According to recent figures, it appears as though UK fleet managers like to replace their vehicles more often than their European counterparts. In fact, UK fleets are retaining individual vehicles two years less than the European average, representing an exceptionally high turnover rate.
At the heart of this is the desire of British fleet managers to access the very latest automotive technology, from advanced safety features to the growing range of sensors including in contemporary vehicles.
There’s no doubt that the automotive sector continues to evolve at a frightening rate, particularly in relation to the technology included in individual cars and vans.
But what are the tech trends revolutionising vehicle fleets at the moment? Let’s take a closer look:
- The Use of Telematics
Telematics is an advanced method of monitoring vehicles remotely, through the combination of a modern GPS system and on-board diagnostics. This is able to deliver an incredible and growing range of data-sets, from real-time location and fuel consumption to the precise speed that it’s travelling.
A third (33%) of UK fleets now employ telematics in their vehicles, and once again this compares favourably with those based in Europe. Just 19% of fleets on the continent use this technology, and this gap could widen in the near-term.
While this technology has predominantly been used to help managers locate their vehicles, modern telematics also make it possible to track fuel efficiency and optimise the journeys of cars and vans. Not only this, but fleet managers are now using telematics to improve driver safety while out on the road, and this could reduce operational costs considerably in the future.
While typically the preserve of larger fleets, smaller firms have also looked to leverage telematics as the cost of this technology has declined.
- The Rise of Modified Fleet Vehicles
Automotive technology has become increasingly inclusive in recent times, allowing for the development of modified vehicles for disabled drivers and passengers.
Companies such as Allied Fleet have been at the heart of this evolution, applying the benefits of technological and engineering innovations to revolutionise standard vehicles and ensure that they’re accessible to far larger demographics.
The most important modifications alter the layout of individual vehicles and the integrated safety features, in order to optimise both design and functionality. In terms of accessibility, folding rear access ramps and electrically-operated tail lifts are integrated seamlessly into an original design, while stowing neatly away inside the vehicle.
The modifications are often made at source, through collaborations between innovators and manufacturers. The result is that businesses can introduce more accessible vehicles into their fleets over time, creating considerably diversity and huge value for money in the process.
- Introducing MaaS to the Mainstream
The way in which we travel is continuing to change, and this is having a seminal impact on the automotive sector. Over time, we’re likely to see a gradual but your irresistible shift away from personal-owned modes of transportation and instead embrace mobility solutions that are consumed as a service.
In this respect, mobility-as-a-service (MaaS) will represent a combination of public and private transportation providers, creating a unified gateway that plans and manages trips.
This will not only rely on the use of technologies such as telematics to plan and monitor routes, but it will also change the traditional fleet metric beyond all recognition.
More specifically, fleet managers will eschew basic vehicle numbers for more advanced data-sets, including journey success rates, attendance rates and annual operational costs.
Of course, this is a long-term trend that will not take hold over night, but it’s expected to revolutionise the nature of commercial fleets over the course of the next 20 years.
