Southern Company partners with Volta on PredictEV sustainable software for commercial fleets going electric

Southern Company and Volta Inc. announced this week PredictEV Fleet, a technological aid that may help commercial fleets considering the electric vehicle transition.

PredictEV is a data analyzing program that allows Southern Company to advise its customers on how best to pursue electrification for their particular needs. The program analyzes existing vehicle fleet data and works to identify components for future planning, such as the recommended EVs to replace internal combustion engine vehicles with similar specifications, optimal EV supply equipment for charging, estimated costs and savings, applicable rebates and incentives, and the carbon mitigation an EV transition would provide.

“We’re talking to customers every day about future electric transportation needs, and the ‘why’ is usually clear – customers see electric transportation as a way to lower costs and achieve their sustainability objectives,” Chris Cummiskey, chief commercial and customer solutions officer at Southern Company, said. “But there’s still some uncertainty around the ‘how, what, and when.’ We see PredictEV Fleet, and our partnership with Volta, as a tool for our customers to start answering those questions.”

In this, Southern has the benefit of having worked with Volta before. That partnership sought to optimize EV siting analytics. With their newest endeavor, Southern intends to use PredictEV to help it meet greater EV demand and to develop new EV products.

“Nearly one in every five vehicles in the U.S. is owned by a company, making fleet electrification an important business opportunity and a critical component to a carbon-free transportation future for all,” Drew Bennett, executive vice president of network operations at Volta, said. “Our fleet product enables data-driven electrification planning for both fleet operators and the utilities that serve them to ensure strategies are future-proof and efficient.”

The effort will also complement Southern’s own internal push toward electrification, aiming to convert 50 percent of its light-duty vehicles and equipment to electric by 2030.