🔋 Climate Tech Brief #011 — EV Charging and Fleet Management

The real bottleneck to commercial EV adoption

February 07, 2023

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Fleet management is essential for transportation businesses. From tracking and monitoring, scheduling and dispatch, managing fuel costs, vehicle maintenance, driver management, and accident management, fleet management ensures efficient vehicle operations.

Right now, gasoline-powered vehicles dominate commercial fleets, causing significant carbon emissions, high fuel costs, and a reliance on non-renewable energy resources.

Electric vehicles are gaining traction. But the lack of charging infrastructure and limited driving range are barriers to widespread adoption.

Fortunately, fleet managers now have access to powerful tools and technologies specifically built to manage EV fleet operations.

This week we dive into the opportunities and challenges in EV charging and fleet management.

📣 Why it matters

Fleet management helps to optimize vehicle utilization, reduce maintenance and fuel costs, and improve overall efficiency by using data on the vehicle and the driver. This makes it critical to the success of commercial EV adoption.

😬 Problem

Charging and managing a fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) can be challenging due to limited driving range, lack of charging infrastructure, and high battery maintenance costs.

🎯 Solution

Purpose-built fleet management solutions for electric vehicles that focus on range planning, charging infrastructure, battery maintenance, telematics, and driver education.

💪🏼 Innovators

  • TeraWatt Infrastructure operates an electric vehicle charging infrastructure for medium and heavy-duty transport and fleets.

  • Eccocar is a platform to launch, operate and scale digital mobility services, designed hand in hand with Rent-a-Cars, Dealers and Fleet Managers

  • Slick is a fleet management company that provides steam-based reconditioning, corrective maintenance, and refueling services.

  • SHARE Mobility provides transportation solutions for companies.

  • Wunder Mobility is the world’s leading provider of software and hardware for scooter, bike, moped, and car sharing.

  • Idelic is a driver management platform designed to consolidate fleet data systems and automate compliance processes.

  • Netradyne engages in improving fleet safety through computer vision and in-depth data analysis.

  • ModeShift helps transit agencies modernize their fare and data collection infrastructure to improve efficiency and provide sustainable service.

  • TruckPark is a parking inventory and booking platform that connects truck drivers and fleets with safe and available parking.

  • AMPECO offers an EV charging management platform enabing enterprises to integrate essential EV charging data into their current systems.

  • EnviroSpark specializes in the design and installation of electric vehicle charging station solutions.

⚡️ Opportunities

  1. Charging infrastructure where EVs are frequently used, such as office buildings, shopping centers, and highways.

    1. Xeal provides EV charging solutions for apartments, condos, and workplaces.

    2. FreeWire Technologies is a provider of ultrafast electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions that mitigate the impact on the grid.

    3. Lynkwell is an electrical vehicle charging platform company that assists businesses in developing their own own branded charging networks.

  2. Energy management solutions to optimize charging and reduce energy costs, including predicting energy usage, managing charging schedules, and automating charging processes.

    1. AMP operates as an energy management solutions provider for e-mobility.

    2. Stable predicts & improves EV charging station performance.

  3. The vast amounts of data generated from EVs can be used to make informed decisions on energy consumption, vehicle utilization, and driving habits.

    1. TruckLabs is a trucking technology company that improves the efficiency and sustainability of today's and tomorrow's fleets.

    2. Wise Systems' autonomous dispatch and routing software uses AI to improve fleet efficiency and customer service for last-mile operations.

    3. Routific is a route optimization solution that helps delivery businesses plan more efficient routes, saving them time and up to 40% on fuel.

    4. ThingTech is an enterprise asset intelligence IoT platform providing real-time visibility of high value assets, equipment, mobile workforce.

    5. CitySwift is a data-driven bus scheduling and business intelligence platform.

  4. Ensuring that drivers understand how to use EVs effectively, efficiently, and safely can be a challenge, and fleet managers must provide training and support to help drivers adapt to the technology.

    1. Teleo provides construction equipment by converting existing fleet into remote-controlled robots.

    2. Cogo Insurance is an AI-powered commercial auto insurtech tailored for “Smart Trucking” operations, owner operators, small fleets, and autonomous trucks.

⚠️ Challenges

  1. Sparse charging infrastructure and limited range, especially for fleets that operate in remote areas or long haul trucking, when gas stations are readily available everywhere.

    1. AmpUp is an electric vehicle (EV) charging company that enables drivers, hosts, and fleets to charge stress-free.

    2. SparkCharge is an automotive company that offers mobile and convenient charging stations for electric vehicles.

  2. Upfront cost of EVs is still higher than gas-powered vehicles

    1. Inspiration is the first one-stop EV solutions company to both finance electric vehicles.

    2. Zeem Solutions is a commercial electric vehicle (CEV) service provider for small, medium and large fleet operators.

    3. Veloce Energy is innovating technology and financing models to reduce physical and financial barriers to EV Charging infrastructure deployment.

  3. Collecting, storing, and analyzing large amounts of data generated from EVs can be a challenge, especially for small businesses.

    1. Populus is a data platform for cities to manage and price commercial fleets.

    2. Eco-Movement is an independent data provider of charging stations for electric vehicles that is used to find charging station in a good way.

  4. The maintenance requirements of EVs are different from traditional vehicles and require different expertise to maintain.

    1. Shop-Ware is the automotive aftermarket's premiere SaaS for shop management.

    2. Wrench is an online fleet management and maintenance platform that provides auto repair services.

🚀 Takeaways

  1. Fleet management is crucial for transportation businesses to ensure efficient vehicle operations across tracking, scheduling, fuel cost management, vehicle maintenance, driver management and accident management.

  2. Electric vehicles are gaining popularity, but limited charging infrastructure and driving range are hindrances to widespread adoption.

  3. Purpose-built fleet management solutions for EVs address these challenges by focusing on range planning, charging infrastructure, battery maintenance, telematics and driver education.

🔗 Dive Deeper

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