PCOs Not ‘Charged Up’ About Adding EVs to Their Fleet

CLEVELAND – The temptation for PCOs to add electric vehicles to one’s fleet cannot be denied. Fuel is one of the biggest expenses for route-based service businesses like pest control. Why then did only 21 percent of those who responded to PCT’s recent reader poll indicate they have added, or have plans to add, electric vehicles to their fleet?

“Price. I can't justify going out and putting everyone into a Ford Lightning XLT,” said Michael Bosco, owner of SafeHaven Pest Control, Dallas. “I don't know what the current sticker prices are, but you're certainly north of $65,000. I can put [technicians] in a Ford Maverick hybrid, fully loaded, for $40,000 or less. Once [EVs'] price points come down, I absolutely would be all in on doing it.”

Brad Boyd

Brad Boyd, president/owner of Jim Morgan Pest Control, Wichita, Kan., has three trucks and one sales car in his fleet. He’s explored EVs and noted some benefits, but also cited cost as the biggest barrier. “What appeals to me are savings. It’s not just fuel, but the wear and tear that goes with gasoline vehicles – oil changes, tuneups and more,” he said. “We’re in the Midwest and we love our gasoline vehicles, so I don’t know that we will be replacing our current trucks with [EVs], but could we add one as our sales car? I could see us doing that.” 

SafeHaven took part in a pilot program with Merge Electric Fleet Solutions that included the first deployment of a 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning all-electric pickup to the company's business fleet. (He shared some of the savings/benefits in a Merge press release.) Bosco told PCT that he and his team also liked that the Lightning was quieter, accelerated quickly and that the trucks had storage space in front (since there is no engine). He also found the charge sufficient. "That particular Ford Lightning has an extended battery, meaning one charge a day got us 300 miles, which is plenty for us,” he said.

In addition to price, the other major barrier are charging stations. For pest control companies where technicians take their service vehicle home with them every night, it is a big investment to outfit each technician’s home with a charging station. And what about technicians who live in apartments/multi-family dwelling? Also, Bosco added that pest control businesses that store service vehicles in a central location could even run into challenges, like capacity issues.

Jim Carnelli, vice president of pest control, Green Pest Solutions, West Chester, Pa., also cited the cost of outfitting PMPs with charging stations as a barrier. “Being able to take a service vehicle home is a perk of the job - it’s something that is really appealing to technicians. Are we going to provide each of them with a $10,000 charging station?”

Carnelli acknowledged EVs make a lot of sense from an operational standpoint, “but I think hybrid is going to be the road that everybody eventually goes down,” he said, citing the Ford Maverick and Jeep Wrangler as hybrids that work well in the pest control industry.

Sam Tutton, president of Ecoskan Pest Solutions, San Bernadino, Calif., has explored electric trucks, but he’s chosen to stick with traditional options for several reasons. He said, “Charging stations are not readily available for long distance driving; when towing, the charge range drops dramatically in most of the vehicles; battery replacement is cost prohibitive at this time. If not under warranty, the battery cost is extremely high; and ongoing maintenance programs are not as readily available for electric vehicles.”