Costs of electric vehicles in local fleet service

Cost data was analyzed for vehicle fleets of the US Postal Service, the Bell telephone system, and several large electric utilities. Based on the results, comparative costs were projected for electric vehicles (EVs), along with break-even prices for gasoline and for the EVs. Due to the high maintenance costs of conventional vehicles making door-to-door deliveries, EVs should be cheaper for this application, even with current technology and gasoline prices. For EVs making local service calls, like utility vehicles, minor technological improvements are needed.