User Guide

September 2025

Introduction

Managing your EVs with MyGeotab's monitoring and reporting capabilities is a powerful way to get the most out of your electric fleet. These features help you track performance, optimize operations, and make informed decisions.

Getting started

1. Understand and classify your EVs: Learn how MyGeotab automatically identifies and groups electric vehicles (EVs) for easy reporting.
2. Analyze charging and energy use: Access data and reports on your vehicles' charging status, energy consumption, and battery health.
3. Optimize fleet operations: Use insights to improve routing, manage charging queues, and make strategic decisions for your electric fleet.

Finding and filtering EVs: Powertrain and fuel type automatic groups

There are automatically populated built-in groups that allow you to quickly find and filter on EVs in features, reports, and exception rules.

Found under the Asset Information group (Groups & Rules > Groups), the Powertrain and Fuel Type group automatically classifies electric vehicles (EV) based on their unique powertrain types:

1. Electric or Plug-in Hybrid: Contains all detected Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) and detected Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)
2. Battery Electric Vehicle (under Electric or Plug-in Hybrid): Contains all detected fully electric Battery Electric Vehicle (BEVs)
3. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (under Electric or Plug-in Hybrid : Contains all detected Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV)
4. Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle: Contains all detected Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV)

Changing automatic classifications

Assets can be manually added or removed from the groups if they are not properly displayed in their respective group.

1. If an asset is manually assigned to any of these groups, that asset will be tagged under the Manually Classified Powertrain group.
2. Once an asset is manually classified, the Manually Classified Powertrain group must be removed in order for the asset to get automatically classified again.
3. If the Manually Classified Powertrain group is removed to re-enable automatic classification, it is recommended that any existing powertrain or fuel type group for the asset is removed at the same time. An asset can be part of multiple groups if it is manually classified. However, in an automatic classification scenario, the asset may be only part of one built-in group.

Live map positions: EV charging status and EV charge %

For supported EVs, the live Map displays the current battery charge % and indicates whether the vehicle is charging, driving, or stopped.

EV charging status and charge % questions and answers

Views

Map and List view

The Map view allows you to see which EVs are charging, outside or inside a zone: see flashing icon.

The List view allows you to see which EVs are charging, as well as the driving charge % for each EV, updated at 1% increments. The List view also allows you to sort the vehicles by battery charge % (EV Charge Level). You can sort from highest to lowest, to help you identify which are most ready for your operations, or from lowest to highest, to help you identify which need to be prioritized for charging.

Engine measurements: Using EV data diagnostics

With EV data diagnostics, Engine Measurements allows for more advanced reporting that is not supported by the reports and features outlined above.

To access Engine Measurements, navigate to Maintenance > Measurements from the main menu.

For more detailed information on EV data diagnostics and their availability, visit the Electric Vehicle Data Diagnostics and API User Guide.

EV exception rules

Built-in exception rules

EV Low Charge

Get notified when an EV becomes at risk of running out of charge on route, which is a high productivity loss. This rule will trigger when the electric vehicle (EV) battery charge % (State of Charge) drops below the configured value.

Important information and tips:

1. The specified Battery charge looks at the Engine Measurement Generic state of charge.
2. Setting this rule to On via the built-in rule will enable it for all vehicles reporting values for Engine Measurement Generic state of charge, which will include PHEVs, BEVS, and sometimes HEVs. If you have PHEVs and HEVs in your database, we advise that you customize this rule, and use the Publish to groups option to only apply the rule to a subset of the EVs in a Group.

EV Enters Charging Zone with Low Charge

When an EV returns to a lot or depot with sufficiently low charge, it is time to plug in. This rule is useful for plug-in reminders and identifying which EVs need to be prioritized for charging.

Important information and tips:

1. This builds on the EV Low Charge rule, and is more specific to plug-in reminders.
2. The specified Battery charge looks at the Engine Measurement Generic state of charge.
3. Create Zones around areas where your EVs stop and charge. Then, assign those Zones to one or more designated Zone Types, and specify them here.
4. Setting this rule to On via the built-in rule will enable it for all vehicles reporting values for Engine Measurement Generic state of charge, which will include PHEVs, BEVS, and sometimes HEVs. If you have PHEVs and HEVs in your database, we advise that you customize this rule, and use the Publish to groups option to only apply to a subset of the EVs in a Group .
5. Have the plug in reminder go directly to the driver by customizing the rule and selecting the Add driver feedback option. See Understanding notification types in the Product Guide for more information.

EV Exits Charging Zone with Low Charge

This rule will trigger when EVs exit a charging zone of the specified type(s) while its battery charge is below the configured value. This is useful for identifying EVs that:

1. Leave the depot at the start of their day with insufficient charge to complete their routes. This works well for cases when the EVs need a minimum charge to complete their expected route distance.

1. Leave a wider geographic safe zone with an insufficient charge, potentially preventing the EV from returning to its regular charging location.

Important Information and Tips:

1. This builds on the EV Low Charge rule, and is more specific to notify drivers that they are at risk of not having sufficient charge to complete their routes or make it back to their usual location to charge.
2. The specified Battery charge looks at the Engine Measurement Generic state of charge.
3. Create Zones around areas where your EVs stop and charge. Then assign those Zones to one or more designated Zone Types, and specify them here.
4. Setting this to On via the built-in rule will enable it for all vehicles reporting values for Engine Measurement Generic state of charge, which will include PHEVs, BEVS, and some HEVs. If you have PHEVs and HEVs in your database, we advise that you customize this rule, and use the Publish to groups option to only apply to a subset of your EVs in a Group, such as to a BEVs group. See the Publishing rules to groups in the Product Guide for more information.
5. Have the driver be alerted by customizing the rule and choosing to Add driver feedback. See Understanding notification types in the Product Guide for more information.

EV Done Charging

This rule will trigger when the EV battery is charged to the configured value. This is useful to indicate when the EV is ready for use, or when its charging plug can be provided to another EV.

Important information and tips:

1. The specified Battery charge looks at the Engine Measurement Generic state of charge. Change from the default 100% value should you have your EVs configured to end charging lower than 100%.
2. Enabling this built-in rule may generate a high volume of exceptions (one for every single charge session, for every vehicle in your database). If your staff do not need to be notified when every EV reaches full charge, do not enable this built-in rule.

EV Stopped in Charging Zone and Not Charging

This rule will trigger when an Electric Vehicle (EV) stops (ignition off) in a zone that has known charging stations, and does not start charging within the configured amount of time.

It is possible to enable this rule to be triggered only when the EV has a battery charge % (state of charge) less than the configured value. This will ensure exceptions are only triggered for truly concerning cases, and avoid triggering exceptions for cases where it is acceptable that the vehicle is not charging (for example, if the vehicle has sufficient charge already).

This rule is useful for identifying charging issues:

1. EV has not been properly not plugged in
2. EV operator has failed to take the necessary steps (such as swiping an access card, or typing in a PIN) to initiate charging at the charging station.
3. EV has been plugged into non-functioning charging infrastructure (hardware or software problem with the charging station)
4. Charge sessions have been interrupted (for example, by a power outage)

Custom exception rules: Using EV data diagnostics

With EV data diagnostics, the Rules feature offers support for additional event-based notifications and reporting, outside of those built-in rules. The following are a few to get you started!

EV Charge Monitoring

Main view

The EV Charge Monitoring page, accessible via Fuel and Energy > EV Charge Monitoring, provides a comprehensive overview of your electric fleet’s current charging status. The following table provides a breakdown of all the key data you’ll find on the page.

Filter panel

Clicking on Filters on the EV Charge Monitoring page will open a filter panel. You can use the filter to show only the vehicles that are relevant to you.

By using the filters shown in the following example, you will see only “Battery Electric Vehicles” belonging to the “Toronto” group, which are “Not Charging” and have a State of Charge between 0 and 40%.

EV Charge Monitoring: Frequently Asked Questions

Why are certain values not available?

Diagnostics (Charging State, State of Charge, Charging Power)

The most common reasons that EV diagnostic signals are not available are:

Remaining Range

The most common reasons that a Range Remaining estimate is not available are:

How should I interpret the values provided for Range Remaining?

Remaining Range is the distance the vehicle can drive given its current state of charge.

EV range is impacted by a number of factors, including weather, speed, altitude change, payload, and driving style. Because these factors are constantly changing, it is difficult to predict EV range remaining precisely. Range predictions always carry some level of uncertainty.

Range remaining values are displayed in the form XX +/- YY, where:

EV Performance

Main view

The EV Performance page, accessible via Sustainability > EV Performance, provides a comprehensive overview of your electric fleet's health and capability. This information is crucial for understanding the long-term viability of your electric vehicles. The following table provides a breakdown of all the key data you’ll find on the page.

Details Panel

Clicking on any individual row in the EV Performance table will open a side panel with additional details about that vehicle.

A Range Performance graph shows how range capability for this vehicle has changed over the past 12 months, highlighting seasonal changes.

EV Performance: Frequently Asked Questions

How is Battery State of Health calculated? Why is it blank for some vehicles?

Battery State of Health = (usable battery capacity) / (original usable battery capacity)

Usable battery capacity is calculated for each specific vehicle. It is Geotab’s estimate of how much energy the battery can store, based on recent driving and charging events. One month of regular driving and charging is typically enough to generate a usable battery capacity estimate.

Original usable battery capacity is crowd-sourced from all vehicles with the same make / model / year / trim. The calculation of original capacity requires low odometer data from many different vehicles. Crowd-sourcing original capacity information allows us to calculate the State of Health of a vehicle, even if that vehicle was not connected when it was new.

When the State of Health is blank, it is likely because we are missing original capacity data. The most common reasons for missing original capacity are:

Why is usable battery capacity increasing over time? I was expecting to see batteries degrade!

Temperature matters: Similar to how your phone battery might drain faster in the cold, EV batteries are also affected by temperature. In colder weather, the chemical reactions inside the battery slow down, meaning it naturally has less usable energy, so our system reports a lower capacity. When it gets warmer, the battery performs better, and you'll see the reported capacity go back up. Seasonal variation is normal and does not mean that your battery is getting “better” or “worse” in the long run.

Software buffers: Vehicle manufacturers use software buffers to protect the battery and extend its life. The vehicle’s computer will not allow drivers to charge the battery to its full, physical capacity; the vehicle computer will protect the battery by restricting the amount of energy drivers can store and use. Since we measure usable battery capacity (energy available to the driver), the vehicle’s battery management software can influence the measurement. It is possible that your usable battery capacity could change after a vehicle software update.

Short-term ups and downs (caused by temperature fluctuations or vehicle software updates) are different from the gradual, long-term degradation that naturally occurs in all batteries over time. We recommend tracking your battery’s health over several years to understand its true aging.

How should I interpret the values provided for Range Capability?

Range capability is the distance a vehicle can drive on a single full charge.

EV range can be impacted by a number of factors, including weather, speed, altitude change, payload, and driving style. Because these factors are constantly changing, it is difficult to characterize EV range with a single value.

EV Performance displays range estimates in the form XX +/- YY, where:

How can I use EV Performance to discover which makes and models are performing well for my fleet?

You can use groups to assess the performance of different types of EVs. For instance, if you have one group that contains ModelA, and another group that contains ModelB, you can use the groups filter to explore the performance of each group. The summary charts at the top of the EV Performance page display the average battery capacity and range for the group selected.

Fuel and EV Energy Usage report

The Fuel and EV Energy Usage page, accessible via Fuel and Energy > Fuel and EV Energy Usage, provides a comprehensive report on your fleet’s driving energy consumption from both fuel and electric energy sources. Driving energy consumption includes both propulsion and auxiliary, such as heating and cooling. This report handles Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), which consume both fuel and electric energy, as well as Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), which consume only electric energy.

EV-specific questions answered

Report fields — EV-specific meanings

Below is a simplified list of EV-relevant fields in this report:

Fuel and EV Energy Usage: Frequently Asked Questions

How do you convert electric energy to the equivalent in fuel?

Both electricity and fuel are forms of energy. This report performs a conversion of electric energy to the equivalent in fuel to calculate the Total Fuel and Electric Energy Economy, and the % of Electric Energy of Total. For Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV), the equivalent in gasoline fuel is converted. For PHEV, the units convert to the same fuel type that’s used by the vehicle when the fuel type is reliably available.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) have adopted the standard conversion and states that 1 US Gallon of Gasoline is equivalent to 33.7 kWh of electric energy. Additionally, the United States Department of Energy Alternative Fuels Data Center defines 1 US Gallon of Diesel as having 113% of the energy of 1 US Gallon of Gasoline.

Using these baseline conversions, including standard volume conversions to Liters and Imperial Gallons, we can convert electric energy to the equivalent in fuel.

Why does the Fuel and Energy Usage Report show different energy consumption, when compared to the EV Charging History Report?

These reports are measuring different things:

Because of losses in internal vehicle components, these measurements will be different.