Pete Bishop, founder and CTO at EV battery analytics specialist Silver Power Systems, on making a successful switch from ICE to electric vehicles.

Pete Bishop of Silver Power Systems

Over the course of their lives, electric vehicles have a much lower total cost of ownership (TCO) than their ICE counterparts. This can be especially beneficial for high-use cases such as fleets in which savings such as fuel costs can multiply exponentially.    

As such, forward-thinking fleet managers will already be considering the best ways to electrify their fleets. For a process that has no blueprint this can seem like a daunting task. However, there are some tips to keep in mind to help you navigate the potentially tricky times ahead.   

Have a starting point 

The first step is to have a detailed understanding of the financials of your current fleet. As well as your capital cost per vehicle, know your total outgoing and incoming costs for each month over the last year and then work out an average. This will give you a benchmark on which you can monitor costs against moving forward. Before you invest heavily in EVs for your fleet, also look at your existing data and mileage to understand what ranges you need to cover and research what are the best EVs to do this.    

Have a phased approach  

EVs will become cheaper, batteries will charge faster, and the infrastructure will expand, and your transition needs to be in line with these factors to reap the benefits they bring. The best way to do that is with a phased approach, switching a few vehicles at a time to hybrids or EVs – that way you can gradually unearth and adapt to the challenges. 

EVs are predicted to approach price parity with ICE vehicles between 2025 and 2027 (with some types considerably sooner), and so that’s a good time to aim to have your electrification transition well underway by. If your fleet is based in or near an Ultra Low Emission Zone, then there could be benefits to doing this sooner due to the improved charging infrastructure in those areas as well as the immediate savings and benefits you can enjoy by driving a sustainable vehicle in an ultra-low emission zone.     

At some point during your phased approach, it’s also worth considering forming strategic partnerships with charge point operators to see if you can secure fleet-wide discounts.  

Get to grips with EV battery analytics 

Telematics is a vital tool with an electrified fleet, giving you access to data to see how the vehicle is being driven and charged. At Silver Power Systems we provide fleets with a cloud-based energy monitoring platform called EV-OPS. This gives fleet managers access to battery data in real time to understand charging utilisation, vehicle efficiencies and gain insights that they can act on to improve the performance and life of the battery – which is by far the most valuable part of an EV and its state of health is directly linked to the vehicle’s value. 

When tailored to the needs of electric vehicles, battery analytics can allow fleet operators to monitor the state of charge of hundreds of vehicles in real time, plan routes for high intensity use or long distances, and see costs and operational efficiencies in real time, including the impact on total cost of the ownership of the vehicles.  

Familiarise yourself with smart charging 

Whether you’re charging at the depot, or your drivers are charging at home, smart chargers can make a huge difference to your bottom line. Smart charging is scheduling your charge for the off-peak periods (usually overnight).  

To do this, you (or the driver if they are charging at home) will need an EV friendly energy tariff with cheap off-peak periods, and a smart charge point that knows when to start and stop your charge based on your needs. 

Electricity prices are extremely variable which makes effective management of a fleet’s charging habits crucial to help make savings. Smart charging also uses energy that is about 25% cleaner because the electricity generation comes from more renewable sources overnight that it does during the day.  

If your fleet is large and will mostly be charged at your depot, then it could be worth reaching out to your local electricity distribution company to understand the potential costs of any grid infrastructure upgrade that may be required. If these costs are high, it may be cheaper to relocate your depot closer to somewhere near a reliable grid connection.  

Get your drivers to buy into your vision of an electrified future  

Ultimately, the support of your drivers is key for a successful transition. They need to understand the financial and green benefits of driving an EV, and that by doing so they are helping to future proof your business and their jobs.    

They may need encouragement making the switch so be patient with them and educate them in driving and charging habits that will help them get the most out of their EVs. This will not only save money and be more eco-friendly, but it will also help reduce any range anxieties that they may have.