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Paragon Software tackles routing challenges of low-emission vehicles

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Updated Apr 20, 2018

Tesla Electric Semi-Truck InteriorParagon Software Systems has enhanced its routing and scheduling software to address the potential challenges of planning routes for sustainable vehicles.

Low-emission, fuel-efficient technology often comes at the cost of limited range. The latest expansion of Paragon software’s capabilities will enable transport planners to better plan around these limitations.

“Green fleets are firmly on the radar of many logistics operations as they look to minimize environmental impact by moving away from vehicles powered by petroleum and diesel,” explains William Salter, CEO of Paragon Software Systems. “With this in mind, we have added functionality to our software solution to simplify the planning process for fleets that combine both sustainable and conventional vehicles.”

Transport planners will now be able to define the actual range of a sustainable truck or van, ensuring that the Paragon routing and scheduling software restricts the distance of any trip to the vehicle’s maximum range. If any subsequent manual adjustments result in extra mileage beyond the range of a vehicle, a warning will alert the planner to the potential issue.

The update seeks to make it easier for US fleet managers to adapt to the clearly identifiable trend towards electric, natural-gas and hybrid-powered delivery vehicles.

Tesla, Chanje, Daimler and Volkswagen have announced electric trucks for the US market will be widely available in the next two years.

“We initially developed this functionality to meet specific customer demand,” says Phil Ingham, Support Director of Paragon Software Systems. “But we believe it will become increasingly relevant for many types of logistics operations as they introduce greener vehicles over the coming years.”