New research has found an alarming lack of local investment and awareness regarding the electric vehicle (EV) transition.

Research commissioned by IoT and connected transportation solutions provider Geotab and Political Intelligence, conducted between January and April suggests almost 20% of local authorities have yet to add a single EV to their fleet.

Using Freedom of Information data requests, 113 local authorities across England were selected with 99 responding in time for the report’s publication.

Nearly half of the councils surveyed have yet to set a date for delivering the transition of their fleets to EVs.

Almost 74% of local authorities are still operating fleets comprising more than 90% petrol and diesel-powered Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, according to the poll.

The government has mandated the ‘end of sale’ of petrol and diesel cars by 2030. 

The survey also shows the average electrification rate reported amongst all local authorities is only 4.2%.

Asked about the reasons for not setting EV target dates, respondents cited that the key barriers include the high cost and limited availability for specific types of EVs, such as heavy goods vehicles and buses, along with limited resources to dedicate to support such a transition.

David Savage, Vice President UK and Ireland at Geotab, said: “The findings of this report demonstrate a worrying lack of investment by local authorities across England ahead of the switch to electric at the end of this decade.”

It has been estimated that transport is responsible for nearly 27% of the UK’s emissions.