A vital task

As the world transitions to a lowcarbon energy system, small delivery fleets will act as technological pioneers. Shell’s Global Head of SME, Deepti Behl, tells us why.

IN the years ahead, we’re all going to notice changes in the way we and our deliveries move around – and if we’re to decarbonise road transport, everyone will need to play their part.

According to analysts Frost & Sullivan, commercial vehicles in Europe produce 20% of all vehiclerelated greenhouse-gas emissions. What’s more, since fleet vehicles are much more likely than passenger cars to have a diesel engine, there’s growing unease about particulates in commercial fleets’ exhausts.

The adjustments that need to take place by 2040 are, however, achievable – and as Shell’s Global Head of SME can attest, customers across the world are increasingly keen to join in the decarbonisation effort.

Over the past 12 years, Deepti Behl has worked in various roles across Shell’s mobility operations and fleet card business, in Singapore, India and now the UK. When she took up her latest role, the UK’s Covid-19 lockdown was coming to an end.

Many small and medium-sized enterprises had been through an extremely difficult time, but the appeal of being Global Head of SME lay in helping business owners to manage their companies more efficiently through technology.

“My father used to be an SME owner,” she says, “so the role immediately resonated with me.”

Managing the SME platform for every country that hosts Shell’s fleet business, she explains, is a unique, challenging job that encompasses product strategy and implementation, marketing, channel management and customer operations, among other tasks.

The objective is the end-to-end management of Shell’s SME proposition, such as identifying ways to support SMEs’ energy needs. In both our personal and professional lives, she adds, “we all have to play our part in the journey towards decarbonisation”.

Avoid, reduce, compensate Shell is helping customers chart their decarbonisation journey with its Shell Fleet Solutions initiative, designed to help SME fleets move faster towards more sustainable, more efficient ways of working.

It’s a three-pronged approach. Where appropriate, fleets made up of electric vehicles (EVs) or those powered by hydrogen fuel cells will generate no lifecycle emissions.

When that isn’t possible – for instance, with heavier goods vehicles – innovative fuels and lubricants will reduce a fleet’s emissions instead. Techniques such as fuel consumption reports, and telematics to track driving behaviour, will reduce the carbon footprint further.

The third part of the plan involves compensating for emissions that are remaining. Here, Shell calculates ‘wheel-to-wheel’ carbon dioxide emissions for those drivers who refuel with a Shell Card and then buys carbon credits that protect and restore nature.

On the all-important road to a cleaner energy future, this fundamental change in mindset will affect everyone. “Shell is working towards the company’s Powering Progress

strategy,” says Deepti.

“We currently have a sectoral approach, where we internally find synergies across our offers and bring them together to accelerate decarbonisation for a sector.”

In practice, that boils down to meeting SMEs’ energy needs with the right fuel products while encouraging the development of electric fleets wherever possible.

“Eventually,” says Deepti, “I need to find more avenues where energy is consumed by SME businesses and give a holistic solution.

“Shell has been working on and investing in alternate renewable energies for many years and in the last few years, I have seen this accelerating.”

Urgent priorities All in all, it’s hard to overstate the changes ahead. Over the next 20 years, we will be seeing a proliferation of alternative fuels, says Deepti.

We aim to keep our customers well informed and some already have detailed decarbonisation plans and targets in place. But with respect to EVs, range anxiety – the concern that a vehicle might run out of power prematurely – often comes up in her conversations.

“Many of our customers here in Europe need a reliable partner for charging to alleviate this anxiety,” she says.

Now that low-emission zones in some cities are hastening the transition to electric fleets, the good news is that SMEs may well be early adopters. Most last-mile delivery services are managed by SMEs, and taxi drivers and florists are among those likely to be technological pioneers.

At the same time, companies with small to medium-sized fleets must start planning for the changeover now or risk being left behind. “We will have to move ahead together,” says Deepti. “Our job is to help make all this simple for them.”

The task that faces them is urgent. “How can they manage their small fleets with similar operations to those they have now? How should they deal with charge anxiety? How do they achieve clearer and transparent billing? How can they estimate their return on investment?”

“Our job is to provide answers to these questions in an accessible way. Unless you have a reliable partner, you won’t be able to make the switch to EV. It’s up to us to simplify the decisionmaking and facilitate the execution, whether that means full transition of their fleet, partial transition or helping those still evaluating the costs of transition.”

Fear of the unknown Given the scale of the changes, what sort of feedback has Deepti encountered from customers?

“I see that the awareness is rising, especially when many governments have laid out the clear goal of going electric in the next few years,” she says.

“Any change needs to overcome the usual barriers of inertia and fear of the unknown, especially at a time when inflation is at an all-time high across economies.”

In addition, supportive policies and a trustworthy partner may provide a boost to early adopters. “That is what we are trying to do, through a reliable and vast charging network. Shell is investing in charging infrastructure and new digital and technical capabilities to give our customers a seamless experience.”

At Shell, she notes, “we know that there will be significant learnings for any new venture, especially when done at scale”. Given the company’s formidable reputation and age – it was founded in 1907 – consumers on the whole are confident that it can “learn fast and fix it faster. I think that experience will help us bring these new energies to customers at a large scale across different countries.”

But with innovations such as driverless vehicles on the horizon, isn’t it understandable that some staff might be worried?

“History has proven that every new technology comes with new opportunities,” she says, “as well as a tapering down of existing use cases. Such changes will happen over time, especially if they make business and social sense.

“In my opinion, there will be enough time for business owners to understand what will happen and make the right decision for their operations now.”

Reliable information will play a key role in dispelling any doubts, she suggests. “In the end, it will come down to what makes business sense.”

Fleet App benefits It’s worth noting that in the UK and the Netherlands, Shell’s EV chargers are powered by Shell Energy, which draws on renewable sources.

More broadly, though, why should SMEs choose Shell’s services rather than those of a competitor?

“SMEs should choose what is best for their business,” says Deepti. In her personal and professional experience, she knows that SMEs keep a close eye on every penny of expenditure and income.

As a result, she’s confident that the Shell Fleet App will appeal to SMEs across the board. Aimed at businesses with 10 vehicles or less (and registered for more than a year), it enables managers to save time and money while managing their fuel costs in one convenient app.

Fleet App, she explains, “saves SMEs considerable administrative time which would have been otherwise spent in collecting and filing fuel bills. It allows the SMEs to drive now and pay later. SMEs can self-enrol in the programme by simply downloading the app and following the instructions.”

Drivers can use their Shell Fleet App cards at more than 3,800 fuel stations across the UK. That includes 1,100 Shell stations and those of its partners Esso, Texaco, Morrisons, Gulf, Gleaners, Topaz and Total.

“In the UK, they also enjoy the commercial benefits of 3p per litre off,” says Deepti. There’s also the option of ordering a hybrid card – ideal for hybrid and electric fleets – in the UK and the Netherlands. Added to which, drivers of fossil fuel vehicles can offset their carbon emissions.

“The enrolment is at no cost,” adds Deepti. “So, if I ran an SME, I’d try the Shell Fleet App and realise the benefits.”

“History has proven that every new technology comes with new opportunities”

To find out more and download the Shell Fleet App for free

CLICK HERE