comes to the production of frame vehicles. Combined, we are a truly global powerhouse, and working together on connectivity, powertrain developments and autonomous technologies will allow us to meet the rising demands of our customers and their businesses.”

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