Electrification of driving school fleets

Project
Project Description

E-Roule is a project led by FQESR and funded by the Quebec Ministry of Transportation aimed at accelerating the electrification of the vehicle fleets of around 100 Quebec driving schools, by demonstrating the feasibility and viability of switching from gasoline engines to 100% electric motors. As part of this project, learner drivers had the opportunity to take their practical driving lessons in electric cars.

The project has been a great success. Initially, it had 80 vehicles distributed among 30 driving schools, but a second phase was added, which consisted of a support plan. One year later, there were no less than 60 driving schools and a total of 150 electric vehicles. The shortage of electric vehicles slightly delayed the achievement of the goal, which was originally planned for the end of 2022.
In addition to promoting the electrification of corporate vehicle fleets, this pilot project aimed to evaluate the viability of this new business model for the industry, and also to measure the change in perception of young learner drivers who practiced on electric vehicles, in terms of electromobility.
In this project, the main contribution of IVI was their expertise in telematics applied to electric vehicles. IVI played a role in technical support in the deployment of vehicles and the implementation of measurement instruments, as well as in the scientific monitoring of the fleet. Based on their analysis of the usage data collected, IVI experts were able to validate the suitability of 100% electric vehicles for the needs of different driving schools and formulate recommendations on the best vehicles to suit their needs.

Objectives

• Allow 100 driving schools throughout Quebec to experiment with the addition of electric vehicles to their corporate fleets.
• Develop a viable economic model, recommendations, and success criteria that promote the electrification of corporate fleets in this field.
• Simplify and secure their energy transition to help them reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
• Increase awareness of young drivers (and their families) towards the purchase or leasing of electric vehicles.
• Promote government incentive programs in support of the electric transport transition.

IVI’s role

• Identify winning parameters for the electrification of driving school vehicle fleets.
• Analyze usage data of electric vehicles and charging stations, as well as gasoline vehicles (to establish reference scenarios).
• Develop a vehicle database that compiles the usage information of 80 cars, 24/7, in 30 schools across Quebec.
• Design an automatic detection system for driving lesson hours based on telematics data.
• Document and analyze driving and charging behaviors during the project to improve usage across different schools.
• Manage the allocation of discounts offered to different schools.