Motive has acquired battery intelligence startup InceptEV to enhance its platform with more precise electric vehicle (EV) forecasting and help commercial fleets cut costs and complexity during electrification.
The move aims to give fleet operators more accurate, real-world insights into EV performance, including battery usage and range impacted by terrain, weather, cargo weight, and driver behavior, according to a news release.
InceptEV, a software startup from Carnegie Mellon University, uses advanced machine learning and holds patented technology focused on battery performance analysis. With the acquisition, Motive will integrate InceptEV’s software into its commercial fleet management platform. Venkat Viswanathan, co-founder of InceptEV and expert in electric mobility, will join Motive as a strategic advisor.
Fleet electrification can raise costs by as much as 114%, according to the company, and challenges such as range anxiety, charging availability, and energy pricing continue to slow adoption. Viswanathan says traditional EV tools often rely on fixed estimates that don’t account for real-world variability.
“Current EV planning tools can be too simplistic and inaccurate based on fixed numbers, often overestimating range and leading to poor planning, higher costs, and slower buy-in,” Viswanathan said in the release. “Integrating InceptEV’s battery intelligence into Motive’s platform will give companies greater control with personalized insights to understand how their EV fleet will actually perform in the real world.”
“Our customers see fleet electrification as a major opportunity and are navigating how to pursue it in a way that maintains productivity, compliance, and cost-efficiency,” added Abhishek Gupta, senior vice-president of product management at Motive. “With this acquisition, Motive is helping fleet operators confidently scale their EVs through better data, smarter decision-making, and greater visibility into performance.”
