THE HEALTH ISSUE
One direction
Russell Olive, UK director, Vaylens, believes that a healthy fleet transition to EVs can be achieved with three steps
The shift to EV has reached a turning point. Demand is growing, investment in charging infrastructure has risen and, in June, electric vehicles accounted for 10.4% market share in the UK. With UK businesses increasingly choosing to electrify their fleets, it’s no longer a question of if fleets transition to electric, but how. A successful transition should follow three steps, namely around analysis, infrastructure and, finally, fleet management.
1
Analysis, analysis, analysis
Understanding the state of a fleet is crucial to a successful transition to electric – and that begins with analysis. It means starting with a robust, analytics-led assessment of the fleet, including details of daily operations, vehicle types and mileage. This approach is how fleet operators establish a full picture of vehicle electrification suitability and the potential costs and constraints that could emerge.
Taking this important analysis step provides operators with a full understanding into the complexity of their fleets – equipping them to make the right infrastructure and vehicle procurement decisions. Without data-led modelling, they risk overspending, overcommitting or underutilising EV assets. With deep analysis, they are safe in the knowledge that they have factored in real estate availability, grid capacity – and total cost of ownership.
Once they finish fleet analysis, operators can prioritise the easiest, most cost-effective segments to electrify first. They can build long-term plans and manage performance, longevity and cost.
“A common stumbling block that many operators hit is overestimating physical infrastructure needs and choosing incompatible hardware”
Russell Olive UK director Vaylens
2
Avoiding infrastructure and installation missteps
A common stumbling block that many operators hit is overestimating physical infrastructure needs and choosing incompatible hardware. A professional site survey is essential. This assesses available space, power capacity and installation feasibility. A survey such as this helps operators determine the right charging mix for their operations – whether that’s depot-based fast chargers, overnight AC charging, or a hybrid approach.
Scalability should also be front of mind. It’s not just about what’s needed today, but looking further down the road to how vehicle numbers will rise and energy demand could change. For instance, energy price spikes could impact hardware selection.
Working with experienced partners during the installation phase helps avoid costly missteps. Designing charging layouts, selecting scalable hardware and integrating smart energy management tools from the outset ensures that infrastructure investment pays off in both the short and long term.
3
Intelligent fleet and energy management
Charging infrastructure is just the beginning. The real ROI of an electric fleet comes from smart management of the software that ties vehicles, charging, energy pricing and operations together into one system.
For example, imagine this scenario: a local delivery van finishes its round with 70% battery remaining, heads to the depot and plugs in for the next day. But there’s no need for a full charge overnight and this is a waste of both energy and cost. Advanced fleet management software enables the company to manage this by retrieving the vehicle’s battery status from its telematics and connecting it with the company’s job management platform. This platform approach can predict the next day’s mileage, ensuring that the vehicle is ready when it’s needed and reduces inefficient and expensive over-charging.
The bigger picture
If companies take a data-led approach to all three steps in the transition process, building a next-gen management system rather than just installing charge points, they’ll be well placed to build a healthy EV fleet. And craft a clear, data-driven roadmap to take advantage of the opportunities EVs represent.
