IMPORTING data from electric vehicle chargers is often proving difficult, FleetCheck is reporting, leaving gaps in fleet operational and financial records.
The company says the issue applies to home and public chargers, and both where information is recorded manually by the charger user or automatically using an application programming interface (API).
Peter Golding, managing director at the fleet software specialist, said: “For fleets, who are now often operating significant numbers of EVs, getting hold of charger data is an increasingly important part of their cost and operational analysis, especially when it comes to reimbursing drivers for power used to charge their cars and vans at home and on the road.
“For this reason, issues affecting data from chargers are quite a serious problem that we are experiencing across our user base and, indeed, among our own vehicles. This concern is much more common than you might expect and we are certainly seeing more gaps than in petrol and diesel fuel data.”
Matters encountered include interruptions in data that may last anywhere from a few days to several weeks, as well as APIs that suddenly stop working.
“In real world terms, these are probably just part of a whole host of electrification teething issues affecting fleets that will eventually be resolved but they do add an unwelcome layer of complication to day-to-day fleet management at present, especially when it comes to reimbursing drivers for their power use.
“We’d like to see the problem resolved, especially as charging networks are set to rapidly expand over the coming years, and it is certainly an area where charging providers and their data partners provide should arguably be providing a more consistent service.”
