There are many things fleet managers think about before adding a new type of vehicle to their fleet. Among the factors are value, functionality, and environmental impact. However, if you’re transitioning to electric vehicles (EVs), there’s also a technological change to consider: EV telematics.
Telematics has been a powerful tool in the fleet manager’s toolbelt for decades. But now, applied to EVs, there’s new data that has the potential to be even more valuable. Let’s take a deeper look into telematics and how companies can leverage EV-specific data to address vehicle maintenance, range, and recharging.
Oxford Languages defines telematics as a branch of information technology that deals with the long-distance transmission of computerized information. But most people know telematics as a way to monitor cars, trucks, and equipment using the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Modern telematics is much more than a GPS tracker; it’s a computerized system using onboard diagnostics to gather data such as vehicle acceleration, speed, braking, mileage, and more. This information is sent to the cloud via cellular signals, where a telematics provider can interpret the raw data and load it into their software platform. Many platforms have powerful analytics that offer insight into business operations.
Every fleet manager has a different goal for telematics. However, there are six core areas of interest, according to telematics provider Geotab:
Telematics for EVs differs somewhat from internal combustion engine vehicles as there are unique metrics to help manage charging operations proactively.
Handling the telematics for an electrified fleet can be a novel experience. “There’s so many variables when you get into the world of EVs,” says Erin Cave, director of product management at Verizon Connect. “Everyone’s talking about EVs but really getting down to getting them in the field, getting them useful, and making sure that you’re optimizing your fleet for the use of them is really a big challenge.”
Here are a few examples of EV telematics data and how they apply to fleet management:
Helping you get more value from EV telematics is PowerFlex’s clean energy management platform, PowerFlex Axcess™, which can display telematics info alongside real-time insights for EV charging (and other Distributed Energy Resources, such as solar and storage).
“It’s about having a holistic view of what’s happening with your fleet. If you don’t have your telematics integrated with us, you’re only getting half of the picture.” — Craig Smith, Product Manager, PowerFlex
One of the biggest advantages of the PowerFlex platform is that it is entirely agnostic; we can partner with your preferred telematics provider to integrate telematics data into PowerFlex Axcess. The data used includes:
Via PowerFlex Axcess, fleet managers gain a unified view of telematics and EV charging system information in a single interface. The platform displays all the essential details for electrified fleet vehicles, making for faster, better decisions about your specific charging operations.
PowerFlex is a national provider of smart EV charging infrastructure. In addition to charging, PowerFlex offers solar, battery energy storage, and microgrid systems, as well as PowerFlex X™, a suite of hardware and software tools for managing, controlling, and optimizing all of your onsite energy resources.