Electric vehicle owners tend to be a pragmatic and data-driven group, and while electric cars can offer a wide range of benefits to both the owners and the environment, the decision to buy an electric car often hinges on whether or not it makes financial sense for their particular situation. Because of that, electric vehicle makers are great at offering a lot of data points to potential buyers on expected MPGe, miles-per-charge, charge times, and so forth, but after the sale, EV owners are left to their own devices to calculate the actual real world performance of their model, which can be limited to the information provided by default by the vehicle.
There are a number of issues and limitations that may come up when trying to track and analyze electric vehicle performance using just the stock data and application available from the vehicle maker itself, but there is a better solution, in the form of an electric vehicle data logger that aims to give EV owners all of the data they can handle. This technology has the potential to move the data out from the many silos of different makers, and into a more universal platform.
According to MyCarma, there are five common reasons for EV owners to choose to log more data on their vehicle and its performance:
- They want more data than what the dash shows (ie. % state of charge, not bars)
- They want to keep an eye on the health of their battery.
- They want to track their range throughout the year to see the impact of the weather, and to compare this to other EV owners in their area.
- The other data system they use went down. Again.
- They love their car and want to share their results with others that are in the EV community, and those that are considering becoming EV owners!
To that end, the launch of the MyEV electric vehicle data logger and app promises to give EV owners better and more precise data about their vehicle’s performance, and because it’s said to be compatible with virtually every currently available plug-in production vehicle in North America (as well as many of international vehicles), it could be the one EV data logger to rule them all.
http://youtu.be/kQsu1vXKwMY
According to the screenshots, it looks like the app adds some elements of gamification to the aim of efficient electric vehicle driving, displaying ‘last trip’ summaries and rankings based on all logged trips in your vehicle, and as compared to other trips in the same model in your area, as well as a lifetime summary (all EV miles, average MPGe, mile/kWh). The app also displays the starting and ending state of charge for each trip in your vehicle, letting you know in a glance how much “fuel” the trip took, and has a battery health rating for keeping an eye on its long-term performance.
The MyEV system not only allows for expanded data logging for keeping a close eye on your analytics, but it also includes a social component, with the ability to connect with other electric vehicle owners and to share and compare your data with theirs. Another potentially helpful feature is the option for a QR code sticker for your vehicle, which would be used to allow other EV owners to connect with (electric fist bump) or contact you, such as if they want to send you an unplug request (from the charging station) before they use the charger you’re on, or tell you when they’re done and their spot is open.
The app and platform is currently in a crowdfunding phase with an Indiegogo campaign, where the team is seeking to raise the money to finish adapting their fleet logging system into a consumer/personal electric vehicle solution. Early bird backers at the $119 level will be the first to receive the MyEV device and app, or $10 more if you’re a Tesla Model S owner (requires an additional harness).