{"id":13180,"date":"2022-02-06T18:26:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-06T17:26:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=13180"},"modified":"2022-02-06T18:26:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-06T17:26:28","slug":"ev-strategy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2022\/02\/06\/ev-strategy\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Steps to Future-Proof Your EV Strategy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fleets starting their electrification process might want to jump ahead to deciding on which electric vehicles will work for their fleets. But the vehicles themselves are closer to the last leg of the journey. While the benefits of going green are enticing, much must be accounted for first in terms of infrastructure, systems, utilities, financing, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schneider Electric is one company supporting fleets in the EV space and made news last summer for its partnership with GM and BrightDrop\u2019s Ultium Charge 360<\/a> fleet charging service \u2014 a partnership bringing on-the-go and depot charging to customers. Schneider\u2019s core specialty is fitting commercial charging station needs to customers via its partner network. The company has worked in electrification since 2009 across the globe and is now translating that to the North American market.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe look at the charging stations as an end point to the solution, and we look at the entire model to use energy appropriately and bring it to the EV side,\u201d explains John Lindsey, head of sales – electrification of transportation NAM at Schneider Electric. This covers the gamut of microgrid, distributed energy resources, load management, IT, and digitization for customers building out an EV infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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So, where does one start down this path to electrification? The oft-heard answer is, it depends. As every customer and company is different, start by identifying where exactly you are in that journey and what your unique needs are.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Plan Infrastructure First<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Lindsey does not downplay the importance of thinking holistically. \u201cWe\u2019ve stepped back and asked, \u2018How do we service the needs of a customer across the board and provide solutions to make their electrification journey easier?\u2019\u201d he says. \u201cWe don\u2019t focus on the charger or the software; we think about the entire model.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

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Don\u2019t minimize the infrastructure play just to get started, Lindsey advises, reminding of the importance of the big picture, including your building, vehicles, utilities, and renewables. He says if there is too much focus on the initial investment, you\u2019ll end up spending money twice.<\/span><\/p>\n

In other words, plan for the end game, not the getting-off-the-ground game.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Coordinate with Utilities<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

One part of that broad picture that Schneider Electric doesn\u2019t forget is utilities<\/a>. Sit down and look at your usage and try to negotiate a new rate schedule agreement to limit the costs of scaling up your infrastructure before you\u2019re too far down the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

This is another area that can vary greatly depending on your location and availability of renewables and microgrid solutions. Lindsey urges use of a single-view platform to manage that effectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

He recommends starting slow, with maybe five vehicles, and scale up from there so you don\u2019t overbuild or use too much energy as you learn. The future-proofing point here is to have capacity and site power distribution and design systems that can expand to additional chargers and use down the line.<\/span><\/p>\n

The whole point in dealing with utilities is to make sure that you\u2019re managing the grid and using power effectively. Fleet managers must understand load requirements, make sure you\u2019re not oversizing a feed, and balance it with newer technologies that distribute energy like solar or batteries.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to coordinate that with utilities, they have to be engaged in the discussion, and that requires some forward thinking to connect your resources,\u201d Lindsey says.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. A Good Platform is Paramount<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

Speaking to the necessity of an all-in-one dashboard, \u201cYou want to be able to have a full view of your infrastructure and platform applications to manage costs and give you visibility into where you\u2019re heading,\u201d Lindsey says.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, if you\u2019re looking at DC charging initially, you are going to want to plan for potential future utilization of DCFC as that technology scales out.<\/span><\/p>\n

Make sure that the platform you select is truly all in one, and not made up of bits and pieces, to avoid surprises and have a go-to resource for all<\/em> your questions and needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPeople tend to focus on the charger, which is actually the easiest piece in the entire equation,\u201d Lindsey says, but your dashboard and coordination with utilities is equally or even more important.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Cybersecurity & Data Management<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

One thing Lindsey says is missing from many electrification planning discussions is cybersecurity. Having secure hardware is just one part of a dynamic environment, though.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEverything in this space is connected,\u201d he says. \u201cI recommend a comprehensive view of all integrated platforms tied to the EV infrastructure.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

This can include distributed energy management, load management, charging station and fleet management systems. Make sure you have a complete architecture for a secure cyber environment that monitors for threats. Because there is no all-in-one out-of-the-box solution yet, these systems must be custom built.<\/span><\/p>\n

In today\u2019s digitized environment, it\u2019s critical to think about how you\u2019re obtaining and managing data. \u201cThis can be used in a variety of ways, particularly for continuous UX improvement and future builds, but probably will be used in ways we haven\u2019t even considered yet,\u201d he says.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lindsey urges fleets to think about how to use all information \u2014 from vehicles to chargers, from infrastructure to utilities \u2014 and maybe even how to monetize that in the future. He offers the idea of thinking of a fleet vehicle as a rolling computer and planning for a custom experience, similar to one\u2019s web browsing experience that tailors suggestions and benefits.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet how data will be optimized, but it likely will be significantly more valued than the vehicle itself,\u201d he predicts.<\/span><\/p>\n

And, as the tie-in with telematics is still being defined, Lindsey says to stay broad based until we know more about what exactly is collected and how it\u2019s used by OEMs. He suggests asking each manufacturer what data they gather and if the fleet end user will be able to access it. Based on that information, you can figure out how to carve your own experience with your telematics data.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Figure Out Financing<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

The final critical piece in this infrastructure puzzle is how to finance. Lindsey says a good funding strategy should consist of a mix of solutions, which can include capital investments, pay-as-you-go models, or working with a third party \u2013 all which factor into your TCO.<\/span><\/p>\n

Schneider Electric offers energy as a service through its two joint ventures, AlphaStruxure and GreenStruxure, and as he describes, \u201cin a sense, lease it back to fleets.\u201d These partners can provide energy solutions for Schneider\u2019s commercial, industrial, government, and infrastructure fleet clients that is sustainable, resilient, and from a single source. The primary benefit Lindsey cites is no upfront cost and eliminated financial risk when put in the hands of a third party.<\/span><\/p>\n

And for chargers, what makes the most sense cost-wise for fleets? \u201cI\u2019m going to go way out on a limb and argue that you may find a model for public charging that is actually less expensive than the current model we have today with gas vehicles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So whether your fleet turns to a solutions provider or takes another path down the electrification road, Lindsey\u2019s top takeaway is to keep in mind the full story and plan for future expansion.<\/span><\/p>\n

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by Amanda Huggett<\/a><\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.fleetforward.com\/<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n

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KNOW WHO WE ARE<\/strong><\/a><\/h1>\n

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Fleets starting their electrification process might want to jump ahead to deciding on which electric vehicles will work for their fleets. But the vehicles themselves are closer to the last leg of the journey. While the benefits of going green are enticing, much must be accounted for first in terms of infrastructure, systems, utilities, financing,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":13181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[217],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13180"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13182,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13180\/revisions\/13182"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}