Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, through its fleet management platform, Webfleet, claims to be revolutionising the telematics landscape. In January 2024, the company launched its EV Services Platform, which it describes as a seamless ecosystem unifying energy and mobility service providers to offer an integrated approach to fleet management.
The EV Services Platform connects van fleets with industry-leading service providers streamlining access to energy management, battery analytics, fleet management and EV charging, routing and planning solutions. This technological development aims to simplify the process of sourcing suppliers, reduce integration costs and enable fleets to optimise EV operations more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Van fleet managers can choose the services that meet their specific EV objectives. For example, the Webfleet EV Transition Tool helps fleets plan their electric transition by identifying vehicles eligible for conversion. It advises on suitable eLCV models and evaluates the cost implications and charging infrastructure requirements.
The tool leverages fleet data to assess readiness for electrification, estimating total cost of ownership, operational costs and CO2 savings. It also suggests the most suitable EV models for specific fleet operations.
At the IAA show in Hanover in September 2024, Webfleet promoted the integration of AI technology into its fleet management systems. Raghunath Banerjee, vice president for data solutions at parent company Bridgestone, said the new AI Assistant tool enabled fleet managers to quickly access information about their vehicles and driver behaviour without having to trawl through numerous data reports.
“Lots of fleet managers are understaffed [and] grappling with data, fuel cards and transport management,” said Banerjee. “AI Assistant helps fleet managers optimise their time and make decisions based on their data.” He said the AI tool delivered real-time and historical data about key fleet performance indicators, including fuel and energy consumption and driving events such as idling, speeding and harsh braking.
Fleet managers enter prompts asking, for example, ‘what is the fuel consumption trend over the last three months?’ and get precise overviews in seconds, explained Banerjee. The tool can also generate a list of fleet managers’ most commonly asked questions, he added.
The system’s Fleet Data Analytics Dashboard consolidates information from sources such as tyres, in-vehicle cameras and telematics in one place. “Fleet managers have too much data to deal with, they want a centralised system, [where] everything can be seen on one page.” said Banerjee.
Data security is a vital consideration and Banerjee stresses that customers cannot access specific data from competitors. Webfleet, however, can provide them with “insights of improvement areas” based on anonymous information.
Webfleet’s new EV charger monitoring system integrates data directly into the Webfleet platform, including real-time updates on charger availability, occupancy, speed and vehicle-to-charger location, while supporting multi-site monitoring. It also offers insights into energy costs, consumption, usage trends and average charging time. Any charger brand following open charging protocols (OCPP and
OCPI) can be integrated without needing additional hardware.
As the telematics industry evolves, Webfleet sets the standard, delivering integrated, data-driven solutions that drive the future of van fleet management. Through continuous innovation and a customer-centric approach, Bridgestone Mobility Solutions is paving the way for a greener, more efficient future.
Highly Commended: Quartix
Quartix has been in the telematics business for over two decades, providing reliable, accurate and scalable solutions to fleets of all sizes. With over 35,000 customers across multiple industries, and over 800,000 tracked vehicles of all types and sizes, it has built a solid reputation for delivering dependable results.
Via a user-friendly platform fleet managers can access real-time data, vehicle tracking maps and driver behaviour insights, helping businesses operate efficiently without steep learning curves. Quartix says it offers flexible pricing models with no hidden costs. Customers can choose from subscription packages that match their needs, with transparent pricing and no lengthy contracts. This flexibility means businesses only pay for what they need, claims Quartix.
