Category: Automotive

Inspiration Mobility Group announced the acquisition of select assets of Electrada, a fuel solutions provider for commercial fleet electrification, which has operated since 2021. Electrada’s team, project pipeline, charging depot development, intellectual property assets, and energy management software will become part of Inspiration Energy, which is Inspiration’s charging infrastructure and energy management business.

Over the past six years, Electrada has built and operated fleet electrification infrastructure across the United States, serving public agencies, Fortune 500 companies, and institutions through its 360 CaaS, FleetFlex, and FleetFlip models. Across more than 375 depots, the company has delivered more than 99% electric fuel uptime and powered more than 10 million clean miles annually, enabling commercial fleets ranging from passenger vehicles to Class 8 tractor-trailers to exit fossil fuel dependency.

“Inspiration is the natural home for what Electrada has built,” said Kevin Kushman, CEO of Electrada. “We’ve always measured success by customer outcomes, not infrastructure deployed, and Inspiration holds that same standard. Electrada’s depth in utility coordination, distributed power, and depot energy management means fleet operators aren’t just getting charging infrastructure; they’re getting an energy program architected to structurally reduce and stabilize their fuel costs. The acquisition brings together Electrada’s proven team, processes, and technology with Inspiration Energy’s ability to build, own, and manage depot real estate and charging infrastructure, giving fleet operators a fully capitalized, site-to-socket solution from the decision to electrify through daily electric fuel operations.”

The acquisition reinforces the full electric fuel lifecycle: precision depot design and utility coordination, distributed power, optimized energy management, and ongoing operations, offered as a CaaS program to eliminate upfront infrastructure risk. Leasing vehicles and providing fleet services to corporate fleets across the U.S., Inspiration will leverage Electrada’s capabilities to further grow its presence with heavy-duty commercial vehicles, distribution fleets, and the autonomous vehicle market.

“At a moment when fuel price spikes have already disrupted fleet budgets and operational planning, the value proposition for electrification has never been clearer,” said Josh Green, founder and CEO of Inspiration Mobility Group. “Electrada has excelled at doing something genuinely difficult: delivering reliable electric fuel at optimized, predictable cost across millions of fleet miles for some of the most operationally complex fleets in the country. Inspiration’s mission has always been to make electric transportation the obvious economic choice for commercial fleets, not just the responsible one. This acquisition strengthens our ability to deliver that outcome, at scale, giving customers one turnkey partner from the decision about where, when, and how to electrify, to the deployment of vehicles and charging, and lastly to daily fleet and electric fuel operations.”

Keep Reading! WEX Unveils Fleet Card Unifying Fueling and Public EV Charging Payments

A conversation with a maintenance expert reveals the two most common summer maintenance pains and how to prevent them.

The summer months and their humid temperatures are officially in full swing, which means summer maintenance is, too. Vehicle heat failures are predictable, and yet many fleets still suffer from preventable downtime. The most commonly overlooked vulnerability, according to maintenance manager Jenny Baker from Mike Albert, is cooling systems and “Batteries! Summer heat is extremely hard on batteries, so they should be inspected before the hot weather hits.”

Heat accelerates battery degradation, increasing the likelihood of no-start situations that can take vehicles out of service unexpectedly. Testing batteries before temperatures rise can help fleets avoid costly roadside service calls.

Cooling and AC Systems

Beyond batteries, two vehicle systems are particularly vulnerable during the summer months: the air conditioning and engine cooling systems.

“Two vehicle systems that take a hard hit in the summer are the AC system and the engine cooling system,” Baker said. 

Spring preventative maintenance can help address both of these issues before they occur.

“AC systems should be checked in the spring for both overall performance and freon levels, so that any issues are caught well before the heat of summer creates an urgent problem.”

Cooling systems deserve the same level of attention.

Vehicle coolant should also be checked in the spring, with particular attention to leaks and to verifying that the thermostat is operating correctly.

Neglecting these inspections can lead to one of the most common summer-related breakdowns: overheating. Combined with battery failures, overheating events account for many of the service disruptions fleets experience during hot weather.

“The two most common summer breakdowns that could have been prevented are no-starts caused by battery failure and overheating from neglected cooling systems,” she said. 

The Small Maintenance Investments that Deliver

When it comes to preventive maintenance, fleets often focus on inspections, but other practices can also play an important role in reducing downtime.

More frequent oil changes can deliver some of the greatest ROI for fleets during the summer season because oil breaks down faster in warmer weather, Baker said. 

More frequent service intervals also create opportunities to identify developing issues before they become costly repairs.

“By getting oil changes more often during the warmer months and pairing them with the proper inspections each time, fleet managers can reduce unplanned downtime,” she said. 

Telematics’ Role in Preventing Summer Breakdowns

Technology can help fleets move beyond scheduled maintenance and toward a more proactive approach. Telematics and maintenance platforms provide valuable insight into vehicle health and performance trends, particularly during periods of extreme heat.

“Telematics and maintenance data are powerful tools for getting ahead of summer-related vehicle issues before they result in a breakdown.”

By monitoring key indicators, fleet managers can identify problems before drivers become stranded.

Staying Consistent

Ultimately, the fleets that avoid recurring summer downtime tend to share one characteristic: consistency.

When asked to give fleet managers one piece of advice to improve summer fleet readiness this year, she was direct. 

Baker’s response: “Be consistent and formalize that consistency into a weather readiness policy.”

That policy should outline the preventive measures needed to keep vehicles operating reliably throughout the season. The policy should specifically include more frequent oil changes during summer months, scheduled inspections for AC systems, battery testing, and cooling system checks.

The payoff extends beyond reliability.

“Lower overall costs are both the goal and the result of doing summer readiness the right way,” Baker said.

For fleet managers, summer maintenance is less about reacting to heat-related failures and more about preventing them through planning and inspection.,

About Jenny Baker: With over 30 years of dedicated experience in the automotive industry, Jenny Baker-Ford brings expertise to her role as Maintenance Manager at Mike Albert. Since joining the company in April 2019, she has leveraged her extensive knowledge of vehicle service requirements across multiple manufacturers to develop tailored maintenance strategies that minimize downtime and optimize fleet performance.

Throughout her career, Jenny has maintained a commitment to professional development and industry certifications. As an ASE Certified professional, she brings technical credibility to her leadership role. Her skill set encompasses project management, continuous improvement methodologies, and comprehensive knowledge of automotive products and services.

Prior to joining Mike Albert, Jenny held service and warranty roles at Lexus and Toyota dealerships and at Busam Automotive.

Related: Spring Cleaning: 5 Tips to Prep Your Fleet for Warmer Weather