Key factors to consider in an EV adoption strategy
Through looking at the maximum range a vehicle completes in one day, you are able to choose what kind of EV you require. Range anxiety is often cited as one of the main reasons fleets have not yet switched to EVs, as they do not want their drivers to be stranded without access to charging facilities. Analyzing the maximum distance driven by a vehicle provides an immediate pass/fail gate when considering an electric vehicle.Understanding the current costs associated with the vehicle you are looking to replace can help facilitate choosing an EV that will save you money in the future. Keep in mind it costs less to run an EV than it does to run a conventional vehicle. Understanding your expenses today and comparing that to the future costs of the electric vehicle can help you understand if you will break even, or even reduce the fleet budget, by switching to electric vehicles.
Understanding vehicle dwell, where the vehicle sits and for how long, helps answer the third objection to electric vehicle adoption, which is charging. How many charging stations are required and where should they be placed? The purchase and implementation of charging infrastructure is often difficult to assess at the outset, with early adopters of EVs learning some valuable lessons.
Electric vehicle fleet management
Electric fleet management and traditional fleet management have many similarities, but also a few differences. While you will want to continue monitoring traditional fleet metrics such as utilization, there are brand-new metrics to monitor with EVs, such as State of Charge, charging session details and for plug-in hybrids, electric miles versus gasoline miles.A telematics solution should provide a platform where you can monitor your EVs and conventional vehicles together. There are four distinct benefits to having everything under one roof; optimizing electric range through fuel efficiency measurement, reporting on charging activities, using real-time information to make decisions about your fleet, and EV diagnostics, which are key for monitoring a vehicle’s health.
Conclusion
As electrification continues to become a priority to save fleets on fuel costs and reduce carbon emissions, it is key to have a telematics platform that can provide all the necessary tooling to monitor your conventional vehicles and your electric vehicles. By having all your information in one place, you are empowering your fleet managers to optimize the fleet usage and ensure that you are getting the maximum return on investment from your electric fleet.About Geotab
Geotab is advancing security, connecting commercial vehicles to the Internet and providing Web-based analytics to help customers better manage their fleets. Geotab’s open platform and Marketplace, offering hundreds of third-party solution options, allows both small and large businesses to automate operations by integrating vehicle data with their other data assets. As an IoT hub, the in-vehicle device provides additional functionality through IOX Add-Ons. Processing billions of data points a day, Geotab leverages data analytics and machine learning to help customers improve productivity, optimize fleets through the reduction of fuel consumption, enhance driver safety, and achieve strong compliance to regulatory changes. To learn more, please visit www.geotab.com/government or email us at government@geotab.com.
