Aiding the EV transition with Teletrac Navman
Barney Goffer of Teletrac Navman
Fleet management solutions provider Teletrac Navman has explained how its Electric Vehicle Evaluator can assist fleet operators in their adoption of electric vehicles.
“The electric vehicle transition is on the agenda of numerous fleet businesses globally with governments still keen to follow through with their ZEV mandates and decarbonisation timelines,” said Barney Goffer, UK product manager at Teletrac Navman.
“The lobbying by the motor industry for a relaxation of the rules hasn’t changed the deadline so far, so it’s important that fleet managers look at the implications of integrating alternative energy vehicles across their fleet.
“In a recent survey by Teletrac Navman (TS24) 79 per cent of respondents expect more than half of their fleets to be using alternative fuels in the next five years, with almost half of respondents saying they are at the middle stages of their decarbonisation plans.
“When starting to plan a transition, knowing the vehicles that you could change, the best vehicles to consider for your type of operation, total cost of ownership projections, and the required charging infrastructure, are just some of the important streams of data that fleet managers need to create a clear path to transition, with understanding of the financial outlay.”
This is where fleet management platforms and integrations can play a pivotal role in the planning and implementation of the transition to an electric fleet, says Barney; telematics data is key for efficient mapping.
“Teletrac Navman’s Electric Vehicle Evaluator (EVE) is one such integration and combines with fleet management platforms to give fleet managers the means to transition effectively,” he said.
“EVE analyses a wide range of telematics data including trip data, vehicle duty cycles, the type of roads travelled, and dwell times. It then feeds that analysed data in three pivotal features that will allow fleet managers to drive the transition towards reduced carbon emissions for their business.
“These features include a feasibility planner, which allows fleet managers to identify vehicles within their fleet that can transition to electric based on their ability to complete daily activities, plus the most cost-efficient combination of battery types and charger powers.
“This enables fleet managers to adjust modelling based on cargo load and also factors such as auxiliary power requirements.”
Another feature of the tool is infrastructure design, that uses predictive analytics to model the most cost-effective charging infrastructure to support an electric vehicle transition plan.
“This has the capability to factor in weather conditions, different charger powers, site charge fuse limits and varying base load and consequently build a custom infrastructure that will keep fleet operations moving,” said Barney.
A financial planner is also available, with a detailed costs analysis module that compares vehicle ownership costs between internal combustion and electric vehicles.
“The tool provides a detailed overview of the vehicles that are more cost effective to transition to EV, and provides a rollout plan, factoring in current vehicle replacement times and an overview of Capex requirements to support the transition plan.
“EVE learns how your fleet operates and identifies the vehicles you can transition to electric without disrupting the way you work – allowing you to maintain operational excellency while progressing towards net zero goals.”
