Fleet managers from both corporates and SMEs were present in large numbers to be informed about the latest developments in the automotive field and electric transport. During the various well-attended workshops and lectures, experts from the field shared their vision of the future, a vision that is not always clear-cut. A lot still needs to happen before the mobility market calms down a bit. With many new players in the field of electric transport, but much uncertainty about how this market will develop, electric driving remains a challenging investment for many fleet managers to justify.
This will likely remain the case for a while, according to Patrick Langevoort, innovation & product manager at Allego. 'Charging infrastructure is not exciting or sexy, it just needs to work. However, you do need to invest in it upfront, and you don't see the return immediately. But if you don't, you'll see that the extra fuel costs slowly increase. You can prevent those extra costs. EV is really about the long term; you won't recoup such an investment within three years.' Allego does not provide 'smart charging stations' with their ChargingPlaza, but rather the opposite. The charging stations are 'dumb,' and all the cleverness is integrated into the meter cabinet. This way, more cars can be charged at the same charging point, and the infrastructure is also prepared for the future.
Learning from each other
However, according to Patrick, there are still significant steps to be taken in the field of electric transport. 'It requires us to adapt partly to the technology, for example, in terms of range with your electric car, which still holds many people back unless there is a government incentive. The Prius only became popular when the tax benefits were adjusted.' What is particularly important is that parties are open about how they approach developments. 'You only hear the success stories now, but let's learn from each other and not make the same mistakes.'
A good example can work wonders, and with the awarding of the Fleet Manager of the Year 2015 award, such an example is easily found. The nominees were welcomed on the main stage with much enthusiasm, but of course, only one could take the title home. The lucky winner is Daan Bieleveld, global mobility manager at DSM. He takes over from André de Boer, who won the prize last year. Daan was praised by the jury for the way he integrated the national HR and procurement policy and used it as a basis to roll it out internationally.
'In doing so, he created a creative total offering that serves both all lease and non-lease drivers,' the jury stated. As an example, they mention the renewed private leasing scheme that Daan launched for all employees without a lease car. The Mobility Innovation Award was awarded by the audience to Eneco SlimLaden, after their successful pitch at the Start-up & Innovation Square.
Many different solutions
On the exhibition floor, the exhibitors were busy informing customers about their solutions. Not all of these were focused on electric transport, but rather on reducing costs and driving more efficiently. ECODrive is used, for example, to enforce 'the new driving.' The system is in direct connection with the electronic accelerator pedal in the vehicle to 'take the peaks out of the heavy right foot,' according to Joop Hover from ECODrive. 'Many companies provide their employees with a course for the New Driving, but find that this knowledge is not applied after a few weeks, causing all savings to be lost.'
By being able to adjust the maximum speed, acceleration, and RPM per gear, your drivers are forced to drive more calmly and friendly. 'It's a bit of an adjustment,' Joop laughs, 'but we notice that it is quickly picked up. It is also a solution for electric vehicles. By using ECODrive, we can increase the effective range of electric vehicles because less electricity is wasted by drivers with a heavy right foot.'
For the entrepreneur
However, many entrepreneurs see leasing and fleet management mainly as extra work. 'Many entrepreneurs want to get rid of the hassle of fleet management; you actually need to appoint someone for it. It's not the core business of their company,' says Jaap van Daalen, managing director of ROI Groep. 'That’s why we see ourselves as a truly independent and professional extension of the customer. We can advise clients, relieve them of burdens, and provide them with more control over costs.' Through analyses, checks, and advice, entrepreneurs should gain more control over their fleet without having to delve into matters such as leasing structures and the purchase and repair of new vehicles.
And the fleet manager
XPOfleet aims to take work off the hands of the fleet manager. 'We ensure that he or she gains better insight into costs and can work more efficiently by importing all supplier data directly into the system. This way, the fleet manager immediately has an overview of all costs and benefits,' says Gert Vandermissen, CEO of XPOfleet. In addition to automating the underlying processes that many fleet managers still have to go through manually, the company also wants to involve employees more in cost savings with XPOmobile, an app that allows your drivers to compare data with each other. 'This encourages them to achieve the best possible results; everyone secretly wants to be at the top of the rankings.' With the app, drivers and fleet managers have everything at their fingertips: fines, maintenance, and mileage, all data is tracked and immediately accessible.
Also, Dragintra Fleet Services demonstrated their extensive fleet management solution Fleet Pack, also with a new mobile app. Bart de Hoog, general manager Benelux at Dragintra, enthusiastically explained how complex process structures are executed fully automatically with just a few clicks. Ordering new additions to your fleet, passing on fines, and invoicing, as a fleet manager, you hardly have to look after it anymore. With the Mobicells app, it can be closely monitored how many kilometers are traveled and with what transport. 'This way, you can steer the target group, and you will quickly see it reflected in the car costs. There is still too much holistic working in this industry; that needs to change. It's time to base our decisions on objective figures.'
