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Smart Fleets Archive



Fleet of generic electric EV delivery vans charging on charging stations

The New ‘Fuel’: Strategies for Tracking and Managing EV Charging Costs

As more utility fleets add electric vehicles to their mix, fleet managers need to understand the intricacies of managing EV charging costs, much like they would fuel expenses. Fleets are adopting an emerging array of strategies, tools and practices to monitor and control these costs. After all, utility rates are the new fuel prices and […]
Mika Article Dec 2023

The Evolving Fleet Professional for an Electrified Future

| Shelley Mika |
Over the last decade, technology has emerged that can make fleet management a little easier – think telematics, dashcams and integrated fleet management platforms. Electrification is a different story. The next 10 years will likely make a fleet manager’s job more complex, and that means fleet managers will need to develop new skills and approaches […]
Netradyne Group 690

The Impact of AI and Machine Learning on Telematics

| Gary L. Wollenhaupt |
While the flying automated cars of “The Jetsons” cartoon are still to come, the growing power of artificial intelligence is moving fleet telematics into the future. Smart telematics systems are already in use by many fleets, but the technology is moving to the next level with the integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning to […]
smart-fleets Aug-23

Best Practices for Managing a Shared Vehicle Pool

| Grace Suizo |
How many vehicles does your organization use every day? What about weekly? Monthly? According to Mike Hicks, vice president of marketing for Agile Fleet (www.agilefleet.com), these can be challenging questions for prospective clients to answer. “For many organizations, it can be difficult to track what vehicles are owned, where they are, their condition and mileage, […]
Ford F-150 Lightning Pro

Sizing Up the Electric Pickup Truck

| David Cullen |
It seems like every time you turn around these days, there’s a new battery-electric pickup truck being unveiled. Iconic American truck builders Ford, General Motors and Ram have begun building full-size electric pickups, while startup manufacturers – such as Rivian and Canoo – are rolling out EV pickups of varying designs. Meanwhile, Elon Musk, head […]
Image courtesy of Hyzon

The Latest Developments in the Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Truck Market

| Gary L. Wollenhaupt |
Fuel cells powered by hydrogen have become an attractive technology because hydrogen powers an electric motor – without plugging in, as you do with a battery-electric vehicle – and the only emission out of the tailpipe is water. Big-name truck makers including Toyota, Kenworth and Navistar have entered the fray. And then there are new […]

The State of EV Wireless Charging

| Gary L. Wollenhaupt |
As utilities adopt electric vehicles for their fleets, they face a fundamental question: wired or wireless charging? The decision could have long-term effects on the success of EV adoption. Electric utilities will be consulting with their customers on the same question. While EV plug-in charging stations are familiar sights thanks to Tesla, wireless charging is […]

Crafting a Telematics RFP

| Grace Suizo |
Due to the significant financial investment, fleet managers sometimes make the mistake of basing a telematics purchasing decision on cost alone, according to Steven Berube, senior business development manager for Geotab (www.geotab.com). “While choosing a low-cost provider may seem like an ideal choice at the time, fleet managers risk paying thousands in hidden costs associated […]

Navigating the Surge in Fuel Costs

| Grace Suizo |
High fuel prices have made it increasingly difficult for fleet operations to keep costs low – especially utility fleets, whose essential services require daily travel to job sites. According to Dan Remmert, senior manager of fleet services for Ameren Illinois, “Not only are fuel prices at record highs, but pretty much everything else it takes […]

The State of Electric Vehicle Order-to-Delivery Times

Despite manufacturers’ reassurances, vehicle delivery delays are expected. In February, Ford began deliveries of its E-Transit EV van to fleet customers, one of the earliest of the highly anticipated commercial-grade battery-powered vehicles to have its orders fulfilled. It’s a bright spot in the electric vehicle market as fleet managers keep an eye on shifting EV […]
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EV Decision-Making: Telematics to the Rescue

| David Cullen |
A utility fleet manager who is considering integrating electric vehicles into their operation faces a range of questions, including how telematics data will be tapped when running a mix of trucks powered by either internal combustion engines or electric drivetrains. In other words, will it be difficult to blend the data streams from these two […]
Web-Daimler.jpg

Power Ahead: The Coming of Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Trucks

| David Cullen |
Even as electric utilities and other fleet operators are embracing battery-electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks to move to zero-emission power, another wave of alternative power is rolling in: the hydrogen fuel cell. Just as a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) delivers zero-emission power, so does a fuel-cell vehicle (FCV). Thanks to several key advantages of FCV design, […]