How Fluvius is redefining its Fleet Management

Managing the EV transition of 150 vehicles across Flanders. Between electrification deadlines, budget pressure, employee expectations, that is quite the task. Now imagine having to do that on 4000+ vehicles, including utility vans. Even more impressive isn’t it? That’s the challenge Dries Dennequin, Fleet Manager at Fluvius, has been taking on for the past 7 years.

Keeping control of the costs and reducing CO2 emissions

Fluvius is going all-in on decarbonising its fleet, with clear and ambitious milestones:

• 1,400 company cars fully electric by 2030,
• 800 service vans by 2030,
• and full electrification of all technical vans by 2040.

The company is already halfway on the car side, with 750 EVs and 581 PHEVs (plug-in hybrdi vehicles) on the road. But managing a utility fleet is the real challenge. Technical vans require specific configurations, carry specialised equipment, and operate in unpredictable field conditions. Market availability for electric models is still maturing.

As Dries puts it: “Electrifying vans is not copy-paste from company cars. Market availability is still catching up, and range depends heavily on configuration and equipment.”

For this reason, Fluvius is adopting an approach of deploying electric vans per use case, only where it really makes sense for now. At the same time, there is financial pressure as EV purchase prices continue to rise while residual values are trending lower, and investment in charging infrastructure keeps climbing. Fluvius is evaluating every total cost of ownership (TCO) with precision by reducing unnecessary mileage, reassessing benefit cars, and challenging long-held assumptions.

“Electrification brings rising costs. Purchase prices go up while residual values go down. So we have to make smart decisions and evaluate where we can drive fewer kilometers” Dries explains.

This transition is pushing towards a rethink of mobility. The old mindset of having “one car for each employee” is not possible anymore. Instead, Fluvius is now moving towards “the right mobility solution for each role”, showing a modern, flexible approach that aligns cost control with sustainability and employee expectations.

With trust disappears fear

EV resistance is another challenge that still exists (even in an energy company), and Dries has noticed a pattern: When drivers have the right information, most concerns disappear. Fluvius has since then been investing heavily in internal education to remove as many concerns as possible mainly related to:

• Range anxiety
• Home charging reimbursement
• Capacity tariffs
• Public vs. home charging costs
• Impact on personal energy bills

“When employees are well-informed, most of the resistance disappears. Clear information remains the most powerful tool we have.” insists Dries

In short? Teaching, explaining, and guiding is key.

Access to charging infrastructures

The company already operates 600+ charging points across 12 sites and is providing employees with home chargers when requested. Their focus is on:

• Avoiding queues at office chargers
• Ensuring rotation without hard restrictions (to keep adoption positive)
• Monitoring charging costs between home, public, and company sites
• Identifying expensive or inefficient charging sessions
• Tracking kWh consumption per vehicle

This is where data-driven fleet management becomes essential. The days of simply reimbursing fuel cards are gone. For an efficient EV strategy, it is required to monitor when, where, and at what cost every kWh is consumed.

EVs aren’t more expensive in terms of damages and insurance.

Fluvius has not seen higher damage or insurance costs for EVs compared to ICE vehicles. Good news for any fleet manager pitching electrification internally. In general, contrary to persistent myths, as more safety features have been implemented in EVs and connected vehicles, driving these cars can now even preventing some incidents and accidents.

Energy management as a new skill on their résumé.

With the introduction of EVs, fleet management has been turning into an energy discipline. Charging windows, capacity tariffs, dynamic pricing, AC vs. DC charging, reimbursement policies… these topics weren’t part of their vocabulary 6 years ago. They can easily be overwhelming for fleet professionals getting started with electrification.

“Today, fleet management also means understanding energy. Dynamic rates, capacity tariffs, home charging… Drivers need guidance, and we need to provide it.”

But as Dries puts it, communication is key:

“Involve employees in the EV implementation process as much as possible, and share as much clear information as possible.”

Transparency reduces frustration, education reduces fear, and a solid home charging policy eliminates 80% of operational questions. Your fleet team does not yet fully understand the energy side of EVs? It might be time to invest in trainings.

The Mobility Budget remains a talent magnet

Next to the fleet, Fluvius introduced the mobility budget two years ago to offer a wider mobility choice, and the demand keeps on growing. Younger talent, employees living the big city life, and increasingly hybrid workers are rethinking their mobility. Some prefer a smaller car as part of their pillar one, others a multimodal solution, and many simply don’t want the burden of a company car anymore. The mobility budget also helps them choose how they commute and when, based on the amount each employee is given.

“Not everyone wants a company car anymore. A mobility budget lets employees make choices that fit their lifestyle. And that differentiates us and makes us more attractive as an employer.” concludes Dries.

👉 Learn more about the mobility budget here