Abstract
: The challenges faced by managers of transportation systems in developing nations such as
Nigeria are numerous. These include driver scheduling, which, in many cases, is still being done
manually; diversion of vehicles to unauthorized routes by drivers for selfish reasons results in illegal
use of fuel meant for official duties, causing the organization lose considerable revenue. In its drive
to reduce its carbon footprint, Elizade University, Nigeria, is embarking on the development and use
of electric vehicles (EV) as a means of transportation within the university campus. This research is
geared towards supporting this initiative by developing an EV tracking system that combines tracking
of EV drivers with vehicle position and battery power (energy) tracking in order to mitigate the
challenges outlined above. Personnel tracking was achieved using an RFID-enabled staff identity card
that authenticates authorized drivers before activating the vehicle ignition system, position tracking
was achieved using a geographical positioning system (GPS), and current and voltage sensors were
used for tracking of electric vehicle power. Tests revealed that the EV system administrator operated
through a personal computer was able to track the EV driver, position and power through a web
interface/Google Maps and e-mail in real time. Whereas previous studies either considered tracking
of vehicle position or power without personnel, others tracked personnel with less emphasis on the
vehicle position or energy. In this study, we combined different technologies such as RFID, GPS and
power sensors to consider EV administration in a holistic manner, thereby providing intervention in
an infrastructurally deficient setting.