BETT - Battery Electric Truck Trial

Operating and Charging

1. Fleet and Driver Management

Careful management of BEVs and drivers is important to get the best out of the assets. BEVs need to be managed slightly differently to diesel vehicles, particularly around route planning and charging strategies.

Key Points

  • Route planning to ensure journeys can be completed on the available real-world range, and to build in charging events.

  • Providing driver training and feedback, as driving style has a significant impact on BEV range.

Detailed Guidance

Fleet Management

BEVs need to be managed slightly differently to diesel vehicles, particularly around route planning and charging strategies.

  • Route planning is more critical for BEVs due to their lower range on a single charge compared to a diesel equivalent. This means routes need more careful planning to ensure journeys can be completed on the available real-world range and charging stops can be incorporated into the route.

  • Route planning should incorporate feedback on ‘real-world’ range from vehicles rather than relying on official range and consumption figures. Telematics systems should be used which track vehicle movements and energy consumption.

  • For charging during operational use, fleets should consider how charging and dwell time can be related to drivers’ hours legislation. Building in charging sessions during driver breaks is an ideal solution.

Driver Training

Providing driver training and feedback on driving style is vital to get the best performance from a BEV.

  • The real-world range of BEVs is highly sensitive to driving cycle, increased payload, aggressive driving style and use of climate control. Of these four, driving style has the greatest potential to impact effective range.

  • Cenex and Zemo Partnership investigated the impact of aggressive driving (full power acceleration, maximum use of mechanical brakes and higher steady state speeds) on range in city-centre, urban delivery, regional delivery and long-haul duty cycles and found that an aggressive driving style reduced range by up to 51%.

The reduction in range was greatest in city-centre and urban environments where more braking and acceleration events occur, which then amplifies the effect of poor driving techniques.

This is relatively easy to control with the correct processes and technology and is a ‘win-win’ on operational benefits, safety, cost and emissions. Specific BEV driver training should be provided to increase range, supported by use of telematics to enable feedback on driving style and energy efficiency, and to help maintain the benefits of driver training.