Autofleet introduced a new, self-serve Fleet Planning Simulator that makes it quick and easy to accurately plan all aspects of the deployment of Electric Vehicles (EVs) and the build-out of charging infrastructure. This includes considerations such as vehicle models and range, as well as charger placement, type and quantity, measured against a wide range of both operational and financial key performance indicators (KPIs), according to the company.
What it Does
The Fleet Planning Simulator is a cloud-based tool that enables an operator to simulate the addition of EVs into existing or new operations, optimize vehicle range, plan charging infrastructure, optimize fleet operations and run a “total cost of ownership” analysis, Autofleet says. Examples include integration of EVs into an existing taxi fleet; de-risking the impact of charging time on completed rides and customer experience; identifying charging strategy; Charging Point Operator site selection and types of chargers in a given region; range and route optimization for EVs within a logistics fleet; predicting average and peak demand for charging in a given region; and many others.
How it Works
The Autofleet Simulator uses the fleet data including historical bookings or telematics data and leverages real-world data of traffic, charging networks, and other supporting infrastructure in order to produce accurate and customized results and recommendations. Users can then run a series of A/B tests/simulations across a variety of filters, including geography, type of vehicle, number of drivers/shifts, charging strategy, etc., and generate precise outputs across dozens of KPIs such as fleet and infrastructure utilization, financial metrics, and service levels such as charging travel and waiting time.
Who it’s For
The growing availability of EVs impacts nearly every sector of the economy, however the impact will be greatest with vehicle fleets and other high mileage operators like taxis, delivery services, freight operators and public transportation who have much greater energy needs.
Autofleet says its simulator is being used by:
- Fleets and mobility operators across a variety of verticals including rental, delivery & logistics, taxi, car sharing, public transport and others.
- OEMs (such as Ford and Scania) and Leasing companies that support their fleet customers in the transition to EVs and build the business case for them.
- Charging point operators as well as city and regional utilities that plan and operate the charging infrastructure.
- City and municipal transportation planners.
Autofleet also announced that TeraWatt Infrastructure, provider of charging solutions for the future of fleet transportation, has adopted the self-serve tool to assist in how it designs, operates and owns electric vehicle charging hubs for fleet operations.
“In building out a national network of charging centers dedicated to serving electric fleets, the ability to accurately assess optimal locations, energy demand, and fleet operations is critical to our business,” said David Scholsberg, TeraWatt’s vice president of Energy and Utilities. “TeraWatt is leveraging its expertise in charging and infrastructure requirements to provide fleets with insights on strategic locations and charger capacity, powered by Autofleet’s simulator.”
“Fleets and mobility operators are motivated to adopt EVs due to the potential of reduced total cost of ownership, complying with local regulations as well emissions reduction goals. However, this transition involves significant operational challenges for which accurate planning and access to reliable charging infrastructure is key,” said Kobi Eisenberg, CEO of Autofleet. “Our self-serve Fleet Planning Simulator can be a key asset to fleets and CPOs like TeraWatt and others seeking to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles.”
