December 19, 2024
EV Fleet Telematics: Enhancing the Future of Driving With Smart Roads
5 Min. Read
Electric vehicles (EVs) are not only revolutionizing transportation but are now unlocking new possibilities for fleet telematics. With advanced sensors, EVs provide fleet managers more visibility than ever into routes, vehicle performance, and operational efficiency—making modern fleet management a data-driven success.
Now, after achieving incredible results with the development of vehicle technology, the focus is shifting to the roads themselves.
Around the world, researchers are already envisioning the smart technology driving us into tomorrow—intelligent roads capable of revolutionizing transportation in ways we never thought possible.
In this article we explore why a future with smart roads might happen sooner than you think and how it could positively benefit your fleet.
Exploring the Technology Behind Smart Roads
Simply put, smart roads leverage advanced technology to deliver a better transportation experience. While they can enhance driver comfort, their true potential lies in their significant economic impact—improving fleet efficiency and modernizing the nation’s logistics infrastructure.
Although the concept is still very new, emerging electrification technologies are rapidly turning innovative possibilities into practical solutions.
Smart roads combine several technologies, including hardware such as sensors or solar panels, and software layers designed to gather and share data. They also use a 5G connectivity component that allows smart roads to create a useful data infrastructure.
One capability of smart roads is the ability to monitor the flow of traffic and driving conditions. Beyond managing traffic more effectively by dynamically adjusting traffic lights, speed limits, or toll prices, this data can also be shared to help improve efficiency of fleets. Future capabilities could also include smart roads with EV charging for vehicles in motion.
The concept of smart roads is still evolving, with a data infrastructure likely to feature collaboration between public and private entities, offering data as a service.
The First Smart Road: The I-94 Project in Michigan
The United States is leading the way in smart road technology, with the first smart road currently under construction. The $10 million pilot project encompasses a three-mile stretch on I-94 between Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan.
This project’s primary focus is to enhance driver safety by utilizing smart road technologies, including improved lighting and markings, sensors mounted on poles, cameras, and wireless radio equipment to monitor and assess road risks.
The system is capable of interacting with driver assistance technology, with the current goal of conducting tests to prepare this stretch of highway for autonomous vehicles. Potential use cases could include using risk assessments to automatically adjust speed or even send signals to brake in response to obstacles.
It’s worth noting that the project is a joint venture between the Michigan Department of Transportation and a private mobility company, highlighting the importance of public-private partnerships in shaping the transportation infrastructure of the future.
Smart Roads and EV Fleets
Smart roads offer a range of innovative use cases for fleet management.
Precise Arrival Estimates
By leveraging weather and traffic data, drivers and customers can receive more accurate arrival times, including real-time updates as conditions change.
Route Adjustments
Smart roads can detect bumper-to-bumper traffic and accidents, enabling drivers to adjust their route at the last minute to avoid being slowed down.
Route Optimization
Smart roads can provide a mix of historical, seasonal, and real-time data to help create optimized routes that reduce driving time and costs.
Charging Optimization
For EV fleets, access to current traffic data and driving time estimates can help drivers optimize their EV driving range effectively.
Safety, Compliance, and Reporting
Data from smart roads improve visibility over risks and driving conditions, creating opportunities to provide targeted training to promote safer driving practices.
Integrating data from your fleet vehicles with smart road information can also improve compliance and reporting on aspects such as driving times and working conditions for drivers.
Preparing for the Future of EV Fleet Telematics
While there is still a lot to come in the early stages of smart roads, fleets can already start building the data infrastructure that will be needed to incorporate these valuable insights once they become available.
Fleet telematics are key to building high-performing fleets. These systems include vehicles equipped with sensors and a centralized data platform capable of real time data integration and analysis from multiple sources.
In the future, these centralized fleet telematic platforms are expected to incorporate data from smart roads. For now, they can analyze weather conditions and accident reports, alongside information submitted by drivers.
By leveraging these insights, fleet managers can automate various aspects of fleet management, such as updating estimated arrival times or rerouting vehicles when an accident is reported.
In addition to savings at the pump and lower maintenance costs, electric fleets have a strong competitive advantage. Since EVs have more sensors compared to gas-powered vehicles, electric fleets are in a unique position to build effective data infrastructures that enhance fleet operations and are ready to incorporate data from smart roads in the near future.
Prepare for the Future of EV Fleet Telematics With Qmerit
The integration of smart road technology and fleet telematics represents a significant advancement in transportation management. While widespread smart road implementation may still be years away, the I-94 pilot project in Michigan demonstrates that this future is already taking shape.
Forward-thinking fleet managers have an opportunity to prepare now by investing in robust telematics systems and EV fleets that can seamlessly integrate with tomorrow’s intelligent road infrastructure.
Qmerit is here to help you take the first step with fleet electrification.
As the largest and most trusted electrification service provider in North America, our network of certified electricians has installed over 450,000 EV charging stations in homes and businesses across the U.S. and Canada.
We’ve earned our reputation as the most experienced and high-quality electrification service and EV charger installation network. We can help make your transition easy with our experience and commitment to your business.
Find out how an electric vehicle fleet can help build your business for the future. With a simple and seamless installation experience and top-quality service you can trust, Qmerit makes driving electric easy, no matter where your drivers need to charge.
Contact Qmerit today to learn how we can support your fleet electrification project and help you enjoy the benefits of a seamless EV experience without the typical complexities of EV charger installation.
