Key considerations for fleet electrification success

As the transportation industry undergoes a monumental shift toward electrification, supply chain fleets are increasingly turning to electric vehicles (EVs) as a solution to reduce tailpipe emissions, manage operations costs, and meet regulatory requirements. As the adoption of electric vehicles accelerates, fleet managers are rapidly getting up to speed on budgeting for and scoping fleet electrification.

So, what’s needed to take a supply chain fleet electric? Typically, the first components that come to mind are the EV chargers and the electric vehicles themselves. But one key element is often missed in the early stages of fleet electrification planning, proving later in the electrification project to be mission critical. This missing puzzle piece is managed charging.

What is managed charging?

While “smart charging” refers to the hardware—the physical chargers with wi-fi connectivity—managed charging takes this a step further by integrating cloud-based software that actively optimizes the charging process. Unlike simple smart chargers, which offer passive data visibility like current energy consumption or state of charge, managed charging uses this data to automatically adapt to fleet operations in real time.

This technology ensures that charging schedules are optimized based on factors like energy consumption, duty cycles, utility rates, and even local grid demand. The result can be a more efficient, cost-effective, and hassle-free way to manage the complexities of operating an electric fleet.

Benefits for the budget-conscious fleet manager

As fleets transition to electric vehicles, they face a host of new challenges. One of the most pressing is managing electricity costs, which can fluctuate on an hourly basis. Without a management system in place, electric fleet operators risk incurring unexpected costs from charging during peak demand times. This is where managed charging comes in.

Minimizing electricity costs is one of the primary benefits of managed charging. By automatically scheduling charging sessions during off-peak periods, when energy costs are lower, managed charging can help to ensure that fleets get the most value out of their energy consumption.

For a real-word example, let’s look at one bp pulse heavy duty supply chain customer. Using Omega charge management software, the customer is estimated to have saved over $110,000 (36%) in electric…