Recognising the individuals driving the green agenda

We’re delighted to be supporting the GreenFleet 100 Most Influential once again, as we recognise the leading lights, driving the fleet sector to net zero emissions –congratulations to all those who have made the rankings, we salute you!

The drive to lower and zero carbon transportation will continue to be at the very top of every organisation’s strategic agenda for the coming years. We’re currently receiving a large number of client enquiries seeking assistance on their decarbonisation journey.

As we know, the passenger car and light commercial sector is very much focused on electrification, while for heavy commercial vehicles the path to net zero is more split with a myriad of potential solutions and a range of voices arguing for battery or hydrogen or fuel cell or HVO or LNG, or CNG (you get the picture). The prevailing anxiety and confusion in the market is perfectly understandable.

Fleet operators are in an unenviable position. It’s fair to say, pretty much all the technical implementations currently available to them for commercial vehicle acquisition (particularly heavies), infrastructure and operation are transient technologies. We’re fairly certain, by the proposed new sale implementation dates, the pace of technical development will mean the market offerings will look a lot different, as many of the current technological barriers overcome.

In the meantime, and this is the biggest problem as we see it, fleet users will be faced with a dramatic period of uncertainty and operational challenge. Those looking at their future buying patterns today will be driven by a consumer and corporate requirement to embrace the vehicles with zero or low carbon credentials, while managing those vehicles through the transition from fossil fuels to zero emission types and ensuring the service to their customers doesn’t falter.

We have been working with many clients who, having completed the modelling to electrify their fleets, have recognised they will need to make some drastic changes in their distribution patterns if they want to fully decarbonize their supply chain. And currently we are dealing with the first movers, the trailblazers in the sector who have already started their planning. The scale of electrifying the UK vehicle fleet should not be underestimated – our work has only just begun. While the fleet sector has been through many challenges before, those changes didn’t involve a switch to a completely new energy source, infrastructure requirement and a rethink of operational duty cycles to meet new weight to battery discharge rates. These new variables, combined with managing the current ICE fleet, brings a new level of complexity to fleet operations during the switch over.

Support on the green journey

It’s our belief the fleet sector is going to need support to manage all 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 the 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 they are well placed to start their journey to net zero. For the here and now, our algorithms will ensure you are running your current vehicles to maximum efficiency. As fleets look to introduce new vehicle types into their organisation, be it gas, electric, hydrogen fuel cell or a new tech we haven’t thought of yet, we are able to assist in the fleet modelling and forecasting to ensure the right procurement choices are made. We have already advised a number of customers shifting 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 maximising fleet efficiency.

Take the plunge

The transition from diesel to electric or, in time, hydrogen, is not optional. The fleet operators’ only choice is whether to use the tools available to ensure a successful transition. We believe the industry is fast approaching a time where customers will have to jump with both feet into smart optimisation because the complexity of the issues facing them will demand it. Running a mixed fuel fleet with different refuelling requirements, range expectations and weight to energy discharge rates depending on that fuel, combined with all the other variables of running an efficient transport fleet, will require a smart optimisation solution. Our message is simple: Optimise first and take the immediate advantages; plan your transition to decarbonisation through evidenced based analysis then transform your business to ensure maximise productivity with minimal carbon impact.L

FURTHER INFORMATION www.thealgorithmpeople.co.uk