Customers are relying on Ford Pro’s increased fleet management and telematics offerings to boost their electrification efforts in preparation for tougher emissions standards to come.
Telematics provide insights into usage and use cases even before an electric vehicle replaces a traditional vehicle, contributing to EV adoption, Mike Hauge, global electrification manager at sustainability-focused Ecolab, said during a panel discussion at Work Truck Week 2024 on Tuesday.
Ecolab looks to telematics to evaluate things like mileage, max distance, frequency, number of drivers, and access to charging infrastructure, he said. “None of that can be done if we don’t have the telematics data that we have on our internal combustion vehicles today.”
Ecolab aims to electrify all 1,000 vehicles in its light-duty fleet in California by 2025, thanks to its increased use of telematics. The move comes as increased regulation from the California Air Resources Board will require more vehicles to be zero-emission units beginning in 2025 and culminating in 100% zero-emission vehicles by 2042, and California truck dealers invest in electrification infrastructure.
Meanwhile, Canadian electrical contractor Fize Electrique exceeded its goals and already has a fully electric fleet with the use of telematics, Alain Fiset, director of smart energy at the company, said during the panel.
“For the [telematics] data, it permits us to know the state of battery and what the state of battery when they’re coming back to home or depot,” he said. “For us, our goal was to be all-electric by 2025, and we made it one year and a half before, so we are already full-electric and with all that’s added helps us to go faster.”
Ford Pro’s future
Ford Pro continues to look to add more EV-related features in addition to other improvements, Dave Prusinski, general manager of integrated services at Ford Pro.
“You’re going to start to see deeper insights into the [telematics] product,” he said. “More EV features, more reporting, as well as more functionality that is part of the ecosystem, so things like asset trackers, were looking at [electronic logging device] or hours of service for North America. A more holistic solution on top of the great solution we have.”
Registration is now open for Equipment Finance Connect, the nation’s only dealer-centric equipment lending and leasing event, which will take place May 5-7 in Nashville, Tenn. Learn about the event and free dealer registration at EquipmentFinanceConnect.com.
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