Lancaster based Miralis Data, a transport-focused software and data science company, have secured funding to extend their electric vehicle fleet smart charging research.
This Innovate UK funded grant will enable Miralis, and project partners Envisij and Mina, to move their smart EV charging from feasibility to testing on real fleets with and tackle emerging challenges.
The government through its Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) is leading the drive to address challenges associated with the transition to zero emission vehicles including the adoption by company fleets. This project, named FCSC or Fleet Connected Smart Charging, will produce a solution that enables fleets and their host sites to transition to electric vehicles quicker and more efficiently.
Will Maden, Research Director at Miralis, explains more about the need for the project:
“One of the biggest crunch points for larger fleets transitioning to electric vehicles will be managing the supply of electricity. Most fleet managers will face challenges including how much charge different vehicles require, whilst trying to balance the most cost effective way to charge, and ensuring that site capacity is not compromised.”.
The project will balance the expected charge needed for a varied fleet with the site’s electricity capacity. Energy management company Envisij will be partnering with Miralis to report real-time and projected site power capacity and site demand to Fuuse/Miralis. Miralis will devise a smart charging solution to optimise the remaining capacity, charging vehicles within cost and capacity parameters.
Committed to making paying for EV charging simple, EV payments startup Mina, will be focusing on home charging for fleets within the project, allowing the smart charging solution to be applied where fleets charge vehicles at employees’ homes. Mina’s Fleet Charging solution already allows employees to charge at home, fleet managers receive one single invoice each month that captures both home and public charging together for their entire fleet. Within the FCSC project, they will begin testing the benefits of smart charging fleet vehicles at employees homes for the first time.
Added Will Maden, “The results of our partnership with Envisij and Mina on this project could be a real accelerator for the electrification of fleets. We’re excited to break down the barriers to transition and make EV charging more accessible, cost-effective and easier to deliver.”
The project is set to kick off in August with a solution expected in spring 2022.
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About Miralis Data
Miralis drives efficiencies in transport, logistics and supply chain through innovation. We provide a multifaceted approach to creating efficiencies, reducing costs and striving for carbon neutrality. Through product development, consultancy and extensive research and development, our expert teams leverage data to optimise logistics and reduce carbon emissions.
We work with businesses to realise substantial savings through services and solutions such as routing and scheduling; fleet and network planning; transitioning to zero carbon transport; smart EV charging; and energy monitoring and management.
About Envisij
Envisij, based in Cumbria, provides and develops really useful technology for commercial and industrial consumers of energy that helps them to actively identify energy waste and then act to manage and reduce demand. Our mission is to help our customers reduce energy cost, consumption and related carbon emissions.
About Mina
Sheffield based Mina have a mission to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles by making paying for EV charging radically simple.
They offer the UK’s only payment solution for EV charging which allows fleet vehicles to be charged at home and on the road, resulting in one simple bill for the fleet owner.
Their award winning technology makes paying for EV charging transparent, accurate and easy for some of the UK’s largest fleets.
