Zonar announced that state-of-charge (SoC) data will be available for electric vehicle (EV) school buses.

Joining a suite of smart fleet solutions for EV buses, SoC is captured with the Zonar V4 telematics control unit, providing school transportation departments with real-time awareness of each EV’s range and charging status.

Benefits of State of Charge Data in School Bus Fleets

Fleets use SoC to optimize bus and route resourcing, and manage all EV bus insights alongside internal combustion engine (ICE) bus data in the same fleet management platform, Zonar Ground Traffic Control, including:

• Precise vehicle location in real time.

• Current and historical state-of-charge data.

• Stop-by-stop driving and charge analysis.

• Trip duration and trip history.

Current and historical SoC data provide school transportation departments with new, actionable insights to make critical and daily fleet management decisions, such as:

• Analyze how much energy each bus consumes by route on a day-to-day basis.

• Identify which vehicle type (ICE or EV) or EV manufacturer is better suited for each route.

• View whether buses are fully charged before they leave the yard.

• Understand how idle energy, weather conditions, frequent stops, and long-range routes affect power utilization.

• Determine which EV buses can pick up an extra route based on their current charge status.

As transportation departments incorporate more EVs into their fleets, they could benefit from an end-to-end platform that manages both EV and ICE buses for GPS tracking, diagnostics, and driver productivity to increase safety, efficiency, compliance, and on-time performance.

“With Zonar’s SoC and location data, we gain insight into range awareness and each driver’s location, enhancing confidence in assigned routes.” said John Burciaga, fleet maintenance manager at CalStart. “It also allows us to provide CALSTART with the data it needs to assist in grant reporting.”

Solution Geared Toward Easier, More Informed Fleet Management

Coupled with products such as Electronic Verified Inspection Reporting (EVIR) and OnRoute turn-by-turn navigation, transportation departments have a comprehensive suite of solutions across all bus types to manage their fleets easier and make more informed decisions, faster.

 Zonar’s technology supports the largest EV school bus deployments in the United States and Canada and has doubled year-over-year deployment from 2022 to 2023.

“At Zonar, we are partners in helping pupil fleets gain ROI on their EV investments every step of the way – from deployment to training and everyday management – while optimizing routes based on charging and resourcing needs,” said Tim Ammon, vice president and general manager of passenger services at Zonar.