USCALE study involving N = 1,213 fleet decision-makers provides a detailed picture of commercial fleet electrification in Germany

High costs are becoming less of a concern

Whilst in 2024, 52% of the ‘non-electrifiers’ surveyed cited high vehicle costs as the main reason for their reluctance to electrify, this figure has fallen to just 41% in the latest survey. Respondents now cite having other priorities at present as the main reason for their reluctance. This is good news for the industry.

Strategically planned, tactically invested

56% of companies undergoing electrification report that they are pursuing a long-term strategy in relation to electrification. At the same time, around half of the companies surveyed (48%) are investing only incrementally in order to remain flexible in the face of rapidly evolving charging technology.

Charging infrastructure: AC and DC on a par in terms of expansion

Regardless of company size and vehicle mix, businesses are massively expanding both AC and DC charging solutions. Large companies, however, are placing greater emphasis on DC.

The most important criterion when choosing a solution is scalability (34%), followed by technical features and system interfaces. Large companies prefer full-service providers who supply both hardware and backend systems from a single source.

CMS Gains Ground Over FMS

Whilst the fleet management system (FMS) was clearly the focus in 2024, the importance of charging management software (CMS) is increasing as implementation progresses. The further a company advances in electrification, the more important the integration of both systems becomes. It is striking that 21% of companies can envisage the fleet management system being integrated into the charging management system (2024: 2%).

The most important data interfaces relate to energy and grid management (64%), billing (60%) and deployment planning (53%).

Public charging: price and network coverage are the deciding factors

Acceptance networks, oil companies and CPOs are neck and neck in terms of respondents’ usage preferences. OEM roaming offers are losing ground slightly compared to 2024. Reservation systems are largely rejected by fleets. Price and network coverage are the dominant selection criteria, although fleets have not yet fully switched to a TCO approach.

Quote from Dr Axel Sprenger

“Charging management is no longer an add-on, but is moving to the centre of operational IT architecture. Anyone introducing charging solutions today must consider from the outset how the system will integrate with fleet, energy and ERP systems. At the same time, this paradigm shift opens up many opportunities for providers within the charging ecosystem.”

About the Charging Payment Study 2026

Online survey (CAWI), April 2026, Germany. Total sample N = 1,213 fleet decision-makers, of whom 873 were electrifiers (complete survey) and 340 were non-electrifiers. Recruitment via several panels (Bilendi, Dataforce, moweb, eTrucker platform). Weighting by fleet size.

Further informations:

Press handout on the study
Information on the Fleet Charging Study
Overview of the study contents

Company Abstract

USCALE is a consulting and market research company for electromobility based in Stuttgart, Germany. USCALE’s work is based on customer insights studies on all touchpoints of the e-mobility customer journey. USCALE is the only provider to have a panel specialized in e-mobility with over 10,000 panelists in German-speaking countries. USCALE studies show the pain points of users and the potential for all providers in the electromobility market.

Contact

USCALE GmbH, Silberburgstrasse 112, 70176 Stuttgart, GERMANY, media@uscale.digital