Time to connect your EV

Price is an important factor for fleet managers looking to add electric vehicles to their line-up. But managing electric fleets also requires new solutions and services. Here’s how telematics and connectivity can make your life easier if you drive an EV or you manage an EV fleet.

If you’re considering getting an EV, connectivity options are definitely another aspect to keep an eye on, alongside more traditional criteria like price and range.

The telematics marketplace is crowded and growing. It is impossible to list all telematics companies and all their solutions but below you find a representative sample of what’s available. It is important to note that the off-the-peg services and solutions telematics companies offer are often similar, but most also offer tailor-made solutions where they can make a difference.

Geotab

• Green Fleet Dashboard (available in Europe): tracks key metrics to analyse a fleet’s fuel usage, driver behaviour and overall environmental footprint. Can be used to monitor green initiatives such as anti-idling policies.
• Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment Tool (available in Europe and North America): helps identify which existing vehicles are best suited for electrification. Suggests suitable EV replacement models and estimates business cost-savings and potential CO2 emission reductions.
• EV Battery Degradation Tool: leverages data from EVs representing 64 makes, models and years to help showcase how real-world conditions influence battery health. This is useful as an EV’s battery health has a direct impact not only on the range but also on the vehicle’s residual value.
• Temperature Tool for EV range: analyses over 4,200 connected EVs and 5.2 million trips to help identify the impact cold and hot temperatures can have on day-to-day EV range.

Masternaut

• Masternaut helps drivers get more from their EVs in terms of efficiency and mileage.
• Masternaut solutions address the needs of all stakeholders: facility manager, dispatcher, head of sustainability and not just the fleet manager and the driver.
• Masternaut aggregates data from thousands of vehicles from third parties to provide objective, unbiased advice about whether they should transition to EVs.
• Masternaut will launch a solution in November to notify drivers about their battery’s charging state while the vehicle is plugged in, telling them when it is time to pick up the vehicle. This is a first step in a planned suite of dedicated EV solutions.
• Various solutions that are not limited to EVs are available, like Masternaut Connect, which gives actionable insights about fleet performance.

Targa Telematics

• Targa Telematics is present in Europe and South America with plans to expand into more markets – expansion has been slowed down because of you-know-what.
• It addresses end-users but also manufacturers and mobility service providers.
• Targa Telematics focuses on large fleets, with up to many thousands of vehicles.
• Targa Telematics provides tools to plan the switch to EVs, which is more than a technological upgrade.
• Targa Telematics also guides organisations in planning charging infrastructure and in battery charging management.
• Various solutions not limited to EVs are also available, for instance monitoring driver behaviour to make sure electric vehicles are used properly.
• The development team at Targa Telematics brings new features to market every couple of weeks.

Octo Telematics

• Octo’s IoT platform supports the entire EV ecosystem, connecting data between people, homes, infrastructure and other connected life context.
• Has partnerships with various OEMs, e.g. Renault (Zoe is pre-equipped with telematics and ready to use for carsharing).
• Outside of telematics, Octo data analytics services are helping Smart Cities better plan for EV infrastructure like charging and parking. Octo also offers MaaS (Mobility as a Service) solutions.
• Services not limited to EVs include:
  • Usage Based Insurance
  • Crash & Claims
  • Stolen Vehicle Recovery
  • Driver analytics and reporting

Webfleet Solutions

• Webfleet Solutions are able to manage mixed fleets of passenger cars, LCVs, buses or trucks.
• With the EV features available in the WEBFLEET fleet management solution, fleet managers and drivers can:
  • Get insights into the battery levels of their electric vehicles.
  • See the remaining driving range of their EV to stay confident about the EV’s range at all times.
  • Get information on the real-time charging status.
  • See the remaining charging time of their EV when the vehicle is plugged in for charging.
  • Also, drivers can download maps of the electric vehicles charging points onto their PRO Driver Terminals (a driver tablet in the vehicle).
• WEBFLEET offers an API that integrates seamlessly into any business process.
• Later this year, Webfleet Solutions will develop further EV management tools to help fleets get the most out of the electrification transformation.
• Tools not limited to EVs include OptiDrive 360, a driver monitoring and training solution.

Find out how you can make fleet electrification work for your fleet. Join the Digital Masterclass of the International Fleet Managers Institute on Thursday, 3 December from 2pm to 5.30pm.

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