What’s That: Fleet Cards for Electric Vehicles

As more businesses add electric vehicles (EVs) to their fleets, managing charging expenses has become an important part of fleet operations. While EVs don't stop at the fuel pump, fleet managers still need a way to track charging activity, monitor costs, and maintain operational oversight.

To support changing fleet needs, fleet payment programs have expanded beyond traditional fueling, giving organizations new ways to manage vehicle expenses as electric vehicles become more common in commercial transportation.

What Is an EV Fleet Card?

An EV fleet card, also known as an EV fob, is a payment solution that allows drivers to pay for electric vehicle charging. Traditional fleet cards are designed for gasoline and diesel purchases and cannot be used for electric vehicle charging. To support evolving fleet needs, Mansfield offers an EV fob that enables drivers to pay for public charging while providing the reporting, controls, and transaction visibility fleet managers expect from a traditional fuel card program.

Instead of relying on personal credit cards or reimbursement requests, charging transactions are processed through the EV program and automatically captured for reporting. Similar to a fuel transaction, each charging session generates data that helps organizations track charging activity, monitor costs, and maintain accountability across the fleet.

How Does EV Charging Work with a Fleet Card?

When a driver needs to charge an electric vehicle, they locate a participating public charging station, connect the vehicle, and initiate the charging session using their Mansfield EV fob. Mansfield utilizes the ChargePoint network, providing drivers access to thousands of public charging locations across North America.

Once the charging session is complete, transaction details are uploaded into FuelNet, Mansfield's online fleet management platform. Each charging transaction can include valuable information such as:

• Charging location
• Date and time of the charging session
• Charging costs
• Electricity Dispensed (kWh)

Because EV charging transactions originate from charging networks rather than traditional fuel pump point-of-sale systems, the information available in FuelNet differs from that for a conventional fuel purchase. EV charging reports focus on the information most relevant to managing charging activity, including where the charging session occurred, when it took place, the cost of the session, and the amount of electricity dispensed in kWh. Certain data fields commonly associated with fuel transactions, such as odometer readings and PIN prompts, are not available because public charging stations do not use the same payment systems as retail fuel locations. However, the available charging data still provides meaningful insight into charging activity and associated costs.

Managing Mixed Fleets

For many businesses, electric vehicle adoption is a gradual process. Rather than replacing an entire fleet at once, organizations often introduce EVs alongside gasoline, diesel, and hybrid vehicles.

Managing multiple vehicle types can create administrative challenges, particularly when different payment methods and reporting processes are required. Drivers may charge at various public charging locations while accounting teams reconcile receipts, invoices, and reimbursement requests from multiple providers.

An EV fob simplifies this process by consolidating public charging transactions into a dedicated program. Therefore, organizations can manage fuel and charging expenses through a single platform, helping reduce administrative complexity while maintaining a centralized view of fleet spending.

The shift toward electrification is being driven by several factors, including sustainability initiatives, improvements in vehicle technology, expanding charging infrastructure, and the growing availability of commercial EV models. As fleets become more diverse, having tools that support multiple vehicle types becomes increasingly important.

Better Data Leads to Better Decisions

Beyond simplifying payments, EV charging data can deliver valuable insights into fleet operations. By analyzing charging activity and spending trends, fleet managers can better understand vehicle utilization, improve budgeting, and make more informed decisions as electric vehicles become a larger part of their operations.

Charging data allows organizations to monitor charging frequency, average costs, and public charging usage. These insights can reveal patterns, help forecast operating expenses, and support long-term decisions about how electric vehicles fit into the overall fleet strategy.

How Mansfield Can Help Your Fleet

As fleet technology continues to evolve, businesses need payment solutions that evolve with it. Whether your fleet operates gasoline, diesel, hybrid, or electric vehicles, Mansfield's Fleet Card and FuelNet platform helps simplify expense management and support the changing needs of modern fleet operations.