As the world moves toward a more sustainable future, transitioning to electric vehicles is one of the most effective ways for fleets across the globe to reduce emissions and improve air quality. According to a study by the International Energy Agency, electric vehicles could reach 60 percent of new-car sales globally by 2040, which would significantly reduce carbon emissions from transportation. Additionally, with regions across the United States, Canada, Europe and others announcing plans to ban the sale of new gasoline and diesel vehicles, the transition to EVs is expected to accelerate even more rapidly.
This EV adoption trend is proving true within commercial fleets, too, as demands for carbon reduction from municipal and state governments, C-suites and shareholders are catalyzing a switch to zero-emission transportation. In a recent Geotab/Bobit Media study, we found that 92 percent of business leaders see long-term decarbonization as a priority, and 73 percent of fleet managers are using solutions and telematics data to track and manage fleet sustainability.
Aside from emissions reductions, EVs also can lead to lower operating costs in the right applications. Access to quality vehicle data allows fleet operators to fully optimize EVs and maximize their benefits. However, the lack of EV data standards means this data is not always readily available.
Data standardization sets a method for how EV data is collected and reported, no matter the vehicle’s make or model. As things are today, two different EV models built by two different automakers may prioritize and process data differently. Having competing automaker-driven standards can be like having computers that run on multiple different operating systems, instead of a few standardized ones like Windows or Mac OS.
This can be a challenge because in the transportation industry, fleet managers need the flexibility to choose the right vehicle, and the assurance that regardless of this choice, consistent EV data such as state of charge and driving energy can be integrated into their business systems. For example, connecting live state of charge status for all vehicles with the fleet’s dispatch system can assure the right vehicles get assigned to the right route. Additionally, knowing driving efficiency for all vehicles can help flag underperforming vehicles or routes, allowing for corrective actions.
Standardizing data collection allows fleet operators to effectively understand data sets that are critical to managing the full range of benefits an electrified fleet can offer, including carbon footprints, fuel savings, effective charging and battery health, and to productively implement electrification strategies. Without data standardization, there is a gap in how vehicle data can be aggregated and analyzed across a fleet with a mix of models. And as an EV fleet grows and diversifies the types of makes and models it deploys, the greater the challenge to access, analyze and compare data. As a result, it can be very difficult to view and conduct big-picture analysis, leading to an overall unsatisfactory EV ownership experience and a lack of quality data insights.
With internal combustion vehicles, standards were created and implemented by regulatory bodies such as the California Air Resources Board and SAE International to ensure consistent data points that are easy to analyze and understand. Today with EVs, there is no such standard. It is up to third-party telematics companies to analyze and break down the new vehicles entering the market, resulting in an inconsistent experience for fleet operators. Companies are working to ensure EV compatibility for customers, enabling the aggregation and analysis of data from across an entire fleet.
By establishing data standards, we can more quickly and efficiently empower fleet operators and organizations to manage their fleets, create a more transparent marketplace and accurately demonstrate the ROI of going electric, which will ultimately help accelerate the adoption of this technology.