Switching a fleet to electric is really a bet that lower running costs will repay a higher purchase price and the cost of charging infrastructure. This calculator lays that bet out in the open — the per-mile energy and maintenance deltas that decide it, the charger install honestly amortized across the fleet, and the year the electric vehicles break even.
The per-mile deltas that decide it
Two numbers drive almost everything: energy cost per mile and maintenance cost per mile. Energy is price divided by efficiency — electricity ÷ mi/kWh for the EV, fuel ÷ MPG for combustion. At typical 2026 commercial rates an electric van runs around $0.06 a mile on energy against roughly $0.17 for gas or diesel.
Maintenance widens the gap. The DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center benchmarks scheduled EV maintenance about 40% below a combustion vehicle — no oil changes, fewer moving parts, and regenerative braking that spares the pads. Multiply both deltas by your annual miles and you get the yearly operating savings that repay the EV's higher sticker price.
Charger install is the swing factor
The purchase-price gap is visible; the charging install is the cost fleets underestimate. Depot chargers, electrical panel upgrades, and utility service work are a one-time capital outlay that this tool amortizes across every vehicle — a $60,000 install over ten vans adds $6,000 to each EV's effective upfront cost.
That single line item often moves breakeven by a year or more, which is why the calculator compares the case with and without it. Utility make-ready programs and charger rebates, where available, blunt the impact — model them in the incentive field.
Incentives, resale, and the 45W sunset
The federal 45W commercial clean-vehicle credit — worth up to $7,500 for lighter vehicles and $40,000 for heavy ones — ended in 2025. Fleet cases built on it no longer apply, but many states and utilities still offer purchase or infrastructure incentives; enter any per-vehicle amount to see how much it pulls breakeven forward.
Resale is the other wildcard. This tool recovers a share of each vehicle's price at the end of your horizon, applied evenly to both drivetrains. EV residuals were historically softer, but improving battery-longevity data is closing the gap — if you expect a different outcome, adjust the resale percentage and watch the fleet TCO shift.