<div id="readability-page-1"><div>Head of Wialon at Gurtam. 
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Automobile transportation penetrates every business sector including the gig economy at Uber, farming, retail and spacecraft manufacturing. For any business, an efficient transport component is not just a way to optimize costs but is often a matter of survival. 
However, the transport industry may change beyond recognition in the near future. Electric vehicles (EVs) are likely to become the game-changer, as they're moving from the category of consumer vehicles to the commercial sphere at an increasing pace. 
 
The authorities of different countries are assisting the process: China and the European Union support EVs in every possible way. U.S. President Joe Biden announced similar plans, as the White House has already published its vision and is planning to invest $15 billion in the construction of a national network of 500,000 EV charging stations by 2030. Carmakers aren't lag behind, either, announcing electric versions of their commercial vehicles and EV infrastructure solutions on a regular basis. 
 
What does all of this mean to business? The growing popularity of EVs will modify the approach to fleet management. 
EV Charging Will Become A Business Process 
 
With internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, the refueling process has never been anything special — you stopped at the nearest station, filled up a full tank in a few minutes, drank coffee and drove on. Charging a modern electric car takes much longer. 
 
In this situation, it's critical to plan the workload of EVs and their charging schedule. You should equalize the workload of both cars and charging infrastructure to avoid the situation when the entire fleet ran out of battery and is waiting for &#34;refueling&#34; or when there's an hours-long queue of those wishing to recharge at the station. 
Workload distribution will become a critical business process for any company with a fleet of vehicles. To ensure the fleet's full functioning, it's necessary to constantly collect and analyze data on the battery charge status of all of the EVs in the fleet to make the optimal charging schedule. The usage of modern IoT platforms can help businesses address this challenge, as they can remotely monitor the status of key vehicle parameters online. 
When choosing an IoT platform, look for something that's versatile and hardware-agnostic. If you plan to use hardware from different manufacturers or your fleet consists of cars of different brands, choose an IoT platform independent of the hardware manufacturer. This can give you more freedom in selecting sensors based on your objectives, preferences and budget. Otherwise, the company's fleet management will completely depend on the platform developer and his vision of product development. 
You'll also want to choose an IoT platform that's available 24/7 and has proved itself on the market for a long time. Look for a solution that has an uptime above 99.5%. 
If your company isn't ready to invest in building its infrastructure, consider choosing a SaaS solution. This approach can help you focus on your core business. 
A New Approach To EV Maintenance 
EVs will make the engine oil change procedure a thing of the past. That's not all; they have fewer moving units and rubbing parts (pumps, valves) than cars with an internal combustion engine. This means that there should be much fewer various breakdowns. Idle hours of EVs should be much shorter, and their maintenance should be cheaper. 
However, this doesn't mean that electric cars have no drawbacks. Their weakest point is the battery. The battery is the most expensive element to maintain. The price for its replacement can go up to thousands of dollars. When choosing an electric car for a fleet, it's worth paying attention not only to the cost and brand but also to learning in advance about the dealer's battery replacement policy, its cost, delivery and replacement time as well as disposal. 
New Monitoring Parameters 
When we talk about telematics solutions for ICE cars, one of the core monitoring parameters was the fuel level in the tank. Controlling this value allows for predicting consumption and helps prevent fuel theft. This is no longer relevant for EVs, but many parameters have appeared that need to be monitored for more accurate control of the EV fleet. 
1. Battery charge status. EV fleet owners should monitor battery levels online to plan the order of charging vehicles. A complete battery charging history will show when and where cars were charged, for how long and how much charge they received. 
2. Battery health. Any battery wears out and degrades over time. Monitoring the battery condition will allow you to: 
• Be ready for its prompt replacement without long downtimes. 
• Understand the maximum possible mileage, taking into account the degree of the battery's deterioration. 
• Avoid a situation when the traditional route can't be completed due to the battery capacity loss. 
3. Charging process. It's essential to understand how exactly the battery is being charged and track any errors. For example, technicians may overuse the fast charge mode, which degrades battery health. Another case is the use of uncertified chargers or accessories from unknown manufacturers. Such equipment leads to overheating and potential early degradation of batteries, short circuits and even fire. 
4. Mileage. This parameter is monitored in cars with ICEs, but it's more important for EVs. It not only shows the energy consumption per kilometer or how efficiently the car is used but also helps understand how external factors affect the vehicle — for example, how much the driving range decreases in cold weather or how altitude above sea level affects mileage. 
5. Energy recovery. It's crucial to understand how much energy an EV receives while driving. Monitoring this parameter and further data analysis can help manage the fleet more efficiently, plan the charging schedule and make other data-based decisions. 
Electric cars have already significantly changed the landscape of private fleets and the segment of light commercial vehicles. In many countries, refueling infrastructure is undergoing significant changes, preparing for the transition of freight transport from traditional fuels to electricity. 
EVs can dramatically change fleet management in the coming years. At the current level of technology development, collecting and analyzing data generated by cars will be extremely important for business. In many respects, effective fleet management will be based on this data. 
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Electric vehicles are moving from the category of consumer vehicles to the commercial sphere at an increasing pace.

Council Post: How Electric Vehicles Are Disrupting Fleet Management