“Every Fleet is Unique" - How Electrification is Changing the Role of the Fleet Manager - VEV CEO Mike Nakrani

From EV fleet strategy through to site design and delivery, the UK's VEV offers an end-to end electrification solution. Owned by the global energy trading company Vitol, VEV helps large fleets, corporate fleets and municipalities to decarbonise.

"There's a lot of fear, I think a lot of uncertainty too, and we're there to help fix that," VEV's CEO, Mike Nakrani, tells Auto Futures.

Its solution encompasses the planning and delivery of the electrification of the fleet, as well as ongoing fleet management services.

“Every fleet is unique, which is why a bespoke offering that considers their business needs and understands their transition is essential. Our customers can leverage our expertise and benefit from going electric sooner,” says Nakani.

Customer fleet data is analysed using an assessment tool and its energy and sustainable e-mobility experts. VEV then offers customers a plan to help them decarbonise.

"I will try and give you a monthly solution which includes the vehicle charging equipment, the solar, the battery and the energy, as a single one stop shop and thereby allow you to get on with your business."

With sales of new petrol and diesel cars to end in the UK by 2030, Nakrani believes it's imperative that fleet operators look to rapidly electrify their fleets and therefore reduce emissions.

"The process can be complex and costly and we aim to address that."

"You can see the (cost) gap is much closer. And I believe that battery cell technology is getting better and I believe that the battery cost structure will get better. And I believe the raw materials are out there," he adds.

VEV believes that fleets are ‘over-specced’ by up to 20% in their electrification plans.

"Making assumptions in the complex realm of fleet electrification can be a costly mistake. Our customers ask us to take a strategic role for them, working with a variety of partners across vehicles, charging and energy, to achieve a cost-effective transition to EVs. With the correct decision-making tools in place, companies can reap the benefits of the energy transition faster and more cost-effectively.”

Despite being a 'petrol head', Nakrani says he loves driving his EV and has convinced his wife, who was originally a sceptic about electrification.

"I'm absolutely a convert. I believe it can be done and it will be done." 

The Changing Role of The Fleet Manager

VEV recently announced a partnership with Webfleet, Bridgestone’s fleet management solution. Webfleet offers fleet managers data-driven insights that help them optimise their operations.

"The Webfleet partnership is really about working with customers together to say, okay, let's understand the information set that's available. And let's use that and give you some certainty. And we'll take the responsibility once we understand your information," says Nakrani.

“The data is vital for VEV to optimise the design of the EV transition to avoid costly over-specification of vehicles, chargers and depot energy infrastructure. When used in-service, telematics helps fleet managers understand vehicle, driver and energy patterns to bring data-driven intelligence and ensure the most cost-effective use of energy back at the depot." 

In a press release, Taco van der Leij, Vice President Webfleet Europe at Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, states: “This partnership demonstrates how much the role of the fleet manager is changing. In addition to managing vehicle operations, EV fleet managers must be able to optimise energy consumption to minimise downtime, cut charge times and optimise battery health as a critical asset.”

“Charge efficiency is not necessarily about the biggest battery, it’s about finding the best operational options for a particular fleet’s routes. Accurate telematics data and holistic decision-making across vehicles, charging and energy are the critical success factors,” adds Nakrani.

Finally, we asked him what EV charging and mobility will look like by 2020 and beyond.

"Fleet managers are going to be far more informed about where their vehicle is, how much energy it uses, when it needs charging. And it's going to tie together into fleet scheduling systems, and it's going to try to tie it together with customer profile. And in the end, you never know, we might end up with autonomous vehicles. It might be scary. It's going to look completely different to what you and I have grown up with," concudes Nakrani.