How ready are you for your electric vehicle fleet?
Author's note: we hope you enjoy this post, one of our website visitors' favourites in 2021. With the EV debate continuing to pick up pace now is a good time to revisit our thoughts on this electrifying topic. Originally published on the 2nd December 2021.
Electric vehicles are becoming more prevalent on UK roads. With recent fuel shortages triggering a spike in the uptake of electronic vehicles for consumers*, so too are we seeing increased press coverage on UK fleet operators switching from traditional diesel-powered vehicles to more ‘green’ alternatives. As reported in recent issues of Logistics Manager** magazine fleet giants including DFDS, Hermes, Royal Mail, Tesco and DPD are all taking the leap with a range of new technology options. So, with the electric vehicle debate picking up the pace we look at how route optimisation solutions, such as Podfather, need to be match ready to tackle the new challenge on the road ahead.
The road ahead for Electric Vehicles
For a software company specializing in optimisation technology for logistics fleet operators, getting the right functionality in place to help our current and future customers tackle the EV challenge is essential to staying competitive in the software marketplace. “At least 75% of the people that stopped by our stand at this year’s Commercial Vehicle show were talking about Electric Vehicles,” comments Colin McCreadie, Managing Director at Podfather. “Here at Podfather we want the market to know that we offer an EV ready solution for companies that are already running or considering running electric vehicles as part of their logistics fleet.”
EV functionality is crucial for route planning software
Here at Podfather the functionality is already in place. Our sophisticated route planning and optimisation engine enables users to specify vehicle profiles, capacity, fuel type and range. As a result, when building routes with Podfather, users can be confident that the system will factor in the actual fleet profile automatically as part of the route planning process. “Our inhouse development team have added a simple, yet sophisticated, solution that will help Podfather users manage load allocation across their fleet, irrespective of vehicle type,” adds McCreadie. “Users have always been able to set up different vehicle profiles but the addition of options for fuel type and associated range ensure that our customers can rely on Podfather to deliver great results every time.”
Podfather, optimising EV fleets
Podfather, based in Edinburgh, specialises in the development and delivery of optimisation solutions that help operators within the logistics and construction sectors to plan and manage their vehicle fleets with ease. For logistics operators, Podfather offers a simple solution to tackle the complex problem of optimising routes, tracking vehicles, issuing customer ETA notifications, and capturing real-time proof of delivery. The cloud-based back-office system and easy to use driver app allows users to eradicate paper tickets, improve fleet utilisation, gain real-time visibility of performance, and capture electronic proof of delivery in real-time.
Podfather customers include both large and small operators from a range of industry sectors. To find out more give us a call on tel: 0131 553 0400.
* https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/27/uk-electric-car-inquiries-soar-fuel-supply-crisis
** https://www.logisticsmanager.com/?s=electric+vehicles
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