Fleets will reach %100 EV readiness by combining hardware and software solutions

The power of data becomes more critical in the transition to mobility. In Fleet Week, Virginie Pochat and Matt Dale of ALD Automotive and Frederic Wagner of ChargePoint presented insights about aggregated use of data provided by the combination of ProFleet Service and ChargePoint infrastructure. 

The first challenge for fleets towards becoming %100 EV ready is the process of data gathering. As lease contracts and employee surveys lag behind real-time data, companies must turn to telematics to take advantage of connected technologies. 

Fleet managers need to know how their fleet is utilized to move to a mobility solution, says Dale. ProFleet helps gather vast amounts of data to a single point to be processed and then aggregated into a consistent and coherent format for analysis. The analysis provides critical information to clients to make good decisions. To better provide a tangible business value, ProFleet helps monitor the data according to customer needs. Some fleets focus on tracking driver behaviour while some prioritize tracking charging levels of EVs.

How data helps fleets inefficiency?  

Gathering, processing, analysing and monitoring data will unlock several opportunities for fleets. Activity management will provide real-time vehicle status, turn dwell time into use by calculating charging times and create a personalized dashboard for managers to see which vehicles are most suitable for EV replacement. 

Connected vehicles will give more control over TCO, reduce maintenance time and require less time to capture the mileage. Fleet managers will see the real cost of their fleet and utilize all features including CO2 emission and delivery route planning. 

Up to 90% of employees are still on ICE

Today, 80-90% of the employees are using ICE vehicles due to a lack of charging infrastructure, Pochat says. PHEV appears as a stepping stone towards BEVs, which today are used by early adaptors to commute less than 40 km daily. The changing driver behaviour of employees during the pandemic is also a motivator for new and flexible mobility solutions such as switch products and e-bikes. Companies can also use mobility cards to increase the number of early adopters and enable flexible use of mobility solutions provided by ALD. 

The mindset of customers has changed during the pandemic. Companies must understand their environment by using charging infrastructures as data sources and build their methodology towards new mobility solutions. 

The future requires a holistic charging solution 

The EV charging ecosystem will witness dramatic changes in the coming years as companies are looking for charging solutions at work, public spaces and homes. Wagner says hardware solutions can not provide a full solution. Software must come in to bring an aggregated, holistic approach. 

ChargePoint enables fleet managers to see where and how the vehicles are charging and see if they’re using the right charging solution. Data-driven charging cycles will provide EV drivers with the charging solution they need and fleets will obtain %100 transparency, eventually become %100 EV ready. 

Companies shall integrate all kinds of mobility 

Surely, there will be external challenges for fleets in the transition to mobility. Using the best solutions and building up a good methodology, the fleet will be able to overcome most of it. 

Eventually, companies shall consider integrating all mobility solutions into their fleets. ProFleet provides all data to be used with 6 alternative mobility solutions, combined with more than 200.000 charging stations of ChargePoint across Europe.

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Photos of Virgine Pochat, Senior Consultant, ALD Automotive; Matt Dale, Group EV Business Owner, ALD Automotive and Frederic Wagner, Manager, Fleet Partnerships, ChargePoint.