Leveraging telmetrics to drive fleet electrification and efficiency – A greener life, a greener world

By David Lewis, Founder and CEO, MoveEV  

Attend any fleet conference, and you’ll quickly realize that telematic systems are now the cornerstone of modern fleet management. 

In the early 20th century, basic tracking and communication systems were first introduced to improve fleet operations. Initially, telematics involved simple radio communication and rudimentary tracking mechanisms to enhance logistical efficiency and safety. Over the decades, technological advancements, particularly the advent of GPS in the 1990s, revolutionized telematics by providing real-time location tracking. This leap in technology enabled fleet managers to monitor vehicle movements with unprecedented accuracy, optimize routes, reduce fuel consumption, and improve overall operational efficiency.

Now, as the internet and mobile technology continue to evolve, telematics systems are more sophisticated, integrating various data points from vehicles to provide comprehensive insights into fleet performance. By 2017, half of all cars were “connected.” It’s projected that by 2025, 88% of new vehicles will feature integrated telematics, enabling remote data extraction from vehicles.

Today, platforms like Geotab represent the cutting edge of telematics in fleet management, offering a suite of advanced features for gas-powered vehicles. These modern telematics-enabled platforms provide real-time tracking, driver behavior monitoring, predictive maintenance alerts, fuel usage analysis, and route optimization. Geotab’s platform, for example, allows fleet managers to access detailed analytics on vehicle performance, detect engine issues before they become serious problems, and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements. Additionally, features such as geofencing and real-time alerts help improve safety by notifying managers of unauthorized vehicle use or deviations from planned routes. These advancements not only enhance operational efficiency but also contribute to significant cost savings and improved safety standards in fleet management.

The Role of Telematics in the Electric Vehicle Transition

As fleet managers look to transition to electric vehicles (EVs), telematics is an essential tool. Telematics data can be used to help fleet managers make more educated decisions about which fleet vehicles to convert from gas to electric and when. “With a telematics-based EV suitability assessment, fleet operators can leverage their own data to find the right EV for the job, in the right applications: to support a successful deployment from the start,” explains Charlotte Argue, Geotab’s senior manager, sustainable mobility.

As businesses and governments increasingly adopt EVs to reduce carbon emissions and meet sustainability goals, telematics systems allow them to address some of the unique challenges associated with electric mobility. These systems can offer comprehensive monitoring of battery health, charging status, and energy consumption, enabling fleet managers to maximize the efficiency and lifespan of their EVs. By tracking real-time data on driving patterns, telematics can also help optimize charging schedules and routes to ensure that vehicles are always ready for use without unnecessary downtime.

In this way, telematics can help fleet managers stay on top of EV charging and charging costs. “Fleet managers can be confident their vehicles are ready when needed by setting notifications with real-time state-of-charge and charging status of all the vehicles as they enter and exit their depots,” Argue notes. “They can even take this one step further by integrating their telematics data with their charge management systems to prioritize the right vehicles.”

For electric vehicles charging at employees’ homes, telematics can provide a source of truth for charging and location data. “We see a lot of fleets with take-home vehicles, and managing and developing policy around home charge reimbursement can become quite daunting. Integrating a telematics approach with services like ReimburseEV can be used to create a fair and accurate method of reimbursing employees for home electricity costs,” Argue explains. 

Municipalities Are Leading the Charge

Fleet managers looking for telematic-forward municipal and corporate role models have plenty to choose from. For example, with 28,374 vehicles and 5,100 electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids, New York City operates the largest — and perhaps the most complex — municipal fleet. The city has an equally large telematics program, with around 28,000 telematics systems installed on city assets. “Our programming costs about $3 million a year. It’s a big program. So I need to basically offset $3 million-plus,” Keith Kerman, Deputy Commissioner for Fleet Management at Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS), told Government Fleet Magazine. 

Kerman achieves these savings in part by using telematics to analyze utilization and rightsize the fleet. He was able to cut cars without impacting the city’s core functionality through Fleet Share, a motor pool program similar to Zipcar. The program includes about 500 city vehicles, including 95 Bolts. This sharing software is now linked to the city’s telematics program, further enhancing fleet efficiency. Kerman also improved fleet efficiency by using telematics to assess the real fuel economy of fleet vehicles compared to EPA listings, finding that hybrids not only are more fuel-efficient than non-hybrids, but also outperform their EPA listings — helping make the case for adding more hybrids to the fleet. 

DCAS’s commitment to sustainability is evident in its strategy to transition all light-duty and medium-duty vehicles to electric, supported by an extensive network of more than 2,000 charging ports. “We announced in May that we would achieve 50×25 GHG reduction through EVs, efficiencies and hybrids, and biofuels and renewable diesel,” Kerman shared. This strategic use of telematics not only maximizes the efficiency of the EV fleet but also contributes to significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and operational costs​. 

Cobb County, Georgia, offers another useful case study of telematics in fleet electrification. For more than two decades, Cobb County Fleet Management has been at the forefront of sustainable transportation in Georgia. Their commitment to reducing their carbon footprint and saving taxpayers’ money has led them to explore and adopt various alternative fuel options. Cobb County operates a diverse fleet, including 65 all-electric vehicles ranging from sedans to an electric prisoner transport van.

Fleet Director Al Curtis uses telematics to monitor driver behavior, reduce idle times, and analyze vehicle usage to rightsize the fleet. “Telematics is giving us a lot of different tools,” Curtis said. By leveraging these tools, the county has been able to assess the real fuel economy of fleet vehicles and promote the use of more efficient options like hybrids and electric vehicles.”

Future Innovations in Telematics

Telematics provide the data, but the exciting advances in fleet management come from what that data can be used for, and the number of new applications is growing quickly. AI tools can streamline fleet management and save time by making data insights more accessible to decision-makers. This year, Geotab released Geotab Ace, the first fully-integrated generative AI copilot. 

“Geotab Ace is like having a data analyst in your pocket — you can ask which vehicles are the most inefficient, or which could switch to EVs — and get a response without needing to know any computer code,” Argue explains. “You don’t need to be a software or computer scientist to access quick data insights.” 

Another trend is the greater integration of systems. Vehicles, fleet management software, and charging software will all be integrated and communicate with each other to ensure vehicles are charged when they need to be and dispatch is optimized.

Telematics technology has come a long way and will continue to evolve as EVs proliferate. As the industry moves towards a more sustainable future, telematics will play a pivotal role in optimizing fleet operations, reducing costs, and enhancing vehicle efficiency. Fleet managers who leverage telematics will be well-positioned to meet and exceed organizational goals, driving the transition to a greener future.

“Conventional telematics for sales fleets composed of standard passenger vehicles have historically been considered a nice-to-have rather than a necessity,” explains Donald Phillips, Fleet Leader and Category Manager at Medtronic. “Employee privacy concerns and additional costs have deterred fleet and sourcing managers from implementing them. However, the growth of EVs is creating a new demand. Utilizing vehicle telematics serves as a workaround to costly all-you-can-eat service offerings or expensive smart chargers. Specifically, EV telematics offer a more focused approach, allowing for accurate tracking of battery usage and electricity consumption to adequately reimburse drivers for charging.”

Argue agrees. “Fleet managers looking to optimize performance and drive sustainable practices will find telematics indispensable. Telematics eliminates guesswork, offering hard data insights critical for effective management, especially with the unique needs of EVs. From automated alerts to customized driving rules and data-rich assessments, telematics provides the tools necessary to not only meet but exceed organizational goals.”

As more fleets make the transition from gas to electric, telematics has become an integral tool for fleet managers to maximize their budgets.

David Lewis is the founder and CEO of MoveEV, an EV transition company that helps organizations electrify fleet and commuter vehicles faster with accurate home charging reimbursement. Dave is an experienced B2B software executive with significant experience systematically creating value through new product offerings, M&A, and transforming tech-enabled services to SaaS.