The collection and analysis of millions of data on a massive scale is one of the services that can contribute the most to vehicle fleets. The reason is simple: through access to motor data through telematics technology, companies know exactly the distances traveled by their cars, trucks and vans; fuel consumption, mileage, speed and acceleration, type of driving, GPS location of your vehicles…
Data and more data that, after an exhaustive study, allow companies to be more sustainable, efficient and productive. This information, moreover, is a great treasure for public administrations, since it can help them deploy models of smart cities –cities that apply information and connectivity technologies to, among other things, manage traffic and infrastructure–. And it also contributes to moving towards the electric car, a great challenge for both large metropolises and vehicle fleet owners.
In recent years, the telematics industry – the one that collects, manages and analyzes the research that emerges from the data – has multiplied its income and its activity. A good example is Geotab, the world’s leading company in big data applied to the car fleet sector. Geotab has developed an electronic device that, connected to vehicles, processes billions of data points every day that are used for big data analysis and machine learning (machine learning). In this way, its customers improve productivity, optimize fleets and improve driver safety.
The fundamental role of sustainability
Throughout this ecosystem, sustainability plays an essential role, as the examination of this data allows companies to make the right decisions to reduce their carbon footprint and plan a roadmap towards the adoption of electric vehicles. A decision that contributes to the improvement of the environment –these vehicles do not emit polluting gases– and that, in turn, implies significant savings, both in fuel and maintenance.
“We help to reduce accidents, traffic jams and emissions, and we are optimistic because the desire to electrify fleets has been maintained during the pandemic. Two out of three companies dedicated to this activity consider it fundamental in the next five years, and we are prepared to help them”, assures the vice president for the countries of Southwest Europe of Geotab, Iván Lequerica.
Founded in Canada in 2000 by engineer Neil Cawse, Geotab today has 2.2 million vehicles from more than 55,000 subscribed customers globally, providing more than two trillion driving data daily. Six years ago, Geotab landed in Spain, where it already has more than 300 clients and has grown by 40% in the last year.
Autonomy and savings
“Many fleet managers want to switch to electric vehicles, but they don’t know how to do it. We accompany you throughout the process. Thanks to the information we obtain through our telematics device, we analyze the situation of the fleet based on real data and we advise our clients which vehicles could be replaced by electric vehicles available on the market”, points out Lequerica.
Based on routes and consumption, this feasibility analysis identifies which models are the best candidates to be replaced by electric ones. The report covers everything from the type of vehicle and its range to savings forecasts. “When the client has already taken the step and incorporates electric cars into his fleet, we help him manage them, we explain how they are being used, how they are charged and what energy patterns they use”, he continues.
The possibility of anticipating possible failures is one of the great benefits of this technology Iván Lequerica, vice president for the countries of Southwest Europe at Geotab
In any case, not all vehicles meet the same requirements. Those who do many kilometers on the road are not good candidates for electrification. Yes they are, on the other hand, the urban cars and vans of distribution and last mile that travel between 200 and 300 kilometers per day. Some projections suggest that, in 2032, electric vehicles will represent 50% of all new passenger vehicles.
The number of brands and manufacturers that bet on this technology has increased in a few years, and state and European regulation encourages more and more cars of this type to be purchased. Hence, taking advantage of telematic tools to advance electrification and achieve more sustainable mobility is more relevant today than ever.
The future development of batteries and electric models will drive the sector in the coming years. Vehicles that, within a decade, will be present in 67% of fleets, according to a study by Geotab. “The practical application of telematics even allows customers to understand what is going to happen in the future. We are able, for example, to predict when a battery is going to fail. The possibility of getting ahead of possible breakdowns is one of the great benefits of this technology”, highlights Lequerica. That is why it is important that large companies and SMEs bet on these technological tools. “For that you need momentum and education, you have to know how to explain why this path is the right one. The pandemic has helped bring about more awareness around sustainability than there was a year ago, and we have to seize the opportunity,” she insists.