A new project on smart EV charging is to enter real-world testing on fleets with the help of Innovate UK grant funding.

The Fleet Connected Smart Charging (FCSC) project is being run by Miralis Data, a transport-focused software and data science company, in partnership with Envisij and Mina, and will help large fleets manage the supply of electricity when switching to EVs.

Miralis research director Will Maden explained: “Most fleet managers will face challenges including how much charge different vehicles require, whilst trying to balance the most cost-effective way to charge, and ensuring that site capacity is not compromised.”

The project will balance the expected charge needed for a varied fleet with the site’s electricity capacity. Energy management company Envisij will report real-time and projected site power capacity and site demand. Miralis will then devise a smart charging solution to optimise the remaining capacity, charging vehicles within cost and capacity parameters.

Home charging is also a focus under the partnership with EV payments start-up Mina. The company – winner of the Innovation in Electric Vehicles accolade at the Fleet World Great British Fleet Awards 2021 – already offers a fleet charging solution that allows employees to charge at home and provides fleet managers with a single invoice each month, capturing both home and public charging together for the entire fleet. Under the FCSC project, Mina will begin testing the benefits of smart charging fleet vehicles at employees’ homes for the first time.

Will Maden added: “The results of our partnership with Envisij and Mina on this project could be a real accelerator for the electrification of fleets. We’re excited to break down the barriers to transition and make EV charging more accessible, cost-effective and easier to deliver.”

The project is set to kick off in August with a solution expected in spring 2022.