3 Common EV Telematics Mistakes and How To Avoid Them

As your fleet adopts more environmentally friendly vehicles, you can expect different telematic requirements from what you’re used to. Thankfully, EVs are much smarter than traditional vehicles, helping you leverage data to get the most out of your fleet. 

As a fleet manager, you must know your electric vehicles will get the job done without running out of power or breaking down. Plus, Drivers need to have complete trust they can make it to their destinations. To operate in confidence, you need more accurate information. The more of it you have, the better you can do your job. 

However, there are potential traps that even seasoned fleet managers might fall into when using telematics for electric vehicles.

Treating EVs the same as ICE vehicles

Switching to EV, while somewhat challenging, brings financial and environmental benefits we can’t ignore. However, it’s our responsibility to make this switch sustainable. Leveraging data for smarter daily decision-making is a better way to go.

EVs require a radically different planning and maintenance system than traditional ICE vehicles. Charging isn’t instantaneous, like going to a gas station, so you need to plan ahead. 
There are some key things you need to account for when using EVs. Mainly around charging and routing, since anxiety about these is the biggest challenge in EVs. Getting accurate information about optimal charge time, charging stations, and range affects each journey differently. Connecting and collecting real-time data from telematics, car computer, and navigation app could provide a lot more information to help alleviate anxiety. Overall, leveraging electric vehicle telematics data dramatically affects fleet efficiency and journey readiness, vital parts of everyday fleet planning and dispatching.

Going Generic with Battery Prediction

Manufacturer instructions provide the necessary information for the safe and effective use of the product, in this case, the EV battery. However, cars often prove to be ‘lemons.’ 

There are many variables, both in and outside the vehicle, that existing systems cannot account for in their calculations. A surprisingly warmcold day might mean your driver puts the AC heating on in the car, which can significantly impact the range to make the difference between reaching the next charging point or not.

Relying on manufacturer suggestions over reliable real-time information that accounts for the weight, distance, journey, and, yes, the electric vehicle telematics parameters is a mistake. A mistake that can result in unnecessary range anxiety, stranded vehicles, and a ton of resources to get the car and driver back on the road. 

Too many cars show incorrect battery levels and drainage that can be avoided by connecting to telematics to generate a highly accurate battery prediction. This is vital in ensuring your fleet is running smoothly with minimal downtime.

Not turning to AI for daily fleet management and maintenance

There’s so much we can do manually. But planning every journey by calculating charging stops without knowing how long they will take and if they are available can take a massive toll on a fleet. Drivers should be able to put their destination in the navigation app and let the computer work out where and for how long they need to charge the vehicle. 

Fleet managers and drivers need reliable infrastructure that analyzes the car’s capacity and range to plan the best route. What sounds like an impossible task for a human for each dispatch is a breeze for an advanced AI system.

AI also covers smart maintenance that keeps your cars going for longer. Know when to use fast charging modes, fully charging, or drain the battery to optimize capacity in the long run. Tapping into the EV telematics will warn you if a vehicle is low on battery and will optimize charging to ensure your batteries aren’t charged more than they need to be and much more. This technological wonder can help save a lot of time, money, and stress for the organization and its clients.

Boost your EV fleet capabilities with Make My Day

Enterprises and individuals that want to go green need to use the latest technology to ensure business continuity as they lower their carbon footprint. As technology improves and combines hardware and software tools to eliminate range and charge, anxiety can be a thing of the past.

The Make My Day system is the best way to achieve that peace of mind for fleet managers and EV drivers. It’s the first solution to combine in-car, in-phone apps, telematics systems, and advanced AI to create a genuinely efficient fleet of electric vehicles without any drawbacks. 

Ready to power up your fleet, increase efficiency and keep your vehicles on the road for longer? Get in touch today.