Monitoring fleets of electric vehicles: optimizing operational use and maintenance

Abstract Electric vehicles can make a substantial contribution to an improved urban environment. Reduced atmospheric pollution and noise emissions make the increased use of electric vehicles highly desirable and their suitability for dedicated fleets of vehicles is well recognized. As a result, a suitable system of supervision and management is necessary for fleet operators, to allow them to see the key parameters for the optimum use of the electric vehicle at all times. A computer-based data acquisition and analysis system will allow access to critical control parameters and display the operation of chargers and batteries in real time. Battery condition and charging can be followed. Information is stored in a database and can be readily analyzed and retrieved to manage extensive charging installations. In this paper, the operation of a battery/charger management system is described. The effective use of the system in electric utility vans is demonstrated.