Bringing Connectivity to Electric Vehicles

Those of us who’ve already switched out our gas-powered cars for electric vehicles know why they’re the future. They free us from the gas pump and they contribute to sustainability, which is why 25 million electric vehicles (EVs) are expected to be sold in 2025. Consumers are seeing the light in terms of electric cars — but what about businesses like delivery services and retailers that want to reap the same benefits?

Up until now, it hasn’t been easy for businesses and fleet operators to manage their EVs, using their usual fleet telematics software, since EVs are a different animal. Thanks to our new partnership with Ayro — which makes light-duty EVs for commercial applications like last-mile delivery — we think we have the answer. It’s the way to help Ayro’s customers get the most value out of their investment in EVs, and figure out how to use them with maximum efficiency.

Creating a connected network of mini EVs

Our part of the partnership starts with our Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC), the open cloud-based platform that lets companies like Ayro create new applications and services for their EV fleets. Our platform is OEM-agnostic, so it’s easy for Ayro to build cloud apps for connected EVs.

So how will this play out for Ayro? Customers like Circuit of the Americas buy Ayro’s compact EVs — which have a range of up to 85 miles and can be plugged into standard 110-volt outlets — for uses like shuttling people around resort and entertainment properties, doing delivery dropoffs, or managing security on college campuses. Ayro’s mission dovetails nicely with ours: creating and enabling sustainable transportation options that are safe and operate efficiently. We’re both about changing and transforming how people move around, especially in congested cities.

There’s plenty of growth potential for the micro EVs that Ayro makes, as everyone from retailers to local governments realize they’re less costly and more sustainable than gas-powered vehicles. The key is managing the vehicles, including tracking and maintaining them, plus understanding how efficiently they’re running. Ayro plans to use TMC to build geolocation tools for fleets, as well as services that will monitor use rates and vehicle performance. The Ayro team is also planning to build tools for drivers, like real-time feedback on vehicle range and maintenance alerts.

As mini EV fleets get bigger, so can the cloud

As Ayro grows, the company can easily scale any applications it creates. We recently announced a multi-year partnership with Amazon Web Services so we can truly ramp up our cloud connectivity services and connected car app development. With AWS powering the Transportation Mobility Cloud, there are really no limits to how Ayro, and other manufacturers we partner with in the future, scale-up systems for ever-larger fleets.

We love Ayro’s vision in terms of building compact electric vehicles that break the mold and promise to shake up business. That’s why we’re partnering with them — it’s the first such matchup in the industry between a cloud platform and a vehicle manufacturer. I look forward to sharing more news about us and Ayro, here on Medium and on our website, so check in again soon.