One crisis follows another and no two are alike! After the health crisis of the last two years, which led to a fall in world demand and, de facto, a fall in fuel prices, we are now experiencing a humanitarian crisis with the opposite effect, impacting the weakened health of our companies.
For several weeks now, prices at the pump have been rising steadily and the trend for the next few weeks is not very encouraging. With diesel prices rising above 2.00/litre, experts agree that fuel prices should be around 2.40/litre or even 2.50/litre by the end of March. Should the situation deteriorate further, oil prices could continue to soar to historic levels.
The budget item "fuel" represents a significant part of the expenditure of many companies, and primarily for companies in the transport sector.
How to limit the impact of price increases at the pump?
As a specialist in connected vehicles for over 15 years, Optimum Automotive offers a wide range of connected services to limit the financial impact of rising fuel prices.
An overview of the possibilities:
Adopt eco-driving
The driving behaviour of each driver has a direct impact on vehicle consumption. The driving analysis service offered by Optimum Automotive makes it possible to identify energy-consuming behaviour in order to make drivers aware of the virtues of eco-driving and thus reduce the company?s energy bill. In fact, eco-driving can reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 15%.
Cutting out unnecessary mileage
The idea here is to eliminate superfluous mileage thanks to the geolocation service. Firstly, by eliminating unauthorised journeys (evenings, weekends, etc.). Then, thanks to useful functions such as "route optimisation" or "proximity search", it is possible to significantly reduce the number of kilometres travelled.
Meeting maintenance deadlines
The principle is well known: a well-maintained vehicle is a vehicle that consumes less fuel. Thanks to the permanent monitoring of vehicle mileage and the connection to the maintenance plans recommended by car manufacturers, the Optimum Automotive management platform can alert fleet managers to upcoming maintenance deadlines and the content of operations.
Sharing vehicles and routes
Car-sharing and car-pooling are becoming increasingly popular in companies. The reason for this success is simple: car-sharing reduces the size of the fleet (and therefore the number of fuel tanks to be filled) while guaranteeing a mobility offer adapted to the needs of the employees. Carpooling in the workplace, on the other hand, makes it possible to share journeys for employees with the same mobility needs.
Securing fuel tanks
Fuel has become a precious commodity. In the wake of soaring prices, many companies are noticing an upsurge in fuel theft and diversion at the pump. To remedy this phenomenon, Optimum Automotive offers SecuriFuel: a non-intrusive fuel sensor coupled with an anti-theft siren and a consumption management and optimisation platform. This system makes it possible to limit dry losses linked to theft and to eradicate diversions at the pump.
Choosing the right vehicles
Since 1 Januaryer On 1 January 2022, the LOM requires companies with a fleet of more than 100 vehicles to renew 10% of the fleet with low-emission vehicles (electric, hybrid, hydrogen). Given the evolution of fuel prices, companies with smaller fleets could very quickly start to think about this.
However, the energy migration of a vehicle fleet cannot be done randomly. To support the reflection, the Optimum Consulting division offers a connected mission "Electrification study" based on data. The principle consists of connecting the vehicles over a sufficiently long period to understand the uses of each vehicle. The analysis of the data (mileage, location and duration of stop times, etc.) will make it possible to deliver a genuine "personalised" roadmap ready for use:
- Identification of vehicles eligible for electrification (according to observed uses, driving laws, etc.)
- Proposals for alternative models in line with usage
- Selection of charging station types
- Recommendations for the location of charging stations (company, employees? homes, mixed?)
The increase in fuel prices is no longer an epiphenomenon.
The upward trend has been confirmed and will most likely continue for several months. To limit the financial impact of this new oil shock, the connected vehicle provides concrete, measurable and sustainable solutions.