Data-led approach is the key to Australia’s fleet diversification
The pressure on fleets to adapt to political and social change has never been greater. The ACT’s declaration to ban petrol cars by 2035 is one recent example. With the inflated cost of fuel and the shift in vehicle buying behaviour, it is getting harder to predict the future of Australia’s fleets, particularly in the taxi, delivery, and car rental industries.
Recently, electric vehicles (EVs) have been the focus for fleets, with companies like AGL announcing a target of 100 per cent light vehicle electrification and 50 per cent industrial vehicle electrification by 2030. Vehicle shortages and infrastructure challenges mean EVs are not yet the silver bullet solution many had hoped for.
Diversification gaining momentum
Diversification is a strategy which is gaining momentum. Fleet operators are not just considering fuel type (e.g. plug-in or hybrid), but also new modes of transport. SG Fleet recently became an investor in e-bike company Zoomo, with the objective to use eBikes to support their existing vehicle fleet. The company is taking the view that it does not make sense to use a 1.5t vehicle if less carbon-intensive, and more cost-effective alternatives are available.
An area in which diversification makes immediate sense is home delivery with online purchases in Australia growing by 11.9% year-on-year (Australia Post, 2022). Australia Post is diversifying its fleet with plans to swap the iconic postie bike for electric delivery vehicles by 2025.
Europe leading the way
This is a trend we are seeing in Europe where cargo bikes and even cargo-hitching (combining passenger and freight transport) are replacing diesel vans – particularly for ‘last mile’ deliveries. With Amazon recently announcing one-day delivery for Australian customers, we are likely to see more of this trend soon.
Data will become even more critical as Australia’s fleets diversify. And fleet operators will need new tools to enable them to manage a more complex mix of light, heavy, electrified and non-electrified vehicles.
A key opportunity is a new category of technologies known as mobility-as-a-service (MaaS). MaaS connects multiple modes of transport, from eBikes through to large trucks, and allow journeys and deliveries to be planned and tracked.
Data leading the way
As Australia’s leader in traffic data and mobility insights, Intelematics has developed Omniway, a new customisable MaaS platform with the capacity to integrate the management of these emerging and diverse modes of transport with tracking and route planning. This can include any type of fleet including internal combustion engine, hybrid and dedicated EV fleets.
Omniway is one of the first MaaS platforms, designed and built in Australia, to help organisations and individuals improve how they travel. The platform builds on the success of the arevo trip-planning platform which was created for RACV.
Omniway connects multiple modes of transport – including light, heavy and micro modes of transport – and presents optimal route options using predictive data. It is a scalable and open platform to allow easy integration and management of transport services, enterprise services and front end-user access via a white label mobility app.
These data-led platforms have the potential to create a simple and unified picture of a fleet without being tied to a particular type of vehicle. As fleets continue to diversify, we see this vehicle agnostic approach playing a critical role in their evolution in Australia.
Making the transition together
Fleet operators are facing a complicated puzzle, caused by increasing political and social pressures, as well as cost pressures on the traditional fleet business model. New technology will help to ease this transition, but the development of new data-led products and platforms to support new diversified fleets will take time.
For now, the key to a successful transition is starting conversations about investments and requirements early to ensure industry and government are informed, prepared and can make this transition together.
