Using Smartcar’s odometer API, emovis is quickly and easily enrolling Tesla Model 3s to its road usage charge program in Utah.
About emovis
Emovis provides toll-based mobility services in the United States and around the world. The company’s products include traditional tolling solutions, free-flow tolling services, and road usage charge (RUC) programs. Founded in 1980, emovis has helped millions of motorists travel seamlessly along some of the world’s busiest highways for over 40 years.
Emovis’s challenge
Since 2018, the state of Utah has required electric and hybrid vehicle owners to pay an alternative fuel vehicle fee. This fee accounts for EV and hybrid car owners paying significantly less or no taxes through gasoline purchases compared to other vehicle owners.
EV owners can choose to participate in emovis’s RUC program instead of paying the alternative fuel vehicle fee. The RUC program charges participants a per-mile cost based on exactly how much they drive, which can save them money compared to the alternative fuel vehicle flat fee.
The RUC program first began using plug-in onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices to monitor how many miles participants drove. But some vehicle models, like the Tesla Model 3, didn’t feature OBD-II ports, thus preventing their owners from enrolling in the program.
Solution
Emovis decided to integrate with Smartcar’s APIs to solve this challenge. As a result, since January 2020, Smartcar has enabled Tesla Model 3 owners to enroll in the RUC program through a simple onboarding process.
Smartcar allows vehicle owners to connect their cars with a few clicks from the emovis app. Emovis then uses Smartcar’s odometer API to retrieve each vehicle’s mileage at regular intervals. As a result, participants don’t need to install a device or upload a photo of their odometer reading. Instead, emovis retrieves each car’s mileage directly from its instrument cluster.
Results
Thanks to Smartcar, emovis has been able to admit vehicles into its RUC program that it was previously unable to accommodate. The company has successfully enrolled Tesla Model 3s and is preparing to expand its offering to all Tesla models soon.
The Smartcar-powered experience is also quicker and easier than shipping and installing an OBD device. Smartcar has helped emovis enroll new vehicles faster and more efficiently than before while providing a friendly user experience to participants.
“We’ve gotten great feedback so far,” said emovis Senior Program Manager Charlie Mitchell. “Participants love how easily they can connect their cars without needing to worry about an OBD device.”
Vehicle brands, logos, and model names belong to their respective trademark holders and do not indicate endorsement of or affiliation with Smartcar or emovis.
Photo by Charlie Deets on Unsplash
