The freight industry is facing a significant challenge as it looks to reduce and eliminate carbon emissions in transportation. With an increasing number of clients seeking assistance in this area, it’s becoming clear that different solutions are needed for different types of vehicles. Electric cars and light commercial vehicles are well-suited to electrification, but heavy commercial vehicles present more of a challenge. The market is currently filled with a variety of options, such as battery, hydrogen, fuel cell, HVO, LNG, and CNG, which can be confusing for fleet operators.
Fleet operators are in an unenviable position, as the options available for commercial vehicle acquisition, infrastructure, and operation are considered transient technologies, meaning they are likely to change rapidly. This creates a significant amount of uncertainty for fleet operators, who are facing the challenge of embracing zero or low-carbon vehicles while also managing the transition from fossil fuels to zero-emission types, all while ensuring that their service to customers does not suffer.
We have been working with many clients who have realised in order to fully decarbonise their supply chain, they will need to make significant changes to their distribution patterns. The scale of electrifying the UK vehicle fleet is not to be underestimated.
While the fleet sector has faced many challenges in the past, the switch to a completely new energy source, infrastructure, and operational duty cycles presents a new level of complexity. The fleet sector will need support to manage these variables, particularly as we journey through the transition of running a mixed fleet of fossil fuel and zero-carbon fuel types.
Our algorithms have been designed to deal with multiple inputs of fuel types, range, and refuelling/recharging, as well as all the normal demands of a current operation, to give fleets the peace of mind that they are well-positioned to start their journey to net zero.
We have already helped many customers shift their fleet to electric, identifying the correct place and application for the electric vehicles and charge points in order to match the mission and vehicle duty cycles. Working with our partners we can also optimise charging and the charge points reducing range anxieties and maximizing fleet efficiency.
The transition from diesel to electric or, in time, hydrogen is not optional. Fleet operators’ only choice is whether to use the tools available to ensure a successful transition. The industry is fast approaching a time where customers will have to jump with both feet into smart optimization because the complexity of the issues facing them will demand it. But with the right support, fleet operators can navigate this transition and ensure that their service to customers does not falter.
