How fleet manager’s roles work with EVs

If you’re not on a continual quest as a fleet manager to use data to hone your processes, create efficiencies, and conserve your fleet budget, you’re not doing your job.

Over the years, you’ve figured out how to manage well enough through automated rules and exception reporting. But there was always the promise that these systems could talk to each other and that information would flow through a single pane of glass, although that never happened. And that’s okay because the benefits offered by these individual systems are more than enough to offset the extra management hassle.

But now we have electric vehicles. EVs are more than just an internal combustion engine (ICE) swapped for a battery. They’re computers on wheels — and they bring new and heightened requirements around connectivity, software management, and data mining along with them.

And now, what changes in your role as a manager?

Unlike fueling an ICE engine, EVs can take eight hours or more to reach 80% capacity on a Level 2 charger. This dictates remote monitoring of home or depot chargers, often after work hours, to make sure they are, in fact, plugged in and receiving juice. An EV that fails to charge will really screw up your next day.

Understanding Battery State-of-Charge

With EVs’ limited ranges and the lack of public infrastructure, fleet managers need to know how much juice their EVs have left to strategize on how not to get stranded.  

Reimbursing for Home EV Charging

Another aspect of home charge management for fleets involves separating utility bills by personal and work expense for fleet vehicle charging, and then reimbursing the employee accurately.

Managing Vehicle, Driver Data

Managing vehicle and driver data is still important in the ICE world, but takes on even greater importance with EVs. These data sets are needed to understand battery efficiency (the costliest component of an EV by far) and how range is affected by factors such as driving style and payload, stops, road grade, and external temperature.

So, the industry has already overcome these challenges. If you’re about to embark on your EV pilot, it’s better to be prepared for them before you start.