EVs: easing the transition
Andrew Tavener, head of marketing at Descartes, discusses the role telematics can play in the shift to electric vehicles
The composition of fleets is rapidly evolving, driven by tougher legislation, as well as to gain environmental, financial and operational benefits.
With pressure mounting from the government, customers and environmental groups for companies to improve on the sustainability of their operations, it is no wonder that so many are turning towards transitioning to an electric vehicle (EV) fleet, with some of the UK’s large commercial fleet operators already committing to converting to EVs by 2030.
But how can this transition be made with minimal disruption to existing operations?
Although the option of introducing EVs to a fleet brings a host of benefits – notably a reduction of carbon emissions and a more varied mix of vehicles – businesses must be sure to implement processes and systems that can help to maximise the investment and capacity effectively.
For example, how can EVs be used effectively in the increasing number of clean air zones? How can fleet managers ensure they have the delivery capacity and range required in the vehicles used? Or, how can fleet managers continue to monitor and improve driver behaviour if their existing software solution does not support EVs?
Software must be adaptable to the future regardless of the mix of vehicles used, and this must be organised ahead of the transition to new EVs to avoid disruption.
Whether you are moving to a full fleet of EVs or just adding a few into the mix, the vehicles need to be fully supported by the route optimisation, scheduling and telematics systems. EVs have unique metrics that must be taken into account to optimise performance, range and – ultimately – get more out of the investment in EVs.
Choosing the right telematics solution will help to ease this transition process. It is vital that the telematics supports all major manufacturers, makes and models of EVs and so this should be a key consideration when choosing a telematics provider.
Ultimately, the ideal provider would be compatible with all EVs as well as other types of vehicles that may already exist in the current fleet, or be introduced in the future.
Telematics is crucial to ensure that fleet managers gain valuable insights from an operating cost and safety point of view, but also gain the additional benefits specific to EVs of energy usage reports, charging history, live current status range and notifications of a low battery – all vital to continue to run efficiently and demonstrate real gains in sustainable credentials.
Armed with this, idle time and wasted hours after an EV may have run out of charge can be eliminated, as it allows fleet managers – and drivers – to plan ahead and take steps to plan routes and deliveries more effectively.
In addition, by using telematics solutions, insight can be gained on the fleet usage to see which vehicles in the current fleet would be best to swap to an electronic drive train. Using these insights makes decision-making in process in adopting new EVs easier.
When beginning a transition to an EV fleet, it is clear that there are potential benefits to be made. However, without implementing the correct processes and systems prior to this, it could cause disruption to delivery operations.
Without having access to a routing and scheduling system that can plan deliveries with the range and capacity considerations for each vehicle type combined with GPS tracking and real-time battery status of an EV, drivers could be left out of charge and unable to complete their journey in the required time.
Accurate data is vital: vehicle location and status, diagnostics and energy usage as well as driver behaviour. Having access to this data allows fleet managers to make more effective decisions based on facts and insight – easing the transition to EVs.
