What are the challenges of managing an electric fleet?
The transition to an electric fleet represents a major shift for many companies, with promises of sustainability, efficiency and cost savings. However, this transition is not without its challenges. Here are just a few of them:
- Vehicle acquisition
- Cost management and control
- solutions for recharging vehicles at lower cost,
- TCO reduction to improve overall company performance.
- Vehicle maintenance
- technical control,
- maintenance,
- repairs.
- Compliance with legislation
- vehicle insurance,
- carrying out the necessary technical inspections.
- Health & Safety
- employee awareness of accident procedures,
- safe driving training contribute to meeting health and safety requirements.
- Data processing
- in-depth analysis is an indispensable tool for informing strategic and operational decisions.
How can fleet management software help you manage your electric fleet?
As a reminder, this type of software is designed to :
- relieve the fleet manager,
- reduce costs,
- optimize workflows,
- automate as many processes as possible in fleet operations,
All this to lighten the workload of the fleet manager.
To find out more about fleet management, read our article on the 5 best software packages for managing your electric fleet may be of interest to you.
Thanks to fleet management software, fleet managers can :
- avoid saturation of charging stations in the company parking lot,
- reduce expenses by monitoring periods of inactivity,
- improve driver performance,
- observe traffic conditions,
- quickly spot their vehicles,
- help prevent accidents.
But that's not all: an effective fleet management solution will make data data easy to understandmaking it easy to identify trends that might previously have gone unnoticed. You can filter this information, highlighting fuel-related inefficiencies, spotting gaps in your safety plan, or discovering new approaches to increasing customer satisfaction.
What should your electric fleet management software include?
"Are we really aware of our fleet management needs?"
This first question is crucial in determining which tools are best suited to your company's challenges. After all, each software package has its own specific features to meet specific needs. Before implementing a fleet management solution, make a diagnosis and clarify your expectations.
But what does this software have to offer to meet the specific requirements of electric vehicles? electric vehicles ?
Points to consider
To date, fleet management has become an indispensable element of efficient fleet management. Regardless of fleet size, it remains a powerful powerful tool.
As a result, it's a good idea to pay particular attention to the selection of your fleet management software provider, taking into account their expectations and needs.
Whatever your goal, a fleet management solution is a cost-effective and economical and functional tool. To be successful in your choice of fleet management software supplier, it's essential to look at a number of indicators.
As briefly stated business needs is the key. Drawing up a list of the features you need to manage your fleet will simplify your task. Focus on the essential features. Additional options can sometimes prove to be an unnecessary expense.
To help you make the right choice of fleet management solution, it's a good idea to draw up a table summarizing your needs, the solutions you're considering and the functionalities you require, as shown in the example below.
| NEEDED | OBJECTIVE | SOLUTION |
|---|---|---|
|
Power consumption management
|
Reduce the cost of recharging electric vehicles
|
Use power consumption tracking software to efficiently plan refills and minimize expenses. |
|
Optimizing travel
|
Maximize trip efficiency and reduce kilometers traveled |
Integrate route planning and geolocation software to optimize travel and minimize driving time.
|
|
Preventive maintenance
|
Prevent breakdowns and reduce vehicle downtime
|
Set up a maintenance tracking system and preventive maintenance alerts to carry out the necessary repairs before problems arise.
|
|
Charging station management
|
Ensure easy and efficient access to your company's charging stations
|
Use charging station management software to schedule recharges, monitor the condition of charging stations and optimize their use.
|
|
Environmental performance monitoring
|
Measure the fleet's environmental impact and optimize its carbon footprint
|
Integrate an environmental reporting module into the fleet management software to monitor energy consumption and implement improvement actions.
|
What's more, to make an informed decision about fleet management software, consider the company's reputation and market experience as valuable indicators and objective selection criteria. The increasing diversity of suppliers and companies specializing in the development of fleet management solutions makes the choice more complex. So it's a good idea to choose well-known, reliable brands that are suitable for all areas of activity.
Finally, it is essential that the solution fleet management solution for the company's employees. A pleasant user experience is the result of a :
- intuitive,
- simple,
- beneficial.
The adoption of such software gives the company a competitive edge.
The 3 essential features
Naturally, opting for fleet management software can be crucial to your company's success. A comprehensive, easy-to-use and intuitive fleet management system can offer inestimable value to fleets of all sizes. That's why it's imperative, when selecting a fleet management software package, to check that it incorporates the essential functionalities to meet your company's specific needs.
GPS tracking
Thanks to GPS tracking, fleet managers have real-time access to :
- location of all vehicles,
- key data( vehiclerange, vehicle battery, number of kilometers driven, driver position, etc.).
Another valuable feature is its ability to track consumption, simplifying the detection of irregularities and the reconciliation of receipts to avoid superfluous expenditure linked to unnecessary mileage.
What's more, software enables them to check driver availability and plan daily routes, while monitoring vehicle use to avoid prolonged periods of inactivity.
A maintenance system for electric vehicles
Fleet maintenance periods, whether caused by accidents or the wear and tear of daily use, are inevitable realities facing fleet managers.
By monitoring engine performance and speed, this software assists the fleet manager in making informed decisions at the wheel. That's why electric fleet management software with vehicle maintenance and servicing capabilities is a smart choice.
A safety system for drivers
Obviously, driver safety is a top priority on the road. While accidents may seem unavoidable in fleet management, using the right management system can help you to :
- anticipate,
- and avoid several major causes of accidents.
Therefore, introducing fleet management software and implementing a road safety program can benefit your drivers by improving safety while reducing the costs associated with vehicle wear and tear.
What criteria should you use when choosing your fleet management software?
Choosing the right fleet management software is crucial to optimizing operations and maximizing fleet efficiency.
But with so many options available on the market, it can be difficult to know where to start. In this section, we explore the essential criteria to consider when selecting fleet management software.
Easy-to-use software
Your fleet management software should help you optimize your operations and save you time. So it should be intuitive, easy to install, and provide rapid access to the data you need.
The information gathered by the box is then presented in a dashboard like the fleet manager tool from Beev. Fleet managers can thus :
- monitor vehicle location,
- communicate with drivers about traffic conditions,
- or access various reports (route analysis, performance evaluation, etc.).
As a reminder, effective software provides a wealth of data to inform fleet managers' decisions. However, too much data can be counter-productive.
Upgradeable software
Expansion is crucial when it comes to fleet management software. It enables companies to adapt to their changing needs and evolving fleets, a necessity for those undergoing rapid expansion.
In fact, the software selected must evaluate driver performance and offer robust planning tools. This scalability facilitates fleet expansion for companies of all sizes.
Software coupled with your other tools
In addition to vehicle tracking, effective software needs to connect with other applications such as inventory management or CRM to integrate easily with the existing IT system.
This provides a global view of all the data essential for managing your fleet, promoting both greater visibility and greater control, all the while minimizing manual intervention. What's more, it could prevent technological clashes hampering productivity and generating avoidable costs.
Data interpretation software
Despite the possibility of accessing various relevant data on your fleet thanks to the implementation of a management system, it is crucial to find a solution that enables you to make the most of this data. This will significantly avoid confusion caused by too much data.
Why choose Beev's fleet manager?
Recently, Beev introduced an electric fleet management tool offering easy management of vehicles and charging points, while boosting your company's productivity. Whether you're a small or large company, Beev offers a solution tailored to your needs. What's more, an online SaaS mode has been developed to enable fleet managers to manage and optimize their operations efficiently, whether from their office or via their cell phone.
This electric fleet management tool continuously monitors the status of vehicles and charging points. In particular, it enables :
- Examination of fleet data,
- View the complete list of vehicles (whether in maintenance, in service, etc.) and their monthly rental,
- Access to an exhaustive list of drivers,
- Create and consult events in the calendar,
- Centralization of fleet-related documents.
You can also take advantage of Beev's support in acquiring new electric vehicles or installing charging stations.
Conclusion
In conclusion, choosing the right fleet management software is fundamental to optimizing your company's operations. With a multitude of options available, it's essential to take into account the specific needs of your fleet, as well as the functionalities offered by each solution.
By making an informed choice, you can not only improve the efficiency of your fleet, but also reduce costs and enhance safety on the road. Feel free to explore the different options available and consult expert advice to find the software that best suits your requirements.
As a reminder, our recharge card may be of interest to your company's fleet. It's free and commission-free, so you can recharge your electric car at over 300,000 public charging stations across Europe.
Would you like to order your Beev recharge card ?
Our card makes it easy to recharge your electric car at any charging station in Europe.
