Local and state governments have started developing EV infrastructure, but their project progress varies. Local governments have identified more need for EV infrastructure as EV sales rapidly increase yearly. Even though some governments have been steadily deploying EV infrastructure throughout the past decade, the landscape is quickly changing.
As more governments continue planning and deploying EV infrastructure, here are some tips to keep in mind so you can continue maintaining your EV chargers long after deployment:
Communicate Local and state governments should frequently discuss with their utility team about deploying charging infrastructure. This communication offers utilities the time to educate stakeholders on processes, timeframes, rate options, incentives, pilot programs, and anything else relevant.
Some agencies may be skeptical about investing in EV infrastructure when public infrastructure remains widely unmet. Local and state governments should step aside and let private companies provide the upgrades and charging systems, so the government can use those saved fees to fund road improvements.
Incorporate Fees For those who opt not to have a private company do the work, there are still ways for government to make up for the costs. Some cities have started collecting an added-on EV charging fee to enable them to sustain their current chargers and afford new equipment as chargers age.
The fees range depending on population and number of chargers and get added to the kilowatt per hour cost. Even though some EV drivers may not approve of the fees, if EV infrastructure is not maintained, they no longer provide a greener community- especially if more chargers get installed in a community.
Select Right Vendor It is best to choose a vendor with integrative EV solutions so it can handle all management and operations for better performance. Having software to show you data on usage costs, charging status, current condition, and maintenance history is not valuable for just chargers but also staff. Some vendors’ solutions cannot work with each other, so having a solution all under one vendor ensures interoperability.
Electricity is a fuel unlike any other, and successful fleets are generally those that become masters of using the EV fleet management tools that are available to them. Technologies like electric vehicle chargers and EV telematics are new and come with hurdles but are required to manage electricity. Integrated EV charger and EV telematics implementation requires technical, personnel, and sometimes even legal considerations for each solution. By stacking them together, understanding the benefits and limitations of each, and avoiding the promise of “silver bullet” fixes, organizations can manage their fleet cost, schedule, and operational requirements while electrifying.
Charger Integration and Changes to Internal Billing
Charger integration is the biggest concern for fleets deploying EVs at scale due to the complexity of electricity costs- which can vary by location, time, and peak usage.
Fleets manage and organize this complexity by integrating their FIMS with the charging network providers to capture, segment, and analyze usage and cost data. Because EV charging data goes to the same databases that store other fuel data (ex: FuelTicketMain), fleets can treat electricity with the same care and consideration and use the same reports and processes as liquid fuels. Charger integration also retrieves data from public charging stations to add internal surcharges and other features routinely used for liquid fuels.
Changes in Telematics
Fleet electrification expands the need for vehicle telematics as it is often the only way or the only practical way to access a range of meter and diagnostic data. Specifically, telematics data is the best and most preferred choice for battery state of charge, battery diagnostics, and vehicle tracking.
All fleets planning to purchase EVs should check with their telematics providers to understand their level of support for the new technology. If fleets integrate with a Fleet Information Management System (FIMS) such as FleetFocus, it is also crucial to check that their FIMS has expanded its integration to include EV data. AssetWorks, for example, has begun and completed their process with many providers but not all support EV data yet.
Changes to Fuel Island Controllers
Electrical control units (ECU) are a successor to Fuel Island Controllers. ECU provides the same control for EV chargers as fuel pumps, can accept manual meter updates with its keypad, and use two readers. Thus for some fleets, it’s a viable alternative to charger integration and telematics, but ECU isn’t appropriate for all kinds of projects (ex: sites with just a handful of chargers).
Overcoming Power Struggles
The first step to fleet electrification is determining objectives and a plan. Depending on the organization’s history, resources, and other constraints- one or more technology solutions and process changes may be required. When used correctly, EV charger integrations, telematics data, and ECUs make for a successful EV fleet by reducing the amount of staff planning and management resources required to conduct daily operations.
Since the onset of 2020, managers across all industries have faced unique and long-lasting challenges. The fuel management industry is no exception. With soaring fuel prices and the ongoing driver shortage, fuel distributors are facing new challenges from their client base.
Embrace change
Being able to embrace change is a top quality of an effective leader in any industry. Now more than ever before, the fuel industry is experiencing major change. With sustainability goals pushing electrification to the forefront of fleet strategy and rapidly advancing technology creating more data than ever before, today’s fuel distributors must embrace change to lead the way towards a new future of fleet.
Embracing change means more than setting a strategy. Effective leaders must be able to rally their teams, support change management processes, accept criticism, and adjust priorities as needed. Being a good fleet manager isn’t just about change—it’s about leading your team through change towards a brighter future.
Champion your organization’s vision
Members of a fuel distribution team will not blindly follow the manager. Each employee needs to understand the direction and vision of the department in order to see how they impact overall operations. A good leader will share their vision with their teams often and work to maintain visibility into the decisions that impact the organization in both the short- and long-term.
Learn from mistakes
How a leader handles failure directly impacts company performance. No leader will make the right calls 100% of the time, but it is when the leader handles mistakes or strategic missteps with humility and accountability that positive changes can be made. When faced with challenges, good fleet managers should take responsibility for the part they played, identify what should have been done differently, and make a plan to move forward. Be sure to communicate openly and honestly with the teams involved.
Ask why
In any industry, burnout is a real challenge. When leaders experience burnout, or career-related fatigue, it can be helpful to go back to basics. Why do you do the work that you do? Fuel distribution organizations are vital to communities. They keep vehicles and the people inside them safe. They keep our supply chain moving. If you begin to feel fatigue in your role as a leader, take a few moments to consider why your work matters.
At FuelDrive, we build software and hardware solutions. But why? If we stop to ask ourselves why we do the work that we do, our ultimate goals are easy to identify. Our ‘why’: we build software and hardware solutions that keep our customers and the people they serve safe, happy, and on-the-move.
Charging infrastructure is the most difficult part of fleet electrification, because of the immense planning, coordination, capital, and expertise that it requires. Increasingly, “Charging as a Service” or CaaS is discussed by fleets as a possible solution. CaaS is a different approach to fueling infrastructure than what most fleets are used to, but its appeal is growing among many fleet leaders.
CaaS is designed to be a worry-free EV charging solution for fleets that combines all the required hardware, software, and service offerings with subscription pricing. The charging vendors own the charging station, and the fleet pays an all-inclusive cost (which is flexible but usually in payments) for their charging needs.
The concept is low risk for fleets that can budget around fixed and simplified costs and flexible in that it can be rapidly scaled up or down for different project sites. The greatest cost-saving benefit is the increase in simplicity and the reduction in staff time needed to plan and maintain infrastructure—essentially removing the burden of ownership and maintenance with turnkey stations, software, support, and professional field maintenance
Charging as a service provides organizations with minimal upfront purchasing costs, but like financed or leased deals the total cost of ownership would be higher except for one concern— staff time. Charging as a service removes the need for many types of planning and operations support. Depending on internal labor costs, CaaS may or may not be a better value than owning stations outright.
Oftentimes, CaaS providers will claim the right to Low-Carbon Fuel Credits in states like California, Washington, Oregon, and elsewhere. Many of these revenues can be passed on to fleets in the form of lower pricing which can create a stark contrast to the cost of self-owned and operated infrastructure. However, fleets can also claim and sell those same credits. Like in the case of charger deployment and maintenance, the question of whether to use CaaS depends mostly on staff availability, capital resources on hand, and internal labor costs.
CaaS is a solution worth researching and discussing internally. The number of resources on the subject that are available to fleets is increasing. Here are key questions fleet leaders should ask when deciding if CaaS is a good fit for their EV fleet program:
Do I have enough capital for charging equipment and electrical upgrades? Would CaaS minimize my upfront costs enough to allow the purchase of additional vehicles or other equipment?
Am I comfortable assuming responsibility for things like charger maintenance and operations after the warranty period?
Does my organization want to handle fuel credit reporting and selling on its own or with a broker?
Does my organization have the capacity to maintain high charger uptime or is it better for the vendor to be responsible?
7-Eleven is leading the charge in convenient store sustainability by committing to a goal of installing 500 Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) ports throughout the U.S. and Canada by the end of 2022. The retailer currently maintains 22 charging stations within four states. Reaching this ambitious goal will position 7-Eleven as a leader in their segment, with one of the largest and most compatible fast-charging systems of any retailer in the U.S.
Direct Current Fast Charging ports allow for a quicker charge experience than level-2 chargers. This, paired with 7-Eleven’s convenient locations near major roads and highways, will provide great value for drivers looking to charge on the go.
FuelDrive is proud to partner with AssetWorks FuelFocusEV for integrated charging for fleet organizations of all sizes. To learn more about integrated EV charging for fleets,schedule a demo today.
