Electric vehicles and hybrids are moving into mainstream Australian fleet operations, with new research suggesting more than half of surveyed organisations already have some level of electrification in their fleet.
The Geotab Report 2026: Connected Fleets in Australia found 55% of respondents said their fleets included EVs or hybrids.
Among respondents reporting the proportion of EVs and hybrids in their fleet, 49% said the vehicles represented between 5% and 25% of the fleet.
A further 28% reported less than 5%, while 23% said EVs and hybrids represented more than 25% of their fleet.
The results point to a market where electrification is increasingly becoming part of normal fleet planning rather than remaining confined to small pilot programs.
Geotab Senior Vice President, Global Markets Sean Killen said the shift was accelerating.
“The shift toward Electric Vehicles (EVs) is no longer a concept for the distant horizon.”
More electrification planned
The research also indicates further adoption is planned.
The report records 14% of respondents planning to increase fleet electrification in under 12 months, with 43% indicating a timeframe of one to less than three years and 34% indicating three to five years.
For Fleet Managers, increasing the number of EVs introduces different operational requirements from simply purchasing an electric vehicle.
Charging availability, daily kilometres, vehicle dwell time, route requirements and energy consumption all become part of the fleet planning process.
That makes operational data increasingly important, particularly where electric and internal combustion engine vehicles need to operate together within the same fleet.
Battery visibility leads reported benefits
The report asked respondents about goals achieved after combining GPS fleet tracking with electric vehicles.
Battery status visibility was the most commonly reported outcome, nominated by 60% of respondents.
Half reported improved sustainability, while 46% reported improved fleet visibility.
A reduction in operational costs was reported by 44%, and 41% reported improved management of daily operations.
Other reported outcomes included improved efficiency at 39%, identifying vehicle electrification suitability at 37%, reducing CO2 emissions at 34% and improved maintenance costs at 25%.
Again, the percentages indicate how many respondents reported the outcome rather than the scale of the improvement.
The battery visibility result is particularly relevant for operational fleets.
Knowing that an EV has sufficient charge for the next allocation can become as important as knowing where the vehicle is located. For pool fleets, field service fleets or vehicles with multiple shifts, state-of-charge information can influence dispatch and charging decisions throughout the day.
The next challenge is choosing the right vehicles
The survey also suggests fleet electrification is moving into a more mature phase.
Early discussions about EV adoption often centred on whether an electric vehicle could perform a particular role. As fleets gain experience, the question is increasingly which vehicles should be electrified first and how they should be operated.
Telematics and utilisation data can help identify vehicles with predictable routes, suitable daily distances and sufficient time at a depot or employee location for charging.
That does not mean every fleet vehicle will be suitable for electrification at the same time.
Vehicle availability, charging infrastructure, payload, towing, remote operations and replacement cycles will continue to influence the transition.
However, with more than half of surveyed organisations already operating EVs or hybrids, electrification is becoming an issue Fleet Managers need to incorporate into mainstream replacement and operational planning rather than treat as a separate sustainability project.
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