I-Corps: Translation Potential of an Electric Vehicle Fleet Management Platform

This I-Corps project focuses on the development of a software platform designed to simplify and optimize the adoption of electric vehicle charging infrastructure by businesses such as hotels, retail centers, universities, and similar organizations. These organizations face challenges in planning how many chargers to install, selecting appropriate equipment, identifying qualified installation partners, and managing ongoing operations without specialized expertise. Without an integrated solution, businesses risk overspending, underutilization, or operational downtime that negatively impacts revenue generation and customer satisfaction. This project seeks to deliver a scalable platform that provides tailored recommendations for charger planning, connects users with vetted suppliers and installers, and manages charging operations to reduce electricity costs and ensure charger availability. By enabling more organizations to adopt electric vehicle charging infrastructure efficiently and affordably, this solution has the potential to spur economic growth through increased adoption of electric vehicle technologies. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with a first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of the technology. This solution is based on the development of an integrated software platform combining charging optimization algorithms, supplier and installer recommendation tools and operational monitoring to support the deployment and management of electric vehicle charging systems at commercial properties. The platform leverages mixed-integer optimization to recommend optimal charger quantities and configurations while minimizing capital and energy costs. A supplier database and selection engine assists users in choosing reliable equipment and installation partners suited to their site’s needs and local regulations. Real-time monitoring and predictive maintenance features ensure charging infrastructure uptime and operational efficiency. By combining infrastructure planning, procurement support, operational management, and cost optimization within a single system, the technology addresses key technical and logistical barriers to electric vehicle charging adoption in commercial settings, providing users with a streamlined, cost-effective path to electrification. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.