Adding electric vehicles to your fleet is a smart move, but it can create immediate headaches for your daily operations. Suddenly, you're tracking battery levels for some vehicles and fuel for others. If your current ice fleet management software isn't built for this, you're likely using separate systems to fill the gaps. This creates data silos and operational inefficiency. Beyond logistics, there's the question of vehicle performance and EV vs ICE efficiency. The truth is, ICE vehicles are surprisingly inefficient compared to their electric counterparts. Here’s a closer look at why.
Where does the energy go in an ICE vehicle?
A vehicle’s efficiency is measured by how much energy it loses from its fuel. ICE vehicles, of course, start with 100% of their fuel. You may be surprised that 75-84% of that energy is lost. Let’s break down exactly where that energy goes.
- 68% to 72% is lost in the engine
- 4% to 6% is parasitic losses
- 3% to 5% is drivetrain losses
- 0% to 2% is auxiliary electricity use
How do EVs compare on energy efficiency?
Of course, electric vehicles also start with 100% of their fuel. However, this fuel comes as electricity that powers the drivetrain. They do not need to convert the energy from oil into electricity, making the process more efficient. Still, electric vehicles do lose about 31-35% of their energy. Luckily, 22% of that energy can be restored through regenerative braking. How do EVs lose energy in the first place?
- 10% loss from charging
- 18% drivetrain losses
- 3% powertrain cooling and steering
- 0% to 4% auxiliary electricity use
The challenge of managing mixed fleets
As more businesses add electric vehicles to their lineup, they’re quickly discovering that managing a mixed fleet of EVs and traditional gas-powered vehicles isn’t as simple as it sounds. The two types of vehicles operate on fundamentally different principles. According to location technology experts at HERE, "Managing mixed fleets is complex due to fundamental differences in fueling, operational limits, and rules for ICE and EV vehicles." This means your maintenance schedules, refueling strategies, and even your daily operational rules need to be different for each vehicle type. Trying to apply a one-size-fits-all approach just doesn’t work, leading to confusion and missed opportunities for efficiency.
The complexity goes beyond just fuel versus charge. You have to consider EV range limitations, charging times, and the availability of charging infrastructure, which are non-issues for your ICE vehicles. On the other hand, your gas vehicles have their own unique maintenance needs, like oil changes and emissions checks. Juggling these distinct requirements for a growing number of vehicles can quickly become a major headache for any fleet manager. Without a system designed to handle this complexity, you risk decreased productivity, driver frustration, and an inability to get the most out of your valuable assets.
Why separate systems create inefficiencies
When faced with managing both EVs and ICE vehicles, the default solution for many is to use separate systems—one for the old guard and one for the new. Unfortunately, this approach often creates more problems than it solves. As noted by Fleet Rabbit, "Using separate systems leads to manual work, unclear costs, and difficulty getting a full picture of your fleet's performance." This siloed approach means your team is constantly switching between different software or spreadsheets, manually piecing together data to get a sense of the entire fleet’s status. This manual work is not only time-consuming but also a major source of errors that can lead to poor decision-making down the line.
Without a single source of truth, you lose the ability to compare performance across your entire fleet effectively. How can you know if an EV is truly more efficient for a specific route if its data lives in a completely different system from its ICE counterpart? This lack of a holistic view makes it nearly impossible to optimize your operations, assign the right vehicles to the right jobs, or make informed decisions about future vehicle acquisitions. You’re left with an incomplete picture, which can hinder your ability to streamline workflows and maximize your return on investment.
How unified software simplifies mixed fleet management
The most effective way to handle a mixed fleet is to bring all your vehicle data into one place. A unified software platform is designed to do exactly that. As Fleet Rabbit explains, "This software brings everything together into one system. You get a single dashboard to see all your vehicles, no matter if they're electric or gas." Instead of juggling multiple programs, you get a single, comprehensive view of your entire operation. This centralized approach eliminates the need for manual data consolidation and provides a clear, real-time overview of every asset, regardless of how it’s powered. This is the core of modern fleet tracking and management.
With a unified system, you can monitor location, status, and performance metrics for both your EVs and ICE vehicles side-by-side. This integration allows you to standardize your reporting and analytics, making it easy to compare performance and identify opportunities for improvement across the board. By breaking down the data silos between your different vehicle types, you empower your team to make smarter, faster decisions. This streamlined approach not only improves daily operational efficiency but also provides the strategic insights needed to plan for the future and grow your business with confidence.
Get a complete view from a single dashboard
Imagine logging into one system and seeing the real-time status of every vehicle in your fleet. That’s the power of a unified dashboard. It doesn't matter if a truck is running on diesel or a van is powered by a battery; you see them all on the same map and in the same reports. This single pane of glass is crucial for efficient dispatching, monitoring, and planning. A key feature of this technology is that it "tracks both fuel (for ICE) and electricity (for EVs) in the same system." This means you can instantly check the fuel level of a long-haul truck and the battery percentage of a local delivery van without switching screens, giving you complete operational awareness at a glance.
Compare performance with cost-per-mile data
To truly understand your fleet's efficiency, you need to compare apples to apples. Simply looking at fuel expenses versus charging expenses doesn't tell the whole story. A unified platform can standardize this data for you. According to Fleet Rabbit, it can "convert these to a 'cost-per-mile' so you can easily compare how much each type of vehicle costs to run." This powerful metric cuts through the noise and gives you a clear, objective way to evaluate performance. You can finally answer critical questions like whether an EV is more economical for a specific high-mileage route or if an ICE vehicle is better suited for jobs in remote areas.
Streamline maintenance for all vehicle types
EVs and ICE vehicles have vastly different maintenance needs. An EV needs battery health checks, while an ICE vehicle requires regular oil changes. Keeping track of these separate schedules manually is a recipe for missed service appointments and unexpected downtime. A smart, unified system automates this process. The software "knows the different maintenance needs for EVs... and ICE vehicles... and sets up the right schedules for each." You can create custom scheduled maintenance plans for every vehicle in your fleet, and the system will automatically send alerts when service is due, ensuring every asset receives the right care at the right time.
Assign the right vehicle for the right job
Optimizing your fleet isn't just about efficient routing; it's about using the right tool for the job. Sending an EV with a limited range on a long-distance delivery can lead to delays and frustrated drivers. A unified management platform gives your dispatchers the data they need to make smart assignments. It "helps you assign the right vehicle to the right job, like sending EVs on shorter routes and ICE vehicles on longer ones." By having real-time access to each vehicle's range, fuel or battery level, and the requirements of the job, you can ensure that every assignment is made with efficiency and practicality in mind.
Rethinking route planning for mixed fleets
When your fleet includes both gas and electric vehicles, your approach to route planning has to evolve. You can no longer rely on simply finding the shortest or fastest path. As the team at HERE points out, "Managing mixed fleets is tricky because ICE and EV vehicles have very different needs for route planning." Each vehicle type has unique constraints and requirements that must be factored into its route. For an ICE vehicle, the primary goal might be to minimize miles and avoid traffic. For an EV, the focus shifts to preserving battery life and ensuring access to charging stations. A modern route optimization solution must be intelligent enough to handle both scenarios simultaneously.
This new complexity requires a more dynamic and data-driven approach. Your routing software needs to understand the specific characteristics of each vehicle—from its fuel efficiency or battery capacity to its physical size. It also needs to account for external factors like terrain, traffic, and even weather, all of which can impact performance differently for EVs and ICE vehicles. Without a system that can process all these variables, you’re essentially planning with one hand tied behind your back, leaving significant efficiencies on the table and potentially putting your drivers in difficult situations.
Different routing needs for ICE vs. EV
The fundamental goals of routing differ significantly between ICE vehicles and EVs. For traditional vehicles, the strategy is straightforward. The focus is on "using less fuel and driving fewer miles." Since gas stations are plentiful, refueling is a quick and minor interruption that doesn't require extensive planning. Routes can be optimized primarily for distance and time, with little concern for finding the next fill-up spot. This has been the standard for decades, and most basic routing tools are built around this simple logic. However, this approach is completely inadequate for the unique challenges presented by electric vehicles.
Factoring in battery range and charging time
Route planning for EVs is a far more intricate puzzle. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B; it’s about ensuring the vehicle has enough energy to do so. As HERE explains, "EVs need careful planning for charging stops, routes that save energy, and scheduling that matches when charging stations are free." This means your routing software must be aware of charging station locations, their availability, and how long a vehicle will need to be plugged in. A simple "shortest distance" algorithm won't work if that route takes a driver far from the nearest compatible charger or if the only available charger is already in use.
How weather, terrain, and load affect EV range
An EV’s battery range isn't a fixed number; it’s a dynamic value that changes based on external conditions. Factors that have a minor impact on a gas-powered truck can dramatically affect an EV. For instance, "Steep hills and cold weather reduce an EV's battery range more than they affect ICE vehicles." A heavy payload can also drain the battery much faster than anticipated. An intelligent routing system must account for these variables in real time to provide accurate range predictions. Without this capability, a route that looks perfectly fine on paper could leave a driver stranded on the side of the road with a dead battery.
Navigating low-emission zones with ease
As cities become more focused on sustainability, a new routing challenge has emerged: low-emission zones. In many urban areas, "‘low-emission zones’... restrict ICE vehicles, forcing them to reroute or pay extra fees." For a mixed fleet, this can be a logistical nightmare if not managed properly. However, it also presents an opportunity. A smart routing platform can automatically identify these zones and assign EVs, which "can drive freely in these zones," to any jobs located within them. This not only helps you avoid penalties but also allows you to leverage the unique advantages of your electric vehicles for a strategic edge.
Market trends and the future of commercial fleets
The shift toward electric vehicles in commercial fleets isn't a distant concept; it's happening right now. The numbers clearly show a rapid acceleration in adoption across the industry. According to data from HERE, "Sales of electric vans and small trucks went up by over 50% in 2023. Heavy-duty electric truck sales increased by 35% in the same year." This isn't just a passing trend. It’s a fundamental change in the composition of commercial fleets, driven by a combination of regulatory pressures, sustainability goals, and the improving performance of electric vehicles. Businesses that fail to adapt to this new reality risk being left behind.
This rapid growth means that managing a mixed fleet will soon be the norm, not the exception. Fleet managers need to start thinking strategically about how they will integrate and optimize these new assets. The old tools and processes designed exclusively for ICE vehicles are no longer sufficient. Preparing for this transition requires investing in technology that can provide visibility and control over a diverse range of vehicle types. By embracing a unified approach to fleet management now, you can build a more resilient, efficient, and future-proof operation that is ready for the road ahead.
The rapid growth of EVs in fleets
The momentum behind EV adoption is only expected to grow stronger in the coming years. The industry is moving decisively in this direction, and fleet managers are planning accordingly. Projections from HERE indicate that "By 2030, 80% of fleets expect EVs to make up a quarter of their vehicles." This statistic highlights a critical reality: in just a few years, a significant portion of nearly every commercial fleet will be electric. This isn't a niche market anymore; it's the mainstream future of the industry. Preparing for this inevitability is no longer optional—it's a strategic imperative for any business that relies on a fleet to get work done.
Electric Vehicle FAQ
Of course, fleets have many questions about electric vehicles, and we’re here to answer. Here are just some of the most common questions about electric vehicles.
What does fleet electrification mean?
Fleet electrification is how a fleet transitions its vehicles from ICE to EVs, often aiming to run a 100% electric fleet.
What are the types of electric vehicles?
There are four types of electric vehicles:
- Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs)
- Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs)
- Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV)
- Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEV)
How long does it take to charge an electric car?
It depends on the type of charger you’re using. A Level 1 charger is the slowest and can take 40-50 hours to charge a BEV and 5-6 hours to charge a PHEV. However, a Direct Current Fast Charger can charge a BEV to 80% in just 20 minutes to 1 hour.
Manage your fleet's efficiency with our software
Azuga is a leading expert in the fleet industry. Our fleet management solution supports you in all aspects of fleet management. Our blog seeks to keep you updated on new technology and developments that may affect you as a fleet manager, so you’re always three steps ahead of the game. Fleet electrification is just one of the many subjects we’re keeping our eyes on for you. Check out our blog articles on the subject to learn more.
- The Different Types of Electric Vehicles for Your Fleet – Feb. 8th, 2023
- Considering an Electric Vehicle Fleet? 5 Things to Know – May 7th, 2020
- Fleet Electrification Strategy Tips – Aug. 17th, 2022
Key Takeaways
- Manage your entire fleet from one place: Using a single software platform for both electric and gas vehicles eliminates data silos and simplifies daily operations, giving you a clear, real-time view of every asset without switching between systems.
- Tailor your strategy for each vehicle type: EVs and ICE vehicles have unique needs for routing and maintenance. A smart system helps you plan efficient routes by considering EV battery range and charging stops while managing traditional service for your gas-powered fleet.
- Make smarter decisions with unified data: When all your vehicle information is in one system, you can accurately compare performance and efficiency. This insight helps you assign the right vehicle to the right job and automate maintenance schedules, keeping your entire fleet running smoothly.
