Electric vehicles are the future and recent reports have confirmed that these vehicles have now entered their fastest phase of growth. Drastic improvements in Electric Vehicle (EV) technology, along with the government’s focus on reducing global warming and encouraging zero-emission vehicles, have provided a much-needed impetus to the EV market. 

When placed in an electric vehicle, Telematics will track fleet data to help:

• Monitor energy consumption and energy generation.
• Improve driving habits.
• Monitor battery’s state of charge.
• Location and booking of the next charging station.

With such telematics data in hand, field service managers can also do effective route management, benchmark vehicle utilization, monitor charge reporting, and measure whether their plans are effective in reducing costs and emissions.

Monitor energy consumption and generation

Fuel and Electric Vehicle Energy Usage Report

You must review both fuel and EV energy usage. This helps answer questions such as the typical electric range and the performance of fleet Electric Vehicles compared to fuel vehicles. The Fuel and EV energy usage report provides an insight into battery use specifically, if it is being maximized and identify if any of the EVs are running solely on gas.

Electric Vehicle Fleet Map Functionality

The Fleet map functionality includes real-time data on battery charge percentage and charging status. The Real-time battery charge percentage helps you identify which EVs/PHEVs in your fleet have the most or least battery charge. This helps to dispatch the nearest vehicle with enough battery charge to get the job done. Real-time charging status provides a view of which vehicles are actively being charged at any given time.

Custom Notifications with EV data

The custom notifications enable you to receive notifications when the battery of a vehicle reaches critical level while on the road and needs to be charged. You can prioritize charge order based on vehicles in the lot with the lowest charge level. By establishing a �?no-charge time’ rule, you can eliminate charging during peak electricity rate times. If a vehicle is charged during the time, a notification can be sent to the fleet manager.

Alerts and Notifications

Telematics solutions must be able to send notifications by email, SMS or web application; either to the management team, or directly to the driver. You will need real-time notifications for conditions such as:

• Optimized charging: 

You can be notified if an EV should be charging and is not, ensuring that the vehicle is fully charged when it is needed and a driver is not missing a charging opportunity. It could be that the EV was not plugged in, or there is a malfunction with the charging station. Knowing each vehicle’s real-time charging status prevents loss of productivity resulting from insufficiently charged vehicles, or from drivers who forget to plug in.

• Charging complete: 

The dispatch team receives an alert or e-mail notification, alerting them to the fact that the vehicle is now ready for use, or the plug is available for use by another vehicle.

• Electric Vehicle model support

Unlike conventional Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles, EVs do not communicate EV specific information in any mandatory standards. The Telematics applications need the ability to access this information for all the models in your fleet that include EVs. That is why it is important to confirm that EV models you have in your fleet today and those you are considering in the future are fully supported for the data elements. 

Final Words

Fleet Management is rapidly evolving and fleets of all sizes, across all service sectors that are turning to telematics platforms to optimize their operations. The need for EV-Specific Telematics is because of the emission reductions and the lower cost of ownership, which are the primary benefits and tied to the high utilization rate. Whether you are looking to make your fleet 1% or 100% electric, you must ensure that those vehicles are fully data supported by your fleet management system. EVs have unique metrics that need to be monitored in order to optimize their performance, range and return on investment. As well, that the telematics solution you have selected has the capabilities and historic track record to support future models.

Any fleet organization is only as good as its driving crew and the vehicles that form the fleet. Though the nature of fleet operation entails danger, a successful anticipation and mitigation of potential risks reduces danger and ensures a safe and happy work environment. Traffic accidents and goods damage comprise a major chunk of the risk hazard. Technology plays an essential role in reducing the risks associated with fleet operation. 

• Fleet Safety 

Data-driven analytics like video telematics combined with GPS can help in tracking and analyzing driving patterns and establish effective fleet safety protocols. It can enable fleet managers to set clear and consistent expectations of drivers.

• Driver Monitoring

Continuous driver monitoring through GPS and in-vehicle cameras help in tracking driving patterns. It makes drivers more accountable. Based on the data obtained, safety training programmes can be introduced to improve driving safety and educate and persuade ‘risky’ drivers to adopt safe driving practices. This curtails risky driving behaviors and lessens vehicle accidents, thereby reducing vehicle downtime.

• Fatigue Driving

Distracted driving due to fatigue is a great risk. To reduce fatigue induced distractions, technological aids can be employed to monitor driver fatigue levels. Also, through GPS based driving data, routes and stops can be planned better to make the life-on-the-road tad easier for the drivers.

• Data Analytics

The way a driver operates a vehicle determines how safe they are on the road. Telematics monitors adherence to fleet safety regulations and flags high-risk drivers. Altering driving behavior helps to improve driving safety.

Regular maintenance and checkup of the vehicles is an important factor to ensure reliability of the fleet and reduce downtime. Vehicle monitoring systems alerts the operators about potential breakdown points and preventive maintenance intervention can be promptly made so that catastrophic downtimes and injuries can be avoided.

• Fuel Management

With the rising fuel costs, fuel management is essential to reduce operational costs. Through data-driven management of routing, better monitoring of driving styles, identifying contributors & reducing inefficiencies, a significant reduction in fuel costs can be achieved through Telematics system implementation.

What Tangerine can do for you

Tangerine’s Video Telematics provides specific coverage and risk management options to businesses operating fleets of all sizes. By integrating Tangerine’s video based telematics solutions into your fleets, we not only protect your trucks and drivers but also reduce costs, increase efficiency, improve your overall operations, and provide the coverage you need at the best rate.

What is Commercial Fleet Insurance?

Motor vehicle insurance is a legal and mandatory requirement for any vehicle that plies on public roads. As the name suggests, Commercial Fleet Insurance is a type of vehicle insurance policy that covers multiple commercial vehicles. It is specifically designed for commercial fleet operators. 

Why Do I Need Fleet Insurance?

If you are a fleet operator, then consolidating insurance policies for your fleet has many advantages, the prime advantage being it makes it easy to manage your vehicles. Fleet insurance also saves a lot of money for the company. 

Organizations with a fleet will find fleet insurance a blessing. Fleet insurance eliminates the need and the resources required to manage the insurance policies of individual vehicles. Be it tens, hundreds, or more, keeping track of the individual vehicle’s insurance status and the coverage of the policy is substantial work that needs dedicated resources. If not managed properly, it can leave the vehicle, the driver, and the other road users exposed to risk. 

A Fleet Insurance that covers all the vehicles in the fleet is the best way to ensure the safety of the fleet, the drivers, the organization, and other users.

How Much Does Fleet Insurance Cost?

Insurance policies generally depend on factors like the area of usage, the scale of usage, risk factors, insurance provider, etc. A major factor for determining the insurance premium value is the level of cover opted for and the type of vehicle you want to insure. Recent advancements in the field of fleet insurance like telematics-driven data assessment also help in determining the premium value. 

Telematics technologies collect, collate and transmit data on vehicle use, driving pattern, and routes. Through effective monitoring of the entire system, it is now possible to gain an insight into the risk models and safety initiatives and calculate insurance rates better. The telematics system tracks driver’s trips and assigns scores. Through a telematics device, information like kilometers driven, routes are taken, time of the trip, driver behavior such as sudden acceleration, hard braking, cornering, speeding, etc can be monitored. All these are categorized as ‘Driver Safety Scores’. This score enables the insurance provider to assess the risk a particular truck poses and arrive at the insurance rate for it accordingly. Vehicles with drivers having a good driving score can avail insurance at a lower premium. In some cases, fleet owners can save up to 40 percent of their fleet, and driver safety scores are at a good mark, ensuring reduced cost. 

This benefits both the fleet operator as well as the insurance provider.  

What Tangerine Can Do For You

Tangerine brings to you an innovative complete solution combining commercial fleet insurance with fleet management tools and compliance offering to protect your drivers, trucks while you focus on your core operations. Rest assured, your fleet is well protected.

Tangerine’s Next-Gen Commercial Fleet Insurance with Video Telematics provides specific coverage and risk management options to businesses operating fleets of all sizes at a reduced insurance premium. By integrating Tangerine’s video-based insurance telematics solutions into your fleets, we not only protect your trucks and drivers but also reduce costs, increase efficiency, improve your overall operations, and provide the coverage you need at the best rate.

This makes your fleet easier to manage and can save your company a significant amount of money. 

Tangerine’s niche expertize provides the products you need and the service you deserve to get back on the road faster. We understand your needs and share your concerns. We have programs that fit your fleet requirements perfectly so that you can drive with confidence.

For transportation and trucking businesses, managing insurance isn’t for the faint of heart. Legal settlements are increasing, premiums are skyrocketing, and equipment is getting more expensive. What’s more, new rules and legislation are changing how safety is managed and understood. As the industry shifts, technologies that place driver’s safety at the forefront are playing a key role in reshaping the landscape, also allowing technology adapters to diminish risks and position themselves more in the driver’s seat.

To stay insurable and reduce future cost increases, fleet managers seemingly have no other option than to shoulder the burden of evidence that their sustained efforts to reduce risk are actually working.

ELD Compliant

Not all commercial insurance agencies have boggled from providing insurance discounts for using certain technology.

Some agencies offer discounts to fleets that share electronic log data through the Smart Haul program. This allows insurers to review a carrier’s ELD data records on a yearly basis to make a determination.

As such, they’re able to compare an individual’s driving habit to those of a similar commercial truck driver and determine the discounts based on their most recent driving history. So far, telematics systems that incorporate in-cab cameras have proven to be most effective for minimizing risks. Telematics help change risky behaviors and protect insurers and fleets from fraudulent claims.

Collision Avoidance Systems 

Smart anti-collision systems sense when a vehicle is getting too close and apply the brakes on behalf of the driver to reduce the risk. While these technologies have been around for a while, more commercial fleets promise to come equipped with these technologies already on the market, and other retrofit options have recently entered into use for older trucks.

These systems don’t just help employees avoid accidents, they also encourage safer driving practices by accessing data that can be used to reinstruct drivers or to create genuine safety programs for a business to make the entire fleet safer.

Driver Behavior Detection

A wave of new technology is beginning to hit the trucking industry to help reduce driver fatigue. While an in-cab camera system can retroactively tell whether a driver was asleep at the wheel in the event of an accident, anti-fatigue technology can reduce the probability of dangerous scenarios.

For instance, fatigue-meters systems use hours-of-service logs to predict a driver’s fatigue levels, updating fleet managers with in-depth assessments for every driver in the fleet.

Smart wearables can also analyze drivers’ fatigue levels by measuring body movements, calculating sleep amount, and notifying when alertness will start to decline.

Data collected through these new safety technologies can not only help identify and trigger potentially fatigued or dangerous drivers but also help- lead to hours-of-safety regulations and more personalized training for each driver to improve safety and encourage a safety-centered culture that can lower premiums.

The (FMCSA) demonstrated that telematics can be used to monitor driver performance and improve safe driving behavior. With Tangerine’s fleet management solutions, commercial fleet businesses can  increase safety and productivity of their fleets through actionable intelligence and become more proactive and efficient.

What is Telematics?

The coming together of two major techs – Telecommunications & Informatics gave birth to Telematics. Telematics is defined as the branch of information technology which deals with the long-distance transmission of computerized information. The most common application of the Telematics system is in Fleet Management.

Telematics technologies collect & transmit data on vehicle use, maintenance requirements & automotive servicing. Through effective monitoring of the entire system, it is now possible to gain a comprehensive view of the health, profitability & productivity of the entire fleet. 

Telematics enables fleet managers to save money through improved fleet routing. Identifying inefficient routes and dispatching of more local vehicles reduces the overall distance and/or time to complete a particular route, improving staff productivity and reducing operational costs.

What are the benefits of the Telematics system?

Telematics system offers a viable solution to better manage the fleet. Through the integration & adoption of modern technologies, it offers a wide range of solutions that promise to control costs, boost productivity & improve accountability. Telematics systems are driving the opportunities for change.

A Few Notable Benefits of a Telematics System are –

• • Safety

Better safety is achieved through constant monitoring & feedback. Telematics systems work at reducing potential risks. During an emergency, due to the ability to call for support, situational escalation can be avoided in entirety or managed effectively. Telematics also allows fleet managers to keep track of their fleet and driver behavior to ensure that driver and vehicles are safe. Real time aural alerts to drivers in event of rash driving, cornering, distracted driving etc. help avoid any unforeseen risk. 

• • Better Fuel Management

Drivers with aggressive driving styles will on average spend 10.9% more fuel while experienced drivers can use up to 30% less fuel than a conventional driver. By better routing, better monitoring of driving styles, identifying contributors & reducing inefficiencies, a significant reduction in fuel costs can be achieved through Telematics system implementation.

• • Lesser Maintenance

By prompting a proactive maintenance schedule through regular monitoring of service intervals, actual vehicle status, potential failure risks & driver approach, the maintenance costs can be reduced by following a preventive maintenance routine. The total effective downtime of the fleet can be reduced significantly.  Monitoring vehicles allows fleet managers to keep track of vehicle’s information in real time, so that they can proactively organise servicing and prevent any build-up of issues that may result in further spending. This can improve overall operating costs as vehicles will avoid unexpected breakdowns impacting on operations.

• • Increased Productivity

With a safer & happier work environment, reduced maintenance costs, reduced downtime & better monitoring & management of the entire fleet, the productivity of the system is greatly improved. Information like driver behavior, driver hours and details of routes taken are all recorded meaning that there is a feedback system which allows room for improvement within the company leading to improved productivity and reduced operating costs.

 

What does the future hold for Telematics?

The adoption of telematics services – devices which combine telecommunication and informatics – in the transportation and logistics segment is expected to reach the highest total installed base by 2025. The worth of Telematics is well established. As more & more managements implement the system to better manage their fleet, Telematics is poised for exponential growth. New applications are constantly developed to take advantage of modern systems and the latest technologies. 

With assured benefits like cost reduction, productivity increase & improved accountability, Telematics is set to become an integral & indispensable component of all modern fleet operations.

From road accidents to vehicle repairs and false claims, moving assets are always at risk and it is crucial to pay special attention to their safety and performance. Advancement in technology has made it possible for safety to be data-driven and video telematics can be employed for this purpose.A telematics program that incorporates video creates the accountability that every fleet manager should have. You want to be aware of any driver behaviors that can be problematic to the safe and efficient completion of a route. Telematics has the power to detect and report unsafe driver behaviors such as:

When a risky event occurs on the road, telematics can provide valuable details about a vehicle’s speed and location. It can even alert drivers to a close call. But only video telematics systems can provide context showing why an incident happened.

As you may have speculated, video telematics utilize a dashboard camera to add a visual measurement to telematics usefulness. While other telematics highlights give quantitative data, a dashcam gives subjective data – that is, information that is enlightening, reasonable, and not communicated utilizing numbers. 

With a dual facing  dash cam, video telematics systems are primed to answer important questions related to accidents.Video can be a powerful training tool used to coach drivers and perfect their skills. Driver coaching and the continuous training it provides can sharpen drivers’ awareness improving their driving style.

 

Here are 6 reasons why fleets need video telematics 

1.Individuals learn best with visual demonstration. By automatically capturing video of crashes and risky driving behavior, video telematics solutions turn incidents and trigger-based events into teachable moments. Driver can see where they went wrong and improve their driving skills  and managers can view driving patterns and review those patterns with drivers.

2.Telematics tells you why and how the accident happened. No one wants to have an accident as they cost time, money, and loss of property, productivity – or even life. Clearly, the fewer vehicle incidents, the better. Visual monitoring encourages driver compliance with safe driving habits and company policies, preventing incidents caused by distracted or reckless behavior. Video telematics can help you get your incident rate as low as possible.

3.80 percent of fatal vehicle accidents involving trucks are actually caused by other motorists and truck drivers aren’t usually the ones killed, video telematics gives objective visual proof of the facts.

4.Monitoring driver behavior with video telematics increases safety compliance, which leads to fewer incidents, which leads to fewer claims. Fewer claims mean a better risk profile and lower premiums as a knock-on effect.

5.Implementing video telematics, could  not only reduce the risk of accidents and breakdowns, but also reduces insurance premiums. Additionally, video footage acts as conclusive proof in legal matters and reduces the overall liability of fleet owners and drivers.

6.Video telematics can also be valuable for asset tracking, making inventory and tool management across multiple locations easier.  Using this data, you will be able to reduce risk and locate and identify lost or stolen items.

Tangerine’s video telematics solution

Tangerine’s Jido Vision dual dashcam bundled with advanced features and built in sensors, captures incident videos and uploads them to the cloud for automatics analysis. The real time audio alert feature, notifies drivers of their risky behaviors i.e. distraction,cornering,harsh braking and fatigue etc helping them stay focused on the road.

Gain insights with strategic reports that will help you derive and mitigate recurring trends, be it high risk driver demographics or accident locations, accident types or scenarios. Fleet owners and insurers can evaluate any incident based on crucial video evidence  and detailed crash reports, for easier claims settlement.