Electric vehicle design from University of Waterloo's Alternative Fuels Team

FleetCarma is very happy to be working in collaboration with a group of graduate and undergraduate students from the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University as they design and build a prototype vehicle in partnership with General Motors.

These students are participating in a three-year collegiate competition called EcoCAR2, which challenges them to re-engineer a donated 2013 Chevrolet Malibu into a plug-in electric vehicle that reduces energy consumption and emissions while maintaining its performance, safety and consumer acceptability.

In addition to General Motors, other large organizations are sponsors of the program including the U.S. Department of Energy and Natural Resources Canada.

FleetCarma was asked by these university students to help them gather drive cycle data from a large group of consumer vehicles.  The students used these data to inform their vehicle design choices and strategies.  In the end, the team of students was able to gather 171,000 kilometres of data – which they translated as the equivalent of driving from the West Coast to the East Coast of North America 28 times.  These data empowered the students to design their prototype GM vehicle to meet the driving requirements of a broad set of drivers which they were targeting as the ideal consumers.

The team has put together a video highlighting the project — which we are happy to share here. Enjoy!

As the Italian Stallion says “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows”.  And this is all too true in our industry. It’s an industry being reborn.  And the process isn’t pretty.

We’re close to $4 gas.  The amount of oil America imports is an issue.  Many organizations are ramping up their sustainability efforts.  All of these should be fueling the sales of the hybrid and electric vehicles Azure builds. So why is Azure struggling?

Electric vehicles are available, kind of.  The Volt, the Leaf, the Transit Connect Electric, and i-MiEV.  A number of models will be added to the roster this year.    But let’s not kid ourselves; if Eastwood says it’s half-time America, the electric vehicle industry has barely hit the pregame.  And the basic truth in this industry is: real money doesn’t flow until the game begins.  We need to hit volume.

And volume is going to take time.  There are early adopters.  Then there is everyone else.  And everyone else wants to see how the initial experiences with EVs go.  EVs are a different beast; with range anxiety, battery lifetime questions, and a price structure that has more upfront cost and lower operating costs.  It will take time.  And it won’t be easy.

We didn’t sign up for easy.

Energy security matters.  Reducing the impact of gas prices on our wallet matters.  Having mobility with sustainability matters.

So in the long run, my bet’s on efficiency.  We will all want/need the vehicle that is best for our particular needs.  For some that will be an electric vehicle.  Some a plug-in hybrid.  Some a hybrid.  Some conventional.

But until then, we need to be financially sharp.  Lean.  As efficient as the powertrains we develop.  That’s our staying power.  And for the talented team at Azure [the Transit Connect Electric is one of the best EVs I've had the chance to drive].

And when 70mpg vehicles are so common they’re boring, my friends at Azure will get to quote another orator of our time: “don’t call it a comeback.  we’ve been here for years”.

The following editorial by Ted Kristsonis at MediaPlanet, featured an interview with Matthew Stevens, CEO and Co-founder of FleetCarma’s parent company CrossChasm Technologies, and appeared in the

Integrating EVs into the smart grid of the future

Electric vehicles are hailed as a game changer for transportation and the environment. However, utilizing the car of the future with today’s infrastructure presents significant challenges.

How we made it

The promise of electric cars is that they could make a lasting impact on the environment, but once they reach critical mass, there remains uncertainty over how millions of electric cars could affect the power grid in the future.

Electric and hybrid vehicles are still in an early adopter phase, and their merits in reducing greenhouse gases have been widely reported. Matthew Stevens, principal at CrossChasm Technologies, a Waterloo, ON-based firm that works with the automakers and fleet operators, suggests that the biggest impact could be on the grid.

“What’s interesting about electric vehicles is that they are both an incredible opportunity for the grid and an incredible risk,” says Stevens. “Electric vehicles, by and large, are charged at night, and they won’t need the entire time they’re plugged in to draw power. The risk is in trying to charge them quickly. A Quick Charge, which is a 50-kilowatt load for 20 minutes, is equivalent to a small subdivision’s consumption.”

Zapping the resources

Assuming that 1,000 cars were Quick Charging at the same time, it would amount to 50 megawatts, an enormous strain on top of existing demand on the grid, he adds.

Electric vehicles can be charged in three different ways. Level 1 is a standard 1.5-kilowatt 110-volt plug common everywhere, taking up to 12 hours to fully charge a Chevrolet Volt’s battery, for example. Level 2 is a unique 3.5-kilowatt plug that would require Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) be installed in a home or garage first. That uses a home’s basic 220-volt line, equal to four simultaneous hair dryers, cutting charging time down to three hours.

Handling hydro needs

It’s the Level 3, or Quick Charge option, that is most disconcerting because of how taxing it is. Moreover, a consumer who actually had one at home would be hit with a monstrous hydro bill. For the moment, Stevens says, the first two levels are the only ones that make any sense for homes, especially when the cost is reasonable.

“A Volt has a battery capacity just under 11 kilowatt hours, and assuming you fill that up from empty every single night in a month, do the math and you would see it’s considerably cheaper than what gasoline costs these days,” he says.

As an example, 40 electric cars plugged in for 12 hours at night on one street, all using Level 2 EVSE chargers, only need four hours each to charge, he explains. The utility could stagger them so that only 13 are charging at once, thus helping take pressure off the grid.

“The question is whether the utility company needs to know a Level 2 EVSE has been installed because of its potential impact on the grid at night, or if they even own that plug,” he says.

Addressing existing infrastructure

Stevens points this out as one of the issues the industry is looking to address, particularly since so few homes currently have EVSE plugs installed. But he notes that the distribution of electricity for the vehicles leads to another “massive debate” on who will actually have the ability to sell the power to consumers in the first place.

Hydro utilities in Canada are typically regulated geographic monopolies. Selling electricity requires a retailer’s license and permission to charge a certain rate. If gas stations are to ultimately convert to power stations, they would need to apply as electricity retailers, unless the government opts to mandate utilities as the sole providers.

“The utilities would deploy where it’s best for the grid, while private companies would deploy where it’s best for their bottom line,” he says. “Quick Charge stations would have the biggest impact on the grid, so it makes sense that utilities deploy them where they’re best for the local grid. Third-parties would put them wherever the market wants them, but where it’s best for the market may not be best for the grid.”

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Considering an EV or hybrid vehicle for your fleet?  Try FleetCarma’s vehicle selection system for free to determine whether these vehicles: can (1) do the job, and (2) save your organization money.  Click here to begin your Free Trial

Recent buzz on how the first generation of these vehicles have performed in winter is growing.  For example, in this news story, the CBC reports electric cars are indeed impacted by cold weather although not enough to sufficiently affect the commuting habits of most drivers.  In this isolated study, the owner of a Mitsubishi iMiEV in Manitoba, Canada shares the data from his personal journal where he kept track of changes in daily temperature and his vehicle’s projected range.

Other manufacturers of electric vehicles such as Nissan, General Motors and Ford are constantly reassuring consumers and fleet operators that these vehicles do hold up in cold weather as reported in this article from the Chicago Tribune and this YouTube video.  Manufacturers stress that their battery thermal management systems have been engineered to ensure that the battery continues to operate at normal capacity, even in the extreme climate conditions.

Researchers have also begun to assess this potential issue. In one preliminary report from Transport Canada, laboratory test results for EVs in various operating conditions were presented.  These lab results suggested that EV driving range could be reduced significantly in extreme conditions when vehicle operators use maximum cabin heating.

FleetCarma has been working with fleets this winter to begin assessing this issue with real-world electric vehicles doing real-world fleet jobs.  The goal is to reveal the truth about electric vehicles in cold weather.

Our initial data is now captured on four vehicle types including the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi iMiEV, Ford Transit Connect EV, and the Chevrolet Volt.

These data will be presented at an upcoming free webinar on Thursday, March 15^th at 2:00pm EST.

You can register by clicking on the button below:

Register for the Webinar

Maintenant en français

Français.  This one’s big. The entire backend is now available in French. Big thanks to Simon for all his work on the translation and Josh for making it happen.  So should this blog update be available in French too?

Replacement Cycle.  FleetCarma was the Henry Ford of replacement cycles – You could use any replacement cycle you wanted, as long as it was 7 years.  Not anymore.  FleetCarma now lets you pick your replacement cycle.

Upstream Emissions.  Because of the debates on the correct upstream emissions factors I have been battling against adding this.  But Eric has beaten me into submission.  The default is zero, but if you’d like to add upstream emissions factor for gasoline and/or electricity, play away.  US electricity mix = 670 gGHG/kWh, Canadian mix = 200 gGHG/kWh, Quebec mix = 2 (yes, 2) gGHG/kWh, Wyoming mix =  980 gGHG/kWh… What to use for upstream gasoline emissions …see what you’ve started Eric.

Unit Freedom(metric & US, liquid and energy).  Some people like mpg, some like L/100km.  And the keeners like Wh/km or Wh/mile.  Now you can take your pick.  Long live unit freedom.

Electric Vehicle Logger; now in Self-Serve.  Our brand new C5 logger is now all set.  You can download the config, upload the data, and have the reports auto-generate.  It is the only logger we are aware of that works on Leafs, Volts, i-MiEVs, and Transit Connect Electrics (more to be added) so a big high-five to Spenser and Chris for all their work on this.

As always, if you have any recommendations or feedback, please let us know.  As you can see from the list above, we take your input to heart.

Don’t forget about our upcoming webinar on EVs in cold weather (March 15th) – sign-up here:http://www.fleetcarma.com/en/Resources/the-truth-about-electric-vehicles-in-cold-weather-webinar

Next month we’re focused on the Kitchen – ripping down a wall and adding a big extension to the house.  Ok, I’ve killed the metaphor.  In the next month we’re starting a couple month addition to FleetCarma that will significantly expand the number of vehicle models included.  Stay tuned!

This blog post will give you insight for the top 5 things you should consider when ‘greening your fleet,’ but let’s begin with some context:

To be ‘green’ can imply many things to all of us, but in the context of fleet management, the core meaning of ‘greening your fleet’ is to cut waste.

Thousands of dollars per vehicle are wasted by organizations that are not buying the best product for each application.  Every vehicle is different.  Some cost more to purchase and others cost more to operate – and the cost to operate varies depending on driving conditions and vehicle type.  In the scenario when fleets are purchasing the wrong vehicle for each application, the cost implications on operating budgets are substantial.

Likewise, unnecessary fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions are the result of not using more efficient vehicles that cost less to operate.  The best vehicle for any fleet application is the one that meets the needs of the fleet with the lowest total cost of ownership.  Fleets wanting to responsibly go green with plug-in electric vehicles, for example, need to find the vehicles that will cut fuel, emissions and cost.

The challenge faced by fleet managers is determining, with reasonable reliability, how much a plug-in electric vehicle will benefit their fleet’s cost, fuel and emission reduction goals.  Using the EPA vehicle label is not an effective solution because the values provided by these labels are based on generic drive cycles that are not representative of real-world.  In fact, in many cases, they are not even close.  Cutting waste is all about optimization – and it starts with the best vehicle for each application.

Fleet managers need to understand the drive cycles of each vehicle in their fleet.  We conducted an assessment of 25 vehicles in various fleet applications to show how fleets can benefit from getting the best vehicle for each application.  Of the 25 vehicles assessed, the analysis showed that 11 of them were more suited to plug-in electric vehicles than their gasoline counterparts.  With these changes the fleet was able to save, on average, $9,342 per vehicle in their fleet while reducing fuel and emissions by more than 60%.  And, in the scenario where the fleet manager chose the wrong vehicle (e.g., they purchased an EV when they shouldn’t have or vice versa), the average savings per vehicle was even higher at $13,383.

To learn more about the techniques and technologies used by this fleet to save money, download our eBook: How to Responsibly Green Your Fleet. The Essential Guide to Selecting Vehicles that Cut Costs, Fuel and Emissions.

5 Tips on Greening Your Fleet with Proper Vehicle Selection

1. Acknowledge that certain vehicles will not cost-effectively fulfill the needs of every application. 
Each vehicle is different.  Some cost more to purchase and others cost more to operate – and the operating costs vary depending on driving behaviour and conditions.

2. Don’t rely on generic data to determine the best fit vehicle.
Drive cycles are like bathing suits, you shouldn’t use anybody’s but your own.  Using the vehicle label to determine a vehicle’s Total Cost of Ownership is certain to lead to unmet expectations.

3. The only reliable method to collect drive cycle data on your own vehicles is to data log them.
This is usually done with a small piece of hardware (a data logger) that clips into the on-board diagnostics port, typically located underneath the steering wheel.

4. Model-Based Buying saves fleet money because it optimizes vehicle selection. 
Model-Based Buying uses the data from your current vehicle to reliably determine the savings of alternative vehicles in the same application.

5. Emissions and fuel can be significantly reduced with electric vehicles. 
Organizations looking to significantly reduce emissions and fuel usage can do so with electric vehicles, they just need to determine two things for each application in their fleet: (a) will the electric vehicle be more cost-effective from a total cost perspective? And (b) will be capable of doing the job that is required?  Fortunately, Model-Based Buying answers both these questions quickly and reliably.

Download the eBook Now!

Data determines if electric vehicles will save you money.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are the headlines these days. They’re expected to initially make the most impact in fleets that cover fixed distances each day and return to a central charging area at night. But before you simply swap plug-in for petroleum, you need to know if EVs are the most cost-effective solution for your use.

A new tool from Ontario-based FleetCarma intends to help you make the right decision by tracking your fleet’s real-world data and comparing the operational costs of conventional vehicles and EVs.

Analysis reveals total cost of ownership

“This isn’t Excel spreadsheet calculations,” says Eric Mallia, business development manager for FleetCarma. “We want to make sure that fleets don’t make a bad decision, so we remove the uncertainty with highly-sophisticated analysis that gives them realizable total cost of ownership.”

FleetCarma uses a thumb-sized device that clips into the OBDII port of any vehicle. The vehicle is then driven for three weeks, and its data is uploaded into FleetCarma’s website using a USB cable.

Shortly afterwards, the user can view a breakdown of plug-in vehicles and how much it would cost to operate them within the fleet, based on the current fleet’s real-world data. The system is patent-pending and Mallia says it is the first and only one that logs real-world data and applies it to electric vehicles.

The system currently compares OEM vehicles that are available or coming to market soon, including the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Nissan Leaf, Ford Transit Connect Electric, Chevrolet Volt and Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid.

To read the rest of the article, please visit: http://www.autosphere.ca/en/fleets-management-fleetcarma.html

Free trial

Interested in knowing whether an electric vehicle is right for YOUR fleet? For a limited time, fleet operators can sign up for a free, no-obligation trial. For more information, visit www.fleetcarma.com/offer.

Sign-up for a Free Trial

The competitions have been managed by the Argonne National Laboratory for 23 years and the goal of this three-year competition is to challenge university and college students to redesign, rebuild and refine GM-donated vehicles into vehicles with significantly reduced emissions, while maintaining or improving the vehicles’ driving performance, safety and utility.  Fifteen universities and colleges from Canada and the United States qualified to participate in the competition.

“FleetCarma is proud to be an active member in the EcoCAR community”, admits Matt Stevens, co-founder and CEO of FleetCarma’s parent company, CrossChasm Technologies Inc.  “I am an alumnus of an AVT competition and understand their value in developing the next generation of automobiles and automotive engineers.”

Over the 23-year history of these competitions, 455 vehicles have been developed and 16,500 students have participated.  According to the competition organizers, 75% of graduates have entered the automotive industry after participating in the program.

FleetCarma’s tools used for greening your fleet and total cost of ownership calculations have already been utilized by one of the university team’s in the competition.  To read more about this click here, or you can visit the competition’s blog at: www.greengarageblog.org.

The following editorial by Eric Mallia, Business Development Manager at FleetCarma, appeared in the Corporate Citizens Mediaplanet Special Report in the National Post on December 27th, 2011.

Greening from within as a means of applying Corporate Social Responsibility:

According to a recent industry survey, 81 percent of companies expect to purchase more efficient vehicles for their fleets in the future.  This finding recognizes several truths.  First, more efficient vehicle technologies, particularly electric vehicles, are being developed by automotive manufacturers to meet tougher regulations.  By 2025, current mandates in North America will require the automotive industry to produce vehicles that are twice as efficient as they are today.  Second, companies understand that being responsible corporate citizens means being committed to reducing waste in all areas of their operations.  Greening their fleets is a part of that commitment and in many cases is a smart way to make a significant difference.

Environmental benefits of fleet electrification:

In Canada, the environmental benefits of fleet electrification are quite compelling.  Since approximately 60 percent of the electricity generated in the country comes from renewable sources, Canada has one of the cleanest electricity systems in the world.  This translates to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions when shifting vehicle technologies from internal combustion of gasoline to grid-enabled vehicles.

Evaluating the cost savings:

Seeing the business case for electric vehicles has been challenging for some companies due to the uncertainty associated with their real-world operational costs.  The concern is a valid one because the acquisition costs of these vehicles are higher and their efficiency gains vary considerably depending on operating conditions.  However, companies committed to greening their fleets are working with analysts to gather data from their current vehicles to simulate what they would pay to operate the more efficient alternatives – before they commit to the capital costs.  The process is called reliable cost of ownership forecasting and it takes the guess work out of determining the potential cost savings by going green with electric vehicles.

Author profile:

Eric Mallia is a business manager at FleetCarma, a consulting firm that works with fleets to make total cost of ownership calculations simple and accurate.

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If you are considering purchasing an EV/hybrid vehicle for your fleet, and interested in accurately forecasting whether: a.) will it save you money? and b.) can it do the job?, be sure to sign up for our Free Trial.

Free Trial

The B.C. point of purchase rebate begins on December 1^st of this year and offers purchases of EVs up to $5000 in rebates, depending on battery size.  A similar program currently exists in Ontario where the maximum incentive that could be received by EV purchasers is $8,500.  Quebec is the only other province in Canada that has announced an electric vehicle incentive program that offers a rebate of up to $8,000 and begins in January, 2012.  Click on the following for more information on the Quebec EV action plan and the Ontario EV incentive program.

These financial incentives will help with early adopter uptake in the short-term and ensure a quicker payback period on the price premium for plug-in electric vehicles.  These
incentives are designed to help build the critical mass and production capacity required by OEMs to bring the costs of these vehicles down in the longer-term.

“The point-of-sale rebate program is key to attracting new clean energy vehicles to the B.C. market,” says Blair Qualey, CEO, New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia. “Manufacturers are eager to launch their new electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell cars in markets that demonstrate both high demand and with infrastructure in place – B.C. is now one of those markets.”

The incentives in each province in Canada are offered based on batter size, which usually means that full-functioning electrics will likely qualify for slightly higher rebates than the hybrid options.  However, that isn’t entirely the case for the B.C. program.  For example, purchasing either the Nissan LEAF and the Chevrolet Volt would qualify for the same size of a rebate, $5000.

In terms of the environmental benefits, going electric in B.C. will be a big win.  According to Environment Canada, the British Columbia electrical grid is one of the cleanest in the country with an electricity intensity of only 20 grams of CO₂ equivalent emitted for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) produced.  Manitoba (10g CO2e/kWh) and Quebec (2g CO2e/kWh) are the only two provinces with cleaner electricity in the country.

Homeowners in B.C. that install a dedicated EV charging station in their homes will also qualify for an additional $500 rebate. In Ontario, the current EV program also offers non-monetary incentives. These include access to high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes – even if only one person is in the car – and access to public recharging infrastructure at Ontario government parking lots (such as GO bus and train stations around the Greater Toronto Area).

For more details on the newly announced program in BC click here.

This announcement is encouraging for fleets and other early adopters of electric vehicles and begs the question, which province will be next to support the movement to electrify our transportation sector?