One size doesn’ t always fit all for commercial fleet decarbonisation
WORDS BY ANBY ALCOMENDAS
Fleet electrification is at the forefront of many organisations’ goals. However, when it comes to light commercial vehicles, this presents a very different challenge.
At the 2026 Fleet Education & Leadership Summit, industry experts and vehicle manufacturers came together for the session " Decarbonisation for Light Commercial Vehicles – the Fit for Purpose Challenge " to explore one of the fleet sector ' s most pressing questions: how do organisations reduce emissions from utes, vans and work vehicles without compromising operational requirements?
While the number of low and zero-emission vehicle options continues to grow, finding solutions that genuinely meet the needs of commercial operators remains a complex task.
The Commercial Vehicle Challenge
Light commercial vehicles account for around 23 per cent of Australia ' s new vehicle market, with dual-cab utes representing more than 80 per cent of that segment. Yet while electric passenger vehicles have achieved strong market penetration, electrification within the light commercial sector remains comparatively low.
Nathan Gore-Brown of of ZEV Integrations noted that while many commercial vehicle applications are technically capable of being electrified today, actual adoption remains limited by a combination of operational, commercial and behavioural barriers. These include vehicle availability, payload and towing requirements, charging infrastructure, range concerns and simple familiarity with existing technologies.
The result is a gap between what is possible and what fleets are currently deploying.
" The uptake is lower than it could be," he observed. Furthermore, he identified education, confidence, and the availability of new vehicle models as critical factors in accelerating adoption.
Purpose-Built Electric Vehicles for Urban Operations
Representing Kia Australia, National Fleet Manager Trent Kontopoulos outlined the company ' s transition from a traditional automotive manufacturer to a provider of sustainable mobility solutions.
Central to Kia ' s strategy is its Platform Beyond Vehicle( PBV) concept, which focuses on modular, purpose-built electric commercial vehicles designed to serve specific business applications rather than attempting to be all things to all operators.
Mr Kontopoulos explained that Kia ' s newly launched PV5 electric van has been developed specifically for urban commercial operations, including trades, delivery services and fleet applications. Built on a dedicated electric platform, the vehicle offers flexibility through modular body configurations and connected technologies designed to improve operational efficiency.
He noted that while electric vehicle adoption is growing rapidly, commercial vans remain heavily dominated by internal combustion engines, with more than 97 per cent of van sales still powered by traditional drivetrains.
However, urban logistics operations are increasingly creating opportunities where battery electric vans can provide a viable and costeffective alternative.
6 ISSUE 59 JUNE 2026 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU