By Greg Oppenheim, Head of Marketing, IoT Solutions, Telit Cinterion
August 28, 2024
Increasingly, corporations and public entities are electrifying their fleets due to government pressure and zero-emissions incentives and benefits. Whatever the motivation, companies looking to transition their fleets to electric vehicles (EV) will face several challenges.
These barriers go beyond building new vehicles and training drivers. Notably, there is a significant lack of charging infrastructure today. An enterprise or public service (transportation, waste collection, etc.) may have the capital to transition to EVs; however, these vehicles won’t get very far if they can’t reliably be charged.
Even if EV fleets have reliable access to charging stations via home-based charge points, these stations cannot function without always-on connectivity. Stable connectivity is another significant hurdle to electrification, which fleet managers must address accordingly for such initiatives to be successful.
Why Poor Connectivity is So Disastrous for EV Fleet Operations
Whether traveling long distances or completing day-to-day operations, EV fleets need dependable access to charging stations – especially fleets that operate 24/7, such as logistics, buses and commercial services. Should the connection to these charging stations become disrupted due to cyberattacks, human error or network connectivity issues, fleet operations will come to an unceremonious halt.
The consequences of operational delays, late deliveries and disrupted bus schedules can be severe, including extra costs, tarnished reputation, and lost customers and revenue. Negative effects are magnified the longer EV charging stations are unavailable, which can last for hours if the troubleshooting process is inefficient. Unfortunately, some fleet managers cannot remediate issues remotely, forcing them to send technicians to a charge site to identify the problem and perform remediation manually.
In addition to charge-station availability, poor connectivity can impair fleet managers’ ability to glean helpful insights that support business decisions. An EV charging station communicates over a wireless network via a machine-to-machine card or a mobile Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) card for machines. Without this connection, fleet managers are blind to vital information such as the frequency of use, charging station health, state of charge, energy consumption and charging session data, like time and location.
Solutions that Improve EV Charger Uptime
While fleet managers cannot control the connectivity capabilities (or lack thereof) for public charge points, they can decide which solutions to integrate into their home-based charge points. Therefore, fleet managers should leverage a network adapter enabled by cellular Internet of Things (IoT) modules and supported by SIM technologies, permitting their charge points to exchange data securely and communicate reliably with acceptable latency.
Fleet managers should also use management platforms to respond in real time to connectivity issues. Rather than sending technicians on-site to remediate problems, fleet managers can identify, diagnose, and remediate IoT devices remotely, saving precious time and resources.
Another invaluable component of upholding always-on connectivity is a cloud-native, mobile core network with redundant multiple International Mobile Subscriber Identity or multi-IMSI. This core network safeguards connectivity if, for example, there is a local Mobile Network Operator outage. The Alternative Fuels Data Center also recommends that charging equipment use Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) version 1.6 or higher, permitting them to switch charging networks if the existing network provider ceases to offer charging or goes out of business.
Moreover, redundant core network technology enables remote SIM provisioning capabilities, allowing fleet managers to switch carriers or technologies without the headache of manually swapping SIMs on-site, streamlining the deployment and scaling of additional EV charging stations.
Parting Advice: Avoid Off-the-Shelf Solutions
Fleet managers and administrators need optimal EV charging station connectivity to ensure the success of their fleet electrification efforts. Off-the-shelf IoT or consumer-grade solutions won’t suffice for fleets because of their inflexibility, unpredictability, and poor security. Alternatively, fleet managers should evaluate the benefits of partnering with a veteran IoT solutions provider that knows not only the network but also the hardware components of EV charging.
About the author
Greg Oppenheim currently serves as Head of Marketing, IoT Solutions at Telit Cinterion. Bringing multiple years of experience within the Internet of Things (IoT) industry, Greg leads key marketing initiatives, driving business growth for the company.
