Best of LinkedIn: Commercial Fleet Insights CW 48/ 49

00:00:00: brought to you by Thomas Allgaier and Frenis.

00:00:02: This edition highlights key LinkedIn posts on commercial fleets in weeks forty eight and forty nine.

00:00:07: Frenis supports automotive enterprises and consultancies with market, customer and competitive intelligence in the commercial fleet sector with a strong focus on digital solutions and emerging technologies.

00:00:19: Welcome to the deep dive.

00:00:21: Our mission today is pretty laser focused.

00:00:23: We're synthesizing the absolute critical shifts that are happening in commercial fleet operations and this is all pulled directly from conversations happening right now among industry pros.

00:00:33: Yeah, and the conversation has really moved on.

00:00:35: It's completely past the hypothetical stage.

00:00:38: Exactly.

00:00:39: We are no longer debating if zero emission vehicles are coming.

00:00:42: The talk is all about how fleets are implementing them.

00:00:45: I mean, at the route level today.

00:00:47: That's

00:00:47: absolutely right.

00:00:48: The source material, you know, the collective intelligence of the industry from the last couple of weeks, it shows this decisive shift.

00:00:54: We're moving from long-term strategy to immediate operational reality.

00:00:59: So this is all about execution.

00:01:00: all about execution, and we're seeing three main levers that are defining success.

00:01:06: Really disciplined electrification economics, overcoming the infrastructure challenge, and of course, leveraging high-level data intelligence.

00:01:14: Okay,

00:01:14: let's unpack this by starting where every commercial decision really starts.

00:01:19: the money.

00:01:19: Exactly.

00:01:20: Electrification lives or dies by the total cost of ownership, the TCO, and the sources.

00:01:25: They show a really clear sweet spot where the math already works.

00:01:29: So where is that sweet spot right now?

00:01:30: Well, Tony Niesim highlighted that the fleets that are actually profitable today with EVs are the ones with fixed routes, shorter distances, and the luxury of predictable depot charging.

00:01:40: So think delivery vans, city transit, school buses.

00:01:44: That

00:01:44: fixed route structure seems to be the key, right?

00:01:47: James Tillman, he reinforced this idea, arguing that operations like the USPS, I mean, with its known routes long, dwell times, it's not a leap of faith for electrification.

00:01:56: He literally called it basic math.

00:01:58: It's all predictable.

00:01:59: And when the math works, the results can be pretty dramatic.

00:02:02: Mark Hecker cited a data point showing that electric fleets can already be up to twenty percent cheaper than combustion fleets on that TCO metric.

00:02:10: Twenty percent is huge.

00:02:12: But that has to assume, you know, perfect execution.

00:02:15: What happens when fleet managers just focus on that low sticker price and ignore the complexity?

00:02:20: And that's where the discipline comes in.

00:02:22: Omar Al-Halak stressed that this isn't a simple product swap.

00:02:25: You can't just drop an EV into a slot where a diesel truck used to be.

00:02:29: Right.

00:02:30: It requires a complete solution that's tailored to the demands of commercial operations uptime, load requirements, realistic range.

00:02:38: We hear so much about the theoretical TCO savings, but you rarely hear about the hidden costs when procurement goes wrong.

00:02:44: And that's exactly why Lehan Hansen's cautionary tale really stood out.

00:02:48: It's just a classic failure of TCO discipline.

00:02:51: A municipal fleet saved, uh, twenty seven thousand dollars up front.

00:02:55: they chose cheaper crane trucks.

00:02:56: Let me guess, that twenty seven thousand dollars didn't stay to save for very long.

00:03:00: Not at all.

00:03:01: Within three months those inadequate stability features they used standard instead of reinforced outriggers led to eighty nine thousand dollars in costs.

00:03:11: Wow.

00:03:12: Yeah.

00:03:12: Rentals, overtime, repairing one truck that actually tipped over.

00:03:17: It's just a brutal reminder that A low upfront cost can create these devastating lifecycle expenses if you don't engineer the whole solution for the job.

00:03:26: That story really grounds it.

00:03:28: I mean, it suggests that success is less about just buying vehicles and more about optimizing the whole financial journey from the start.

00:03:34: Exactly.

00:03:35: And Jay Klump mentioned Harbinger's Fleet Economic Accelerator Program, which does precisely that.

00:03:41: It focuses on stacking tailored strategies and incentives to make sure those favorable economics are unlocked from day one.

00:03:47: So the economic argument is strong if you do it right, but none of it works without power.

00:03:52: And that brings us neatly to the biggest limiting factor right now, infrastructure.

00:03:57: So many professionals on LinkedIn feel that the charging network is the real friction point, not the vehicle itself.

00:04:02: And when we say infrastructure, we're not just talking about plugs in the wall.

00:04:05: This is about smart charging, load management.

00:04:07: It's about leveraging data to optimize the whole process.

00:04:10: Yeah.

00:04:10: Precisely.

00:04:12: Joshua Veeve highlighted solutions like Spark AI, which optimizes EV fleet charging.

00:04:18: And this goes way beyond simple scheduling.

00:04:20: So what's it doing?

00:04:21: It's using data on real world conditions.

00:04:24: So topography, elevation, even the day's temperature to figure out the most efficient charging schedule to really maximize that fleet up time.

00:04:33: So it's not just plugging in.

00:04:34: It's when and how much you charge based on the day's actual needs.

00:04:38: That intelligence is the keystone.

00:04:40: John Coaster and Daniel Hilson, they both stress that smart charging is vital for reliability and critically for cost efficiency.

00:04:47: Especially in big deepers facing rising energy demand with limited grid capacity.

00:04:51: Right.

00:04:51: You can't just plug in a hundred trucks at once.

00:04:53: You'll

00:04:53: blow the grid.

00:04:54: You have to actively manage that load or face just enormous upgrade costs.

00:04:58: Here's

00:04:58: where it gets really interesting though.

00:05:00: Some fleets are turning this high energy use into an actual financial advantage.

00:05:05: This is a fascinating strategy.

00:05:07: Mauricio Sardis suggested fleets should be optimizing their electricity use by participating directly in what are called flexibility markets.

00:05:14: So what does that mean in practice?

00:05:16: It allows them to charge when energy demand is super low, like when solar or wind generation is high, and you can sometimes get prices near a zero point zero one per kilowatt hour in places like Spain or Portugal.

00:05:29: Wow.

00:05:29: That just fundamentally changes the financial structure.

00:05:32: Your energy budget goes from being a fixed liability to, well, a potential revenue stream.

00:05:38: That's a massive operational shift.

00:05:40: Okay.

00:05:40: But looking at the logistics of actually building this.

00:05:43: Yeah.

00:05:44: Partnerships are key, right?

00:05:46: Mohsdale noted EO charging and Keebo Group are coordinating hardware and software to simplify depot rollouts.

00:05:52: And for fleets crossing borders, simplicity is everything.

00:05:56: Gideon van Dijk shared how the Arvo collaboration is simplifying cross-border charging for professional drivers across Europe.

00:06:02: It's about making it seamless.

00:06:03: But the biggest delay often isn't even the charging unit.

00:06:06: It's the physical and administrative nightmare of getting the site ready.

00:06:09: Absolutely.

00:06:10: Josh Dorfman highlighted companies like Volterra, and they are focused entirely on those non-vehicle hurdles that are slowing everyone down.

00:06:17: So we're talking permitting, zoning.

00:06:19: Exactly.

00:06:21: And utility grid readiness for massive power needs.

00:06:24: I mean, we are talking three to twelve megawatts for a large depot.

00:06:28: These choke points can slow the site build out to... Eighteen to twenty-four months.

00:06:34: Eighteen to

00:06:35: twenty-four months.

00:06:36: Yeah, it's a stark reminder of the complexity.

00:06:39: Meanwhile, cities are trying to catch up fast.

00:06:41: Keith Kerman mentioned DCS efforts in New York City to expand their charging networks, including rolling out their first curbside fast chargers.

00:06:49: Okay, so shifting gears a bit, let's talk about the digital layer that binds all of this together.

00:06:54: If electrification is the engine, the data flowing through the fleet is the smart brain.

00:07:00: Muhammad Solomon calls telematics the engine of operational intelligence.

00:07:04: And that intelligence delivers immediate control and security.

00:07:07: Yeah, let's talk control.

00:07:09: David Fish detailed how Ford Pro is using remote management and geofencing.

00:07:13: It gives fleet managers real peace of mind.

00:07:15: They can remotely lock vehicles or make sure they stay within certain zones.

00:07:18: So the vehicle becomes a sophisticated digitally managed asset.

00:07:22: Not just a piece of metal on the road.

00:07:24: And for that data to be useful, it has to be presented in a way that actually helps the manager do their job.

00:07:30: Sergey Lechenka highlighted how Telematics Insights offers these fully customizable drag-and-drop dashboards.

00:07:37: So it adapts to the manager's workflow.

00:07:39: Exactly.

00:07:39: Instead of being buried in static reports, it accelerates their decision-making.

00:07:44: That customization is key, but the real test is the bottom line.

00:07:49: How does this data translate directly into hard savings?

00:07:52: Well, it connects directly to preventing catastrophic failures.

00:07:55: Scott Rafan shared a fantastic example.

00:07:58: The GoAhead group achieved significant maintenance savings by preventing engine failures, which can cost up to twenty thousand pounds per

00:08:06: engine.

00:08:07: And they did it simply by monitoring low oil pressure and coolant temperature data in real time.

00:08:12: That's predictive maintenance paying off big time.

00:08:19: Well, Apenavasu emphasized that rich data is really the oxygen for sustainability targets.

00:08:24: He cited the milk and more case study, where data insights led to annual fuel savings of over two million pounds.

00:08:30: Two million.

00:08:31: And a nineteen percent increase in EV range, just from optimized driving and charging patterns.

00:08:37: It shows how data turns these sustainability goals into a profitable reality.

00:08:41: And now AI is being layered on top of this, right?

00:08:44: It's changing the dispatcher's role.

00:08:47: Absolutely.

00:08:47: Jiro K explained how AI is providing instant answers and operational control.

00:08:52: It frees dispatchers from constant interruptions and lets them execute decisions at a speed that was impossible before.

00:08:58: So that's changing the market structure itself.

00:08:59: It

00:09:00: is.

00:09:00: Sviat Irishen noted a clear shift, especially in places like Korea, where OEM data integration is replacing the need for third-party GPS trackers.

00:09:09: The value is moving away from the physical tracker and squarely into the analytics platform.

00:09:13: And when you combine that with location data.

00:09:16: This salada confirms that GIS, or Geographic Information Systems, combined with telematics, provides not just the what, but the where and why for risk-aware operations.

00:09:26: It's powerful to see these insights translating into real-world momentum.

00:09:30: So where are we seeing fleets succeeding today?

00:09:32: Well, yard and last mile operations are the clearest wins so far.

00:09:36: Jennifer Baysmore highlighted electric yard tractors at Laser Logistics as a massive success story.

00:09:42: You get improved uptime, lower operating costs.

00:09:45: It's a controlled closed-loop environment.

00:09:48: And in that last mile, Phil Everett reported that Royal Mail is decarbonizing urban deliveries using eighty-four Paxton MEVs.

00:09:56: For our listeners, MEVs are micro-electric vehicles.

00:09:59: Tiny little things.

00:10:00: Yeah,

00:10:00: tiny purpose-built vehicles perfect for dense urban areas.

00:10:04: They drastically reduce emissions right where people live.

00:10:06: That's

00:10:07: the low-hanging fruit.

00:10:08: But even really complex logistics are migrating.

00:10:11: Roby Moyano noted the successful transition of Transburnal Logistica Catalana to electric trucks, even for demanding routes with live animal transport.

00:10:19: And that validates it for other high-stakes operations.

00:10:21: The push is clearly extending into heavy industry, too.

00:10:24: Without a doubt, Bill Pierce reported that Australia's first massive CAT-七 ninety-three XE battery electric haul trucks arrived at a BHP mine for trialing.

00:10:34: We're also seeing long haul mature rapidly.

00:10:36: Patrick Holmes shared details of a successful, seven hundred kilometer electric truck test route in Germany.

00:10:41: Right.

00:10:42: But we have to address the global benchmark that's being set here, the sheer speed of adoption in China.

00:10:46: Oh, absolutely.

00:10:47: The data on China is staggering.

00:10:50: It truly sets a global precedent.

00:10:52: Richard S. and Jason Yohar highlighted this overwhelming speed.

00:10:56: China is electrifying medium and heavy duty trucks much faster than anyone anticipated.

00:11:02: So what do the numbers look like?

00:11:03: In the first half of twenty twenty five alone, twenty two percent of new heavy duty trucks sold in China were battery electric.

00:11:09: Twenty two percent in just six months for heavy duty.

00:11:13: And that segment, it accounted for over ninety percent of global zero emission truck sales.

00:11:18: It's driven by pure economics, low industrial electricity prices, mild winters.

00:11:23: It's not a pilot program anymore.

00:11:24: This is full scale rollout.

00:11:26: That level of momentum makes our final theme, safety and compliance absolutely crucial.

00:11:30: The regulatory landscape has to catch up to this speed.

00:11:32: It does.

00:11:33: And the focus is shifting from just documenting accidents to actively preventing them.

00:11:38: Oliver Holt emphasized the move to a proactive safety culture by empowering drivers with real-time coaching tech to correct risky behaviors immediately.

00:11:46: And

00:11:46: the software itself have to be resilient for fleets that just can't stop.

00:11:51: Exactly.

00:11:51: Jeffrey Barry noted that weather-resilient software is vital for emergency service fleets.

00:11:56: And Mark Holmes highlighted a really practical challenge, managing growing e-bus fleets during severe winter storms, forcing agencies to develop new strategies for maximizing range and charging.

00:12:07: And the regulatory environment is mirroring this operational reality.

00:12:11: Simon Reilly noted the UK budget, twenty twenty-five, introduced a per mile road charge for EVs.

00:12:18: Which sounds like a tax, but what it actually does as it cements EVs into the long-term transport and taxation framework.

00:12:24: It signals they are here to stay.

00:12:26: Meanwhile, compliance pressure in Europe is only getting tighter.

00:12:30: Mark Hecker mentioned the European Commission might mandate a full shift to electric corporate fleets by twenty thirty.

00:12:35: That puts a hard deadline on this.

00:12:36: To manage that, Steph Cornelis, after a talk with Daimler Truck Leadership, suggested key EU action points.

00:12:43: He emphasized prolonging EU funds for heavy-duty vehicle charging and, crucially, using revenues from the Expanded Emissions Trading System, or ETS-II, to support small and medium businesses going electric.

00:12:55: Wait, can you quickly explain what ETS-II is for listeners who might be less familiar?

00:12:59: Sure.

00:12:59: The original emissions trading system covered heavy industry and power plants.

00:13:03: ETS-II expands that carbon price to fuels used in transport and heating.

00:13:08: So using those revenues to help smaller fleets electrify is a direct way to recycle carbon revenue back into decarbonization.

00:13:15: So that political infrastructure is finally catching up to the physical infrastructure needs.

00:13:20: That seems to be the final piece of the puzzle.

00:13:23: It is.

00:13:23: The compliance landscape is maturing and as Liam Callahan stressed, frets need to adopt interoperable solutions now that protect against asset risk as these mandates tighten globally.

00:13:33: This deep dive has really confirmed that the industry narrative is shifting decisively.

00:13:38: We've moved from debating vehicle availability to prioritizing operational excellence through smart charging, advanced data, and just rigorous TCO discipline.

00:13:47: If you enjoyed this deep dive, new additions drop every two weeks.

00:13:51: Also check out our other additions on electrification of battery technology, future mobility and market evolution, and next-gen vehicle intelligence.

00:13:59: Thank you for joining us for this deep dive.

00:14:01: And here's a final provocative thought for you to mull over.

00:14:04: The pace of change in China's heavy duty sector already replacing twenty-two percent of new trucks with EVs in six months is fundamentally reshaping global fuel demand.

00:14:14: So the question is, is the rest of the world prepared for the speed and scale that occurs when zero emission transport stops being a green goal and becomes a purely spreadsheet decision?

00:14:23: Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss our next analysis.