An award-winning digital solution that calculates the value of switching commercial vehicle fleets to electric power is continuing to build on its success in New Zealand with the help of Intech Solution’s (Intech) IQ Office advanced address validation and geocoding suite.
Initially developed in 2020 and released in 2021 by Wellington-based location intelligence company Critchlow Geospatial Limited (CGL), SwitchMyFleet is a free online tool that can be used by organisations that manage fleets of commercial vehicles with internal combustion engines (ICEs) to evaluate their running costs and accurately compare these with the cost of running electric vehicles (EVs) which have a much lower environmental impact.
“The aim is to provide organisations with the accurate metrics and data that they will need to build a business case for transitioning their fleets from traditional fossil fuel powered vehicles to electric ones” says CGL’s Director, Steve Critchlow.
The tool works by users inputting information about their fleet – including vehicle type and size, and battery size – as well as the usual routes they travel, using authoritative NZ road network data from NationalMap. SwitchMyFleet then calculates optimised routes for up to 10 vehicles travelling up to 100 addresses from a single point of origin on that map.
This is where Intech’s IQ Office address processing engine enters the scene.
Each destination’s access point location on the road network – which includes all 2.3 million physical addresses in New Zealand – is validated and geocoded precisely using the IQ Office Geocoder solution to ensure that the optimised routes make sense to users with detailed local knowledge.
“In terms of scope and scale, SwitchMyFleet can compute possible road journeys in New Zealand. This allows users to enter their own business specific start and end points and enroute destinations for truly tailored real-world forecasting and modelling,” says Critchlow.
Critchlow says the elegant and easy–to–use interface of SwitchMyFleet hides a “complicated backend that aggregates multiple (and disparate) data inputs, ranging from navigable road networks to aerodynamic and regenerative braking properties at a vehicle level.”
“SwitchMyFleet has been designed to give New Zealand organisations the metrics needed to confidently switch to EV fleets as New Zealand works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,” he says.
As well as increasing support and usage within New Zealand since launch, the solution has garnered international acclaim, including receiving an award for excellence and innovation in location-based services at the Geospatial World Forum in 2021, and the Asia-Pacific Spatial Excellence Award (APSEA) for Technical Excellence in 2022.
Critchlow says SwitchMyFleet showcases what is possible by utilising spatial databases and software tools like IQ Office, which will bring significant productivity gains to the NZ transport sector, and importantly, accelerate New Zealand’s decarbonisation.
“The 2021 Climate Change Commission report Ināia tonu nei: a low emissions future for Aotearoa recommends that New Zealand needs to end Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) imports as early as 2030,” says Critchlow.
“With transport making up 21% of the country’s greenhouse gas emissions, clearly this is a critical area for New Zealand to address. But now, thanks to SwitchMyFleet, the transition to EVs for commercial fleets is no longer some far-off target.”
The Address Validation and Geocoding components at the heart of IQ Office’s location intelligence capabilities are the product of years of dedicated software development by Australian based Intech Solutions. Get in touch with Intech today for a demonstration of what Intech’s IQ Office solutions can do for your business.