Most electrification projects start in the wrong place
One of the most common questions I'm asked is:
"Can you recommend an electric ute with 450 km of range?"
By the time an organisation is asking that question, many of the decisions that matter most have already been made.
As an engineer I have a lot of sympathy for this solutioneering approach; we have a problem, we should apply solutions!
But what often emerges with this approach is that across the business there’s only a vague understanding of the problem, “we need electric vehicles”, but not a clear understanding of why they’re needed, and so the choices are only partially informed.
Consider two different reasons why a business would want to convert their operations to electric:
“Now that we have solar and Greenpower our next largest greenhouse gas emissions come from our vehicle fleet. Reducing those emissions is the next step on our journey”
“We’re having a lot of difficulty getting diesel mechanics to site, and so preventative tasks are being missed and breakdowns increasing. Converting those machines to electric could solve a bunch of problems”
These are both valid reasons to electrify, but they lead to completely different strategies.
If your goal is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as quickly as possible, the logical place to start is with the highest-emitting vehicles or processes. Focus your effort where it will have the greatest impact and look for technologies that deliver the largest emissions reductions first.
If, instead, your challenge is workforce capability or the availability of specialist trades, the analysis changes completely. Rather than asking which vehicles emit the most carbon, you should be asking which assets place the greatest demand on scarce skills. Which vehicles require diesel mechanics? Which could instead be maintained by a fitter and turner or a more readily available workforce? The answer to that question may lead you to prioritise an entirely different part of the fleet.
Organisations electrify for many different reasons, and most have more than one objective. Understanding which of these matters most is the foundation of every good electrification strategy.
Common drivers include:
Reducing operating costs through lower energy, fuel and maintenance costs.
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions to meet sustainability goals or decarbonisation commitments.
Improving energy security and resilience by reducing dependence on delivered fuels, diversifying energy sources or generating electricity on-site with solar and battery storage.
Addressing workforce constraints, such as shortages of diesel mechanics or specialist operators.
Improving safety by reducing hazardous tasks, fuel handling or workplace risks.
Improving process quality, where electric equipment offers better control, consistency or reliability.
Meeting regulatory or policy requirements, whether driven by government mandates, customer expectations or corporate targets.
Creating commercial opportunities, such as attracting customers, supporting other parts of the business or strengthening the organisation's brand.
None of these reasons are inherently better than the others. The important thing is that everyone involved understands which objectives matter most, because those priorities will influence almost every decision that follows.
In a small business, aligning on these priorities can be as simple as a conversation over lunch. In a large, complex organisation, however, different departments often have different objectives. Without agreeing on the overall purpose of the electrification program, it's easy for well-intentioned decisions to work against each other.
One problem I see regularly is engineering teams recommending larger electrical connections to improve reliability and operational resilience, while finance teams focus on minimising upfront capital expenditure. Both are valid objectives, but without first agreeing on why the organisation is electrifying, it's impossible to know which outcome should take priority.
For example, a fleet team focused on reducing emissions might recommend replacing the oldest diesel vehicles first, while the finance team prioritises assets with the lowest whole-of-life cost, and operations simply want to minimise disruption to service delivery. Each recommendation is reasonable in isolation, but without an agreed set of priorities, the organisation can end up pulling in three different directions.
Before you start asking which vehicles to buy or how many megawatts of network capacity you need, take the time to answer a much simpler question: Why are we electrifying?
Make sure everyone involved in the program understands the answer and is aligned on the priorities. Every decision that follows—from vehicle selection and charging infrastructure to procurement and investment—will be easier, more consistent and more defensible.
The best electrification projects don't begin with technology. They begin with purpose.