A RANGE  of new tools giving fleets the means to measure the efficiency of electric vehicles (EVs) has been added by FleetCheck to its fleet management software.

 They allow businesses to record charging information and measure it against the real world performance of electric cars and vans, generating reports ranging from individual vehicles to the entire fleet.

 Peter Golding, managing director at FleetCheck, said: “The increase in the cost of charging seen over the last year or so, combined with a growing realisation that efficiency varies quite widely from one EV model to another, are behind these changes.

 “Fleets want to know more about which charging options and which vehicles are costing them the most money so they can take action. For almost all operators, it’s a relatively new area, and they are looking for reliable information and clear reporting.

 “The new tools we have introduced provide this, enabling data to be imported directly from external sources or entered manually, so that the reporting on each vehicle provides an accurate picture of fuel costs and use.”

 Golding said that the remedial measures undertaken by fleets where EV fuel costs were felt to be excessive were essentially the same as for petrol or diesel vehicles.  

“The variables that need to be investigated are almost identical – is the fuel being acquired at the best cost? Is there a fault with the vehicle? Is the driver too aggressive on the road?

 “In our view, fleets are very much starting to think about EV charging in exactly the same way as fuelling internal combustion engined vehicles, and the solutions they are applying – from specifying where fuel can be bought to encouraging better driving – are much the same.”