EV myths & misconceptions: What’s fact and what’s fiction?

Many fleet managers continue to ponder a transition to electric vehicles (EVs) as companies seek to reduce costs along with their carbon footprint. However, many remain hesitant about EVs because of the noise and uncertainties surrounding them. Let's examine some of the most common EV misnomers.

#1: EVs are too expensive to adopt. Companies already have much to consider regarding fleet-related expenses, particularly the cost of acquiring new vehicles. It’s no wonder, then, that many fleet managers are uncertain about adding EVs to their fleets, especially since the U.S. federal tax benefit expired in 2025.

While there’s still a price disparity between EVs and internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, the gap is shrinking. In fact, it may not be as wide as most people believe. And when you consider the other costs you save with an EV versus an ICE vehicle, especially over its lifetime, the upfront costs become more bearable.

After adoption, EVs deliver meaningful savings by cutting out the cost of conventional fuel. Consider a fleet vehicle covering 2,000 miles per month at 25 miles per gallon, that's 80 gallons of fuel. If gas prices are at, say, $3 per gallon nationally, that adds up to roughly $240 per month per vehicle. By contrast, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that electricity costs for EV fleets run approximately $0.04–$0.05 per mile, bringing the monthly fuel cost for the same 2,000 miles down to around $80–$100. That's a potential savings of $140–$160 per vehicle every month, and those numbers improve further for fleets that charge overnight at off-peak residential rates.

It's also worth noting that gas prices can be volatile: they jumped sharply in early March 2026 amid Middle East tensions, while electricity prices tend to be far more stable and predictable, making it easier for fleet managers to forecast operating costs.

The cost gap widens even further when you factor in maintenance. A total cost of ownership analysis cited by the International Council on Clean Transportation found that 43 of 54 EV models studied had lower maintenance costs than their ICE counterparts — and all 54 had lower fueling costs. Consumer Reports data, highlighted in a September 2025 analysis by ecoPreserve, puts the gap in stark terms: estimated lifetime maintenance and repair costs average roughly $4,600 for a battery electric vehicle versus $9,200 for an ICE vehicle, a savings of approximately 50%. The reason is straightforward: where a standard ICE drivetrain relies on thousands of moving parts — including spark plugs, a multi-speed transmission, a complex fuel system, and a full exhaust system — an EV drivetrain has roughly 20. That means no oil changes, no timing belts, no exhaust system repairs, and significantly less brake wear thanks to regenerative braking. The primary recurring service costs for EVs are wearable items like tires, wiper blades, and cabin air filters. For a 20-vehicle fleet, those maintenance differences can easily translate to tens of thousands of dollars in savings over the vehicles' lifetimes.

#2: We’ll never recoup the cost of the charging infrastructure. The cost of EV charging infrastructure is significant. (Though there are companies that will install it for free in exchange for a markup on the energy consumed.) But while it will take time to recoup this investment, the timeline may surprise you. Knosp explains that, when you consider the total cost of ownership (TCO), the tipping point is typically around just 18 months—which is when the upfront costs of infrastructure start to pay dividends.

If you’re interested in EVs but hesitant to green-light infrastructure installation, Knosp urges you to consider making the move sooner rather than later. “There are some state and local incentives that could potentially offset the infrastructure costs. However, those incentives have a shelf life,” says Knosp. “Even if you’re just going to trial it, adding charging to your existing business space certainly won’t hurt your property value.”

#3: EV ranges are too low. Range anxiety is real, but it's increasingly at odds with the data. The average new EV now offers close to 300 miles on a single charge, and several 2025–2026 models, including the Chevrolet Silverado EV, Rivian R1S, and multiple Lucid Air trims, exceed 400. That 300-mile threshold is still what many fleet managers consider "the magic number," and the market has now caught up to it.

Meanwhile, most fleet vehicles don't come close to needing that much range on a daily basis. According to Geotab's fleet telematics research, the average light-duty commercial vehicle drives approximately 80 miles per day. Even for fleets with higher daily averages — say, vehicles clocking 100 to 150 miles — a modern EV can comfortably handle that range with charge to spare.

Yes, EVs may not be the right decision for fleet drivers constantly on the move, such as those covering large distances to reach customers in less densely populated states. But for fleets operating in largely urban or suburban areas, an EV should produce zero anxiety.

#4: EVs can’t haul loads. When it comes to loads, EVs can’t meet every need. In fact, a careful evaluation is required, one that goes beyond a manufacturer’s published ranges. That's because many are based on just half the vehicle’s payload capability in 70-degree temperatures. Under those conditions, the hauling capabilities can appear far rosier than what you’re likely to encounter.

Hauling can significantly impact the range of the vehicle, depending, of course, on what you’re hauling and what distance you’re hauling it. In some cases, an EV may not be the best choice, though a hybrid could be.

#5: EV batteries are less reliable and have a shorter lifespan. Lithium-ion batteries have come a long way since the early days of mass-market EVs, when a non-functioning battery could mean a repair worth thousands of dollars—or worse, a junked vehicle. The reality in 2026 is far more encouraging. According to Recurrent's analysis of over 30,000 EVs, outside of recall-related replacements, fewer than 4% of EV batteries have ever been replaced — and among modern EVs (2022 onward), the replacement rate drops below 1%. A Stanford University study published in Nature Energy found that real-world driving is far gentler on batteries than lab testing, meaning batteries were lasting up to 40% longer than earlier estimates had predicted. Many Teslas and other early-generation EVs are now past 200,000 miles, and some fleet vehicles have exceeded 300,000, while still running on their original packs. Geotab's study of over 22,700 EVs found average degradation of about 2.3% per year, meaning the typical battery still retains roughly 82% of its original capacity after eight years of service.

Advancing technology also means that when a battery does develop a problem, it doesn't spell doom for the vehicle. Batteries are, in one respect, like the cylinders in an ICE vehicle. All of the batteries today are built with multiplease packs or modules. If there's something wrong with the battery, diagnostics can identify which module is bad and replace it, just like a bad cylinder in an ICE vehicle. That modular design keeps costs manageable: while a full pack replacement can run $5,000 to $20,000, depending on vehicle size, replacing a single module is significantly cheaper.

#6: EVs aren’t as green as everyone thinks. While EVs have a smaller carbon footprint than ICE vehicles and are overall better for the earth, many question the environmental impact of their lithium-ion batteries, from creation to disposal. When these batteries are done powering a vehicle, though, they aren't destined for a life in the landfill, in fact, they're increasingly valuable. There are companies poised to repurpose these batteries when they're no longer powering a vehicle. They have a usable life post-vehicle for idle power storage, and virtually the entire battery can now be recycled".

The most prominent example is Redwood Materials, founded by former Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel. The company has grown into the largest lithium-ion battery recycler in North America, recovering more than 95% of critical metals — including lithium, cobalt, nickel, and copper — from end-of-life batteries and feeding them back into the supply chain for new EV production. In 2025, Redwood launched a dedicated energy division called Redwood Energy, which repurposes retired EV batteries that still have usable life for grid-scale energy storage, including powering AI data centers. The company had stockpiled more than 1 gigawatt-hour of reusable batteries by mid-2025, with plans to deploy 20 gigawatt-hours of storage by 2028. And Redwood isn't alone: the broader U.S. battery recycling industry is scaling rapidly, with major automakers like BMW, GM, Toyota, and Volkswagen all partnering with recyclers to build closed-loop domestic supply chains.

#7: EVs are just a trend and will disappear when the next fad begins. In the automotive industry, new technologies come and go. So, why aren’t EVs any different?

EVs are here to stay. In fact, the whole industry continues to evolve and improve. There are some emerging technologies that show some true promise. Plus, there's simply too much public and private investment behind EVs for them to be a flash in the pan. EVs are here to stay.”

Tne promising forms of alternative fuel technology include hydrogen fuel cells, a popular choice for trucking fleets because of their lighter weight, and nuclear fusion, which is still years away. In the meantime, the solid-state battery, which could replace the ubiquitous lithium-ion battery due to its increased density, smaller size, and higher range, will soon be commercially viable.

Interested in learning more facts, not fiction, about EVs? Check out more of the content here at the Fleet Studies Lab.