Belgium’s next government wants to ban non-zero-emission company cars. That is a major step for a country with so many company cars. But the government hasn’t been formed yet.
Seven parties are currently in talks to form the next Belgian government. One of the ideas they’re already agreed on, is a ban on fossil fuel for new company cars by 2026. The proposal excludes even PHEVs, only allowing ‘pure’ electrics as corporate vehicles.
In a joint reaction, the country’s automotive manufacturing association (FEBIAC), its vehicle leasing and rental association (Renta) and the vehicle repair industry association (Traxio) say they support a greener fleet but find 2026 too early for such a ban.
At present, about 10% of Belgium’s 6 million cars are company cars, representing 20% of overall mileage yet more eco-friendly than average – emitting less than 2% of Belgium’s CO2. That means the proposal would have a limited effect on overall CO2 emissions, especially since the corona-related rise of homeworking has already significantly reduced mileage.
Multinationals are mining data from vehicle telematics to improve fleet safety, enhance customer service and maximise vehicle uptime. How? Three examples.
Brandon Hire Station
The tool and plant hire company combines footage from in-vehicle cameras with telematics data to generate 12-second videos of risky events. These then lead to conversations between fleet managers and drivers. The result: in just 12 months, a dramatic reduction in high-risk events, such as tailgating (-77%) and collisions (-46%).
The information generated by on-board sensors, GPS and real-time data also has other benefits. It’s encouraging fleet managers to identify datasets with even greater returns on investment.
Ecolab
The service provider in water, hygiene and energy technology has a strong safety focus. It uses telematics to identify harsh acceleration, braking and cornering – all indications of high-risk behaviour. This allows supervisors to discuss driving performance with drivers, to develop training and to improve behaviour.
The safety benefits of telematics are an important argument to convince drivers that telematics is not for ‘spying’ on drivers, but to protect them. The company is also using the data to negotiate more accurate insurance premiums and policies.
Schindler
The elevator and escalator specialist has introduced telematics to about 1,000 of its vehicles across the UK, Sweden and Turkey. Pilot projects are underway in Germany, Spain and the US. National fleets pick their own telematics provider, while the company focuses on safety and fuel cost.
In the UK, Schindler uses Ctrack Online to track 357 vans, which now have a Driver Behaviour Indicator on the dashboard. Using traffic-light system and audible warnings, it helps drivers improve their behaviour (in terms of speeding, idling etc.)
The company doesn’t mandate telematics across its 22,000-strong international fleet, but ‘strongly recommends’ it. Schindler also doesn’t use GPS tracking, in deference to privacy concerns; but can activate the function in case of vehicle theft.
Uber wants to go fully electric by 2040. The company has pledged $800 (€677) million until 2025 to help its drivers switch to EVs. Uber currently has around 5 million drivers worldwide.
Ambitions are even higher for the US, Canada and Europe, where Uber wants all its vehicles to be zero-emission by 2030 already – an acceleration possible thanks to the regulations and infrastructure already in place in those regions.
The ride-hailing giant said it would offer discounts on vehicles bought or leased from partnering OEMs to promote the introduction of EVs into its global fleet. Uber already has deals to that effect with GM, and with the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance.
Uber is also working with global charging providers (including EVgo and BP) to provide discounts and expand the charging network, specifically for the ride-hailing industry.
In 2019, there were just under one million charging points in Europe and North America. By 2024, that number should grow to 4.4 million – an almost five-fold increase in just five years (see graph). So says a new report released by Berg Insight.
The total number of charging points in Europe is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 31.1%, from 1.3 million in 2019 to 5.2 million in 2024.
The CAGR in North America over the same period will be 26.7%, resulting in growth from 0.7 to 2.4 million.
38% growth
These numbers include both private and public charging points. But Berg Insight also specifically projected the growth of connected EV charging points that are equipped with wifi, GPRS, 4G or other types of connectivity technology.
In 2019, there were 0.6 million connected charging points in Europe (46% of the total).
In North America, there were 0.3 million connected charging points in 2019, or 35% of the total.
The total number of connected EV charging points for both regions is expected to grow at a CAGR of 38%, which means they are projected to reach a total of 4.4 million by 2024.
Improving operations
The fact that EV charging points that are connected “can improve their service and operations in a multitude of ways,” says Adam Bjorkman, IoT analyst for Berg Insight. These include:
CPOs can remotely monitor and manage the charging stations.
EV drivers can easily locate charging stations, monitor availability of chargers and manage payments via an app.
Most connected charging points in Europe and North America are located in public or semi-public charging stations. Nevertheless, the number of connected home charging points is expected to increase as well, as homes get smarter.
Emerging leaders…
Berg Insight has also looked into which companies are emerging as market leaders for EV charging.
EV charging is offered by so-called Charge Point Operators (CPOs). All require dedicated hardware and software solutions. Some develop these in-house while others use white-label solutions developed by competitors. Yet others use hardware and/or software developed by specialised suppliers.
… in Europe
Market leaders in CPOs include NewMotion, EVBox, Virta, has.to.be, Greenflux, Last Mile Solutions and Driivz. Other notable players include Vattenfall, Innogy, Allego and Fortum.
Some CPOs are dedicated to EV charging as their core business. These include: Ionity, Allego, Freshmile, InstaVolt and Fastned.
Other CPOs are owned by utility companies. Examples: CEZ Group, EnBW, Enel X, ESB Group, Iberdrola Group, Innogy, Izivia, Statkraft and Vattenfall.
Some CPOs are linked to the petroleum industry, like NewMotion (Shell) and Chargemaster (BP).
Major hardware providers include: ABB, ABL, Alfen, Circontrol, Compleo Charging Solutions, CTEK, DBT Group, Efacec, EVBox, Garo, IES Synergy, Keba, Mennekes, Pod Point, Rolec Services, Schneider Electric, Wallbox and Zaptec. Some also offer software and services.
Significant software providers include: Virta, has.to.be, Greenflux, Last Mile Solutions, Driivz and Fortum.
… and North America
ChargePoint is the market leader in CPOs. Other major players include AddEnergie, SemaConnect, EV Connect, Blink Charging and Greenlots.
Two major dedicated CPOs are Electrify America and EVgo.
Market leaders for home charging are ChargePoint again, and Enel X.
Some major players provide both software and hardware solutions. Including: ChargePoint, Blink Charging, SemaConnect and AddEnergie.
Dedicated software providers include: Greenlots and EV Connect.
Of course, Tesla is also a prominent player, operating its Supercharger and Destination Charging Networks in Europe and North America.
Automotive group PSA and energy company Total have signed an agreement for the creation of a joint venture called Automotive Cells Company. ACC is to become a world-class player in the development and manufacture of high-performance batteries for the automotive industry from 2023.
Through its subsidiary Saft, Total will contribute its expertise in R&D and industrialisation, while Groupe PSA brings its knowledge of the automotive market and its experience in production to the table. The R&D centre in Bordeaux and the pilot site in Nersac (France) have already started development of the new high-performance lithium-ion technologies. At the end of this R&D phase, production is planned to be launched in two so-called gigafactories, one in Douvrin (France) and one in Kaiserslautern (Germany).
The project is deemed essential to accompany the growth demand for electric vehicles in a European market estimated at 400 GWh by 2030, i.e. 15 times the current market. The whole project will absorb an investment of more than €5 billion.
On occasion of the 11th Conference on Ambient Systems, Networks and Technologies (ANT),on Abril 6-9, 2020, Warsaw, Poland, researchers Muhammad Ahsanul Habib and Rachel Lynn from Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada, presented an article regarding planning for connected, autonomous and shared mobility. This article was published later by ScienceDirect and contributes to a growing discussion on how communities plan to prepare for new mobility opportunities offered by technological innovations, specifically shared mobility services, electric vehicles, connected and autonomous vehicles, and Mobility as a Service. In addition to that, the article stresses the importance of building awareness through social media campaign and website.
Planning
The researchers understand that technology-driven new mobility opportunities offer tremendous promises, as well as numerous challenges when planning for the future of transportation systems. While a few new mobility services have already penetrated the system, such as shared mobility, newer technologies, are gradually arriving on the market.
Existing literature in new mobility research is growing in terms of technology and operations, market adoptions and impact assessments. However, the authors highlight that, there is a clear gap in identifying how practitioners anticipate planning considerations and research needs to aid them in preparing for the needed changes in the transportation system. This study aims to fill this gap by taking a participatory approach in identifying planning considerations and research needs from the perspective of practicing planners, engineers and policymakers.
The transition from fuel powered vehicles to EVs is slowly occurring, as attitudes and preferences towards the technology changes. EVs are known for their environmental benefits.
The majority of literature examines environmental benefits and the growing adoption of EVs, although there is a lack of research on planning policy and regulation for the future of this mode choice.
On the other hand, connected and autonomous vehicles (CAV) are evoking increased optimism among transportation researchers. While there are many benefits associated with autonomous vehicles, such as improved traffic flow, reduced delays, reduced fuel consumption, and signal and freeway lane management, there are also many uncertainties in its evolution and market penetration.
As autonomous, electric and shared vehicle technologies are expected to experience a period of rapid growth, there is emerging research on the bundling of such technologies. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a new concept that is gaining recognition in the evolution of shared transport services. MaaS is categorized as a subscription-based service that integrates various mobility providers using a digital platform that allows users to purchase the service based on what plan best fits their needs. Through the bundling of services, there is an increased interconnection between transportation modes and a greater choice ability that allows users to take different kinds of transport that they may not usually travel on.
Method
The researchers stress that this study utilizes a qualitative research method to examine the issues and planning considerations for new mobility. The research team facilitated a focus group where planners, engineers, policymakers and community members engaged in identifying issues, planning considerations and a research agenda to plan for technology-based mobility opportunities. The study launched a social media awareness campaign as well as a dedicated website, called Connect Smart, which was hosted through the university portal. The purpose of this consorted effort is the development of a knowledge hub that shares research findings, resource reports, case studies and pilot projects. This initiative offered a general familiarity among practitioners, in relation to newer transportation technologies and concepts.
The study reached out to five categories of stakeholders: 1) transportation and land use planners, who are responsible for developing longer term strategic transport plans, transit operations and land use planning; 2) transportation and infrastructure engineers from traffic operations and infrastructure renewal; 3) government and public policy advisors who were drawn from provincial departments, including the Department of Energy, Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal and the Department of Health and Well-Being; 4) private transport and parking operators who specifically manage parking facilities and shared mobility; and 5) non-profit community groups, including bicycle advocates, transit advocates and environmental advocacy groups.
Major issues concerning emerging technology-based mobility services include how municipalities and provinces will prepare for the impacts of such technologies through their regulations and policies. Stakeholders seemed largely concerned with safety and liability if an accident were to occur. The shift from human driving vehicles to CAV brings concerns about the repercussions on how the two modes of transportation will interact. Stakeholders are curious about the issues of human driving becoming illegal once there has been a full adoption of CAV. Lastly, there is a need for a regional strategy for the province that can prepare for the impact of emerging technologies and allow for adaption based on regional variances.
A second issue considered in this article is the need for planners to standardize a design for infrastructure that accommodates all modes of transportation. Stakeholders pointed out that planners and engineers need to consider how these new technologies will impact land uses in a city, primarily parking and its role in a city. Participants thought that with shared mobility services and autonomous vehicles gaining popularity, there would be a decrease in demand for street parking and parking lots. However, there will be an increased need for drop-off locations in front of buildings and entrances.
The participants identified planning considerations for all four categories of future mobility; shared mobility, EVs, autonomous vehicles, and Mobility as a Service. For shared mobility, there was a consensus that over the short-term, cities should raise awareness on shared mobility opportunities, including ride hailing and car share services.
The capabilities of the electric grid need to be assessed and understood as to whether charging EVs can be supported throughout the day. Stakeholders also discussed repurposing gas and fuel stations to accommodate electric charging stations. In conjunction with the previous goals, a consistent regulatory framework that considers all aspects of future mobility, including efficiency and safety, is necessary in planning. Over the long-term, cities should think about not only electrifying cars, but electrifying trains, bikes, and motorcycles, among others.
Due to the advanced technology and databases of autonomous vehicles, there must be effective regulations to ensure the privacy and protection of collected data. Specifically, regulations on who owns the data (private vs. public sector) and how it could be shared throughout different jurisdictions
The stakeholders identified MaaS as a new concept that will require developers to build residential and commercial buildings that have pick-up and drop-off zones. Through this new mode of travel, vehicles will be waiting for their passengers in the specified zones, rather than in parking lots, which allows for future land use planning considerations. Another topic of interest for stakeholders is how ride sharing services could become a monopoly of dominant players. As a result, planners need to consider the role of the government in this new era of mobility revolution and if the government should own its own network of vehicles.
Setting up the research agenda
The participants identified potential research agenda topics in relation to technology-enabling future mobility. In order to encourage shared mobility as a future main mode of transportation, the stakeholders want further research on how best to incentivize people to avoid personally owned vehicles.
The majority of topics for research in relation to connected and autonomous vehicles refer to how to maintain other modes of transportation when CAV prevails. Specifically, stakeholders believe further research is necessary on how to incentivize walking, as well as maintaining transit priority in a world of autonomous vehicles.
For Mobility as a Service, there is an urgent need for research into the feasibility and multiple components of this future mobility option. The most prominent topic for research discussed by stakeholders is the role of government in MaaS. Specifically, how can the government sponsor MaaS infrastructure and products.
In general, this article indicates that stakeholders are interested in exploring options and plans to mitigate future congestion at the local level following the arrival of mobility technologies, such as shared mobility and/or autonomous vehicles. Research should also look at predicting emission and energy use in relation to the adoption of new technology. Common research agenda topics include the impacts that emerging shared mobility options will have on land use and infrastructure. Other suggestions include mapping the built and social environment for future mobility hotspots and mapping the peak travel times to understand vehicle density throughout the day. It is evident that the stakeholders have a high demand for further research on the future of technology-based mobility options.
Discussion
Future research may investigate the research questions posed by the workshop participants. It would also be interesting to follow up with stakeholders to see if they have implemented what they learned in this workshop in their decision-making processes. The researchers explain that this study offers specific planning considerations for shared mobility, EVs, connected and autonomous vehicles, and Mobility as a Service. Most interestingly, practitioners put together an intriguing research agenda, signifying that further critical understanding is necessary before formulating short- term and long-term plans.
EVBox and The Mobility House are joining forces to develop and implement new vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology. V2G enables electric vehicles (EVs) to deliver electricity back to the grid. This can help stabilise the energy supply and provide a financial benefit to the vehicle operator.
By adding these benefits to the mix, V2G can help accelerate the transition to an emissions-free future for mobility. And that is exactly what motivates the collaboration between EV charging specialist EVBox and The Mobility House, which helps corporate fleets transition to an emissions-free energy and mobility paradigm.
In practical terms, EVBox will provide the hardware and The Mobility House the software for future joint projects, creating a win-win for both companies.
Fossil-free island
Emissions-free mobility requires more than just electric vehicles. The power they use must also be generated from renewable sources. However, power from the sun and from wind is naturally variable.
Using EV batteries as a backup power source for the grid will help smoothe out the slumps in the supply of renewable energy. ChargePilot is an intelligent energy management system developed by The Mobility House in order to optimise the interaction between the overall electricity grid and the EV batteries connected to it, in function of the power supply to the grid.
The system is already being road-tested on Porto Santo, the ‘Smart Fossil-Free Island’ that is part of Portugal’s Madeira archipelago. The collaboration between Renault, the local energy company and The Mobility House has been ongoing since 2018. EVBox contributed the bidirectional charging stations for the project (pictured), which proves that EVs can provide an important contribution not just to the transformation of mobility, but also of energy production itself.
Source: Fleet Europe
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