As electric vehicles (EV) become part of the transportation network worldwide, it is important to have analysis that involves understanding how EVs are driven, where they travel, when/where they charge to inform infrastructure planning, grid load forecasting, and policy decisions.
As adoption accelerates, it is no longer enough to simply count EVs on the road—stakeholders need to understand how, when, and where these vehicles are driven and charged. INRIX data provides detailed insights into vehicle behavior and traffic patterns.
Benefits of INRIX and EV data:
- INRIX Trip Analytics: Offers trip-level data (O-D pairs, distances) for passenger and commercial vehicles, snapped to OSM Way IDs. This reveals travel patterns, trip purposes, and potential charging locations.
- INRIX Real Time Speeds and Speed Profiles: Provides current and historical speed data per XDS segment, indicating driving conditions that affect EV range and energy consumption.
- Speed Distribution Profile: Details speed variability, helping estimate energy usage under different driving conditions.
- Volume Profiles: Shows traffic volume per XDS segment, indicating areas of high EV activity and charging demand.
- INRIX Incidents: INRIX has a dedicated team that works around the clock monitoring disruptions (e.g., closures, congestion) that may alter EV travel routes and charging behavior.
- INRIX Truck Parking: Highlights commercial vehicle parking locations, indicating where heavy-duty EVs are likely to charge.
- INRIX Speed Archive: Provides historical speed trends for long-term EV usage forecasting.
Understand When and Where EVs Travel
A first step to diving into EV analysis is to understand how and where EVs are going, how often, and when they need to charge. To do this INRIX uses Trip Analytics to analyze trip distances and frequencies, identifying when and where passenger EVs (e.g., during commutes) and commercial EVs (e.g., at depots) are likely to charge. For example, long dwell times near retail areas suggest workplace or public charging needs. Also leveraging Volume Profiles to quantify EV activity in high-traffic corridors, estimating charging demand in urban versus rural areas.
Estimating Energy Consumption
Driving conditions heavily influence how much energy an EV uses, impacting range and charging needs. With Speed Profiles and Speed Distribution Profile it is possible to model energy consumption based on driving speeds and variability (e.g., stop-and-go traffic increases energy use), refining EV range estimates for infrastructure planning. Real Time Speeds enables dynamic forecasting by offering a live view into driving conditions that impact EV energy use and immediate charging demands. Both of these tools help planners refine range estimates and optimize charger placement.
Supporting Fleet Electrification
Commerical and passenger fleet operators are also facing unique challenges as they transition to EV. With INRIX Trip Analytics commercial fleets can understand fleet routes (e.g., delivery vans, transit buses) and passenger fleet patterns (e.g., ride-sharing), estimating charging needs based on trip distances and depot locations. INRIX Truck Parking’s Google geometry is used to identify heavy-duty EV charging demand at truck stops or rest areas, critical for medium- and heavy-duty fleet planning. By tapping into route and parking data, fleet managers can confidently scale their electrification plans.
Assessing Infrastructure Resilience
EV networks must be resilient against unexpected disruptions like closures and congestion. When there are rough weather conditions or collisions, INRIX Incidents focuses on road closures or congestion that affect EV travel routes, informing adaptive charging strategies to mitigate disruptions. Combining Speed Archives with Trips data enables long-term EV travel trends, ensuring that infrastructure investments remain aligned with future mobility patterns. With these tools, cities can design EV ecosystems that withstand challenges.
Informing Grid Load Forecasting
With EVs there is now a new demand for power grids. Understanding the charging behavior is essential. Trips and Speed Profiles can be beneficial to predict temporal charging patterns (e.g., evening home charging, overnight depot charging), supporting grid load management. Volume Profiles is used to identify areas with concentrated EV activity, guiding utilities to reinforce grid capacity where charging demand is high. By integrating traffic and trip insights with energy models, utilities can balance grid loads effectively.
Driving the EV Revolution with Data
Cars and transportation are evolving and with EV it’s not just about the car but the systems that power it. With INRIX’s data, transportation planners, fleet managers, and utility operators gain the insights needed to build better charging infrastructure, forecast and manage grid load, and electrify fleets efficiently. Learn more at inrix.com