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Feature: Future of Fleet

Fleet World gathers expert opinion to predict what will happen in the sector in 2022 – and beyond…

Vision 2022

The automotive market is going through the biggest change in its history. If you think you’ve read that before, you’re probably right because it’s been said a thousand times. But that’s because it’s true – potentially.

How things will play out is unknown but, with a new year underway, we thought it was a good time to ask some people who had an informed idea about what to expect in the coming months.

Peter McDonald, mobility director, Ohme

“Fleet managers are working in a fascinating and dynamic sector, in roles that, if performed well, have the opportunity for great exposure to senior management and decision-making in their organisations,” says Peter McDonald (left), mobility director at Ohme. “The work required to electrify fleet – and the ecosystem-wide efforts to reduce carbon – are going to require fleet managers to collaborate, think strategically and put governance in place to ensure rigorous operational performance in a way that’s been unseen in the last decades.”

McDonald concedes that reducing mobility costs and driving operational efficiency will be difficult and will also require professional management. “Fleet managers will have to balance these whilst simultaneously effecting two new major objectives,” he predicts. “Reporting and reducing carbon footprint in Scope 1-3 emissions and managing a seamless operational and customer experience to prevent disruption with the technology transition.”

The idea of individuals being thrust into high-profile roles creates an “optimistic and exciting scenario”, according to the Ohme man. “In those roles, they will take the mandate to reduce carbon footprint through pulling on a host of policy and investment decisions: What type of journeys, both operational and personnel-related, are my teams taking and should they be taking? Is there a less carbon-intensive way to achieve the same aim?”

The search for solutions

“The consequences of thinking big are huge, beyond the decisions around vehicle acquisition fleet managers will often be a stakeholder in the business operations, distribution and customer proposition,” he adds. “For instance, the physical location of shops, or the frequency of logistics deliveries, could cut a significant amount of carbon. Factoring in capital costs and liquidity implications for changes required make the role complex and interesting.”

Arguably, reasons McDonald, this will all be much easier when there is a price for carbon as it will make these business cases less theoretical and more auditable.

“The contrarian view is this will all be immensely difficult, fleet managers will be challenged making the necessary changes, pulling together divergent stakeholders across such a complex problem where it’s impossible to keep all parties happy. Procuring new electric vehicles will come at a higher initial cost, as will the infrastructure required to make them operationally effective. Whilst the business case will pay off over time, and economies of scale will reduce prices, this will take some years to realise.”

Paul Hollick, chair, Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP)

Plenty of changes ahead

Meanwhile, Paul Hollick, chair, Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP), is geared up for another year of uncertainty for the industry, to match the ones that have gone before it.

“It’s no exaggeration to say that the last couple of years have been more eventful than anyone currently working in fleet has previously seen,” he says. “And, looking ahead, the rate of change doesn’t appear to be slowing. There are dozens of subjects potentially demanding the attention of company car and van decision-makers.”

The first example he gives surrounds the rapid increase in EV use and the subsequent impact of charging becoming more critical.

“Two issues need resolving here. The first is providing infrastructure for those who live in an apartment or terraced house and require access to overnight, on-street facilities,” says Hollick. “At present, this is almost non-existent. The AFP has formed a new Kerbside Charging Group to help tackle this need and new measures were also announced in the Autumn Budget. The second is to upgrade the public charging infrastructure, which is coming under considerable pressure. Again, the only answer is for large sums of money to be made available.”

On a related note, Hollick believes that fleets need to develop methods of equitably reimbursing employees who are charging their vehicles at home. “This situation has recently been made easier with the introduction of specific AER amendments, for which the AFP lobbied. However, difficulties remain. At present, drivers can be reimbursed at ‘actual cost’ or AER but with energy prices escalating, this no longer represents a fair amount when the majority of vehicles are being charged by their energy company at more than 18 pence per kWh.”

Looking beyond passenger cars, the AFP man sees a lot of potential for LCVs over the next year. “If 2021 was the year the electric company car has really taken off, 2022 could prove to be the equivalent for the electric van,” predicts Hollick. “While there are still holes in the market such as the absence of a commercial 4×4, eLCVs are finally becoming available in a much wider range of designs and payloads. We are currently seeing operators starting to get to grips with the ways in which these vehicles can be used, given the new strategies that may be required to take account of range and payload.”

Mobility on the move

Future forms of mobility cannot be ignored either and Hollick expects more visions of personal transportation to come to the fore in 2022.

“In 2020, Covid created an unavoidable pause in this process because many mobility services are based on shared use of assets,” he explains. “However, as some kind of normality returns, we are seeing interest in the subject revive quickly. Many fleet managers expect that their professional future lies in evolving into a mobility equivalent of their current role and we are seeing strong demand across the AFP for advice, training and guidance in this area.”

Back to the current-day vehicles, Hollick touches on the AFP’s prediction that fleet numbers will soon start to grow after successive falls in recent years. “This may have been momentarily postponed by the pandemic but we believe that the tide is very much in the process of turning,” he says. “Low taxes on EVs are powering a very high level of interest in company cars, including from people who have previously taken cash options, as well creating momentum behind EV-based salary sacrifice schemes, which meet the needs of many employees. All of this should help to power an electrified renaissance for fleets.”

Spencer Halil (right), Alphabet’s chief commercial officer, shares the same enthusiasm about fleets, but believes the rule-makers need to add more clarity many scenarios that affect drivers. “I would consider electrification, digitalisation and the rising expectations of our customers as opportunities rather than challenges for 2022,” he states. “The biggest challenge is the fact that the government hasn’t yet got its act together in terms of deciding what direction we’re going to move forward in around some of those topics.

“For example, we don’t have tax certainty for our customers,” says Halil. “They don’t know how long the incentives around EVs will be maintained or how extensive some of the costs are going to be around driving into the major cities. Road pricing is coming and I think everyone expects it, but not knowing when and to what extent is creating uncertainty.”

Halil also touches on the need for proper charging infrastructure. “We’re moving to EV, but not all customers have the same access to charging infrastructure,” he reasons. “Drivers are the ones that have to deal with solving that problem and hope that the charger roll-out continues and other solutions follow.”


Five of the biggest areas of the industry to undergo change in the years ahead are: driver training; leasing; EV education; EV charging and telematics.

Here, one representative from each area shares their thoughts on the direction things may go.


Steve Clarke, marketing manager, FleetMaxx Solutions

EV home-charging challenges – Steve Clarke, marketing manager, FleetMaxx Solutions

With the rise in popularity of electric vehicles (EV), having the correct infrastructure in place is vital if the move towards alternative fuel is to continue. The facility to plug in and charge at home or work is a must for anyone considering EVs for their business.

There is considerable discussion surrounding the lack of public charging points, which could deter businesses from making the transition to electric. However, FleetMaxx Solutions has established that many people with work vehicles can take them home and, in many cases, can charge their EV at home overnight with ease.

That is why we’re delighted to offer the solution that enables home charging through using existing charging points, and if your employees don’t have charging points, then we can help supply and install them for you.

Charging at home

Charging an EV at home can be as cheap as paying 22p for a litre of fuel. We ensure you receive accurate energy consumption data, straight from the charge point. Your drivers don’t pay a penny, so no expenses to claim. We settle their EV charging costs directly with the energy supplier.

Drivers receive the correct reimbursement for their costs, which will help overcome their reluctance in making the switch to EV. There is no need for your drivers to switch energy supplier, they still have that freedom of choice.

All your drivers need to do is plug-in. Charging at home means no ‘down’ time while a driver waits for sufficient charge to continue their work.
Our billing process for home-charging is unique. Your charging activity is monitored through our online portal, and we then pay the cost of charging directly to the energy supplier.

The EV owner receives a single, monthly invoice, fully HMRC-compliant. This eliminates tasks such as submitting expenses or calculating mileage, allowing your fleet to focus on more important tasks. By using home charging, businesses can save up to 50% on the cost of charging!

EV charging made simple

With FleetMaxx Solutions, your vehicles can charge at your employee’s homes or on the road, and we’ll send you one single invoice for all the energy used.
Your employees don’t pay a penny, so there are no expenses to claim – we credit their energy providers automatically, so your staff never need to deal with tiresome paperwork or worry about paying their energy charging costs.

EV on the road

However, if you’re unable to charge at home or on the road a lot we’ve also got you covered. Our Chargepass is the ideal solution for you.
We provide you with an RFID card that gives you access to thousands of UK charging points.

Drivers simply have to tap to activate the charge when they’re on the road. Like the home charging facility, there will be no driver payments or expenses, because we gather the charging activity through our online portal. Home and on the road charging all appear together on one, single monthly invoice to the fleet owner.


Alison Bell, marketing director, Venson

Living with your electric vehicle – Alison Bell, marketing director, Venson

With less than a decade before the planned end of the production line for fossil-fuel powered cars, and 15 years before >3.5t van production hits the same milestone, Venson Automotive Solutions is helping fleets live life today with Electric Vehicles (EVs) with its new free white paper, ‘Living with your electric vehicle’.
The paper answers a multitude of questions would-be EV owners or fleet managers may have, including those around the various financial incentives of EV ownership, how fleets can onboard EVs, and work, home and public charging options.

A transition to EV

Government continues to offer grants for electric car and van purchases and low Benefit-in-Kind tax rates for drivers of electric company cars to boost take-up. A £2,500 subsidy on every new electric car is currently being offered, subject to the vehicle emitting less than 50g/km of CO2 and being able to travel at least 70 miles without emitting anything – if the vehicle costs less than £35,000.

Tax rates are even more attractive. In the current 2021/22 financial year, EVs are placed in the 1% Benefit-in-Kind tax bracket, and from 2022/23 through to 2024/25, EVs fall into an even more preferential 2% bracket. By comparison, a driver of a relatively low-emission petrol or diesel car (for instance, one that emits 100g/km of CO2) will be put into the 25% bracket from 2022/23.

Onboarding EVs needs top-tier buy-in

However, whilst many fleet managers want to take advantage of the financial gains being offered, the buy-in from across their business to make those a reality is needed. Knowledge and ability to answer board-level and management queries will help smooth the way for getting approval; thorough research goes a long way and the Venson white paper will empower both decision drivers and makers.

Council-run EV charging networks

Battery range and charge point availability remain key EV concerns for many, but a consultation is being carried out through the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV) on the introduction of a raft of new legislation and regulations to drive positive change. This could see new legal duties for councils in England and Wales, such as being responsible for planning and delivering an EV infrastructure. This move is backed by 43% of motorists surveyed by Venson. In the meantime, Venson’s white paper provides intel to help fleet managers get ahead of charging queries.

The UK is on the brink of a seismic electrification shift that will see the 2020s go down in history. Of course, any significant change brings uncertainty and questions, and we hope our latest white paper answers some of those, so more people will make the switch sooner. With both battery tech and charging infrastructure growing daily, and financial incentives the best they have ever been, there has never been a better time to go electric.


Adam Hall, director of energy services, Drax

How data will drive the EV revolution – Adam Hall, director of energy services, Drax

What can fleets expect in 2022? Even more of an urgency to electrify, with business fleets having an instrumental role to play in the rapid expansion of the EV sector.
More and more companies are choosing to get ahead of the game before the 2030 ICE vehicle ban. Even after the pandemic, the uptake of EVs has shown no signs of slowing down. And demand is only going to increase, with National Grid forecasting over 36.8m EVs on the road by 2050.

The pandemic has also accelerated a shift in digitisation across the board, not least with fleets. As fleet managers, you’ve probably found it increasingly beneficial to monitor and organise your team remotely – if you weren’t already.

One certainty remains throughout this exponential growth: data is king. Through telematics, diagnostics and software, fleet operators have access to more data than ever before. This is primarily useful in understanding current behaviour, performance and costs. But it can also be used to identify trends, opportunities, mitigate risk and build resilience into your future fleet plans.

Chances are – if you’re using fleet managing software – you’re already drowning in data. There’s so much that can be measured, it can be hard to see the wood from the trees. Especially if you have different metrics sitting in different platforms.

You’ll no doubt be familiar with driver and vehicle data. But if you’re electrifying your fleet, you’re also adding charge point and energy consumption data into the mix.

So, what data should you focus on capturing?

Driver, telematics and route planning data

This is the data you’ll use to understand and improve driver behaviour. Some drivers will need help transitioning to a driving style that’s suitable for EV. You’ll need to be able to monitor data related to drivers’ behaviour and have it reported on the dashboard by the fleet management software. Telematics are required for this purpose, as they’re the mechanism which enable data collection from vehicles.

Vehicle type, condition, and maintenance data

Collecting live vehicle data will help you monitor the condition to stay ahead of any vehicle downtime or plan for any maintenance which needs to be scheduled.
local grid condition data

Can the local power grid accommodate your fleet’s charging needs? If the requirements can’t be met, fleet managers need to look outside the organisation for help in securing a partnership with an energy provider.

Charge point and charge station data

Your energy provider should also enable you to collect and track data related to operating charging points. You need to have a strong understanding of the costs involved in installing the charge stations, as well as the daily energy consumption of your fleet.

When correctly gathered and analysed, whether by your own fleet management team or a partner, data becomes valuable insight. With insight, you can start to understand the patterns and behaviours that will influence meaningful change.

See how vehicle, fleet and energy management data are bought together in one place in the Drax portal, by searching ‘My Electric Vehicles’ on the website.


Raj Singh, managing director, Crystal Ball

Thinking outside the black box – Raj Singh, managing director, Crystal Ball

I saw the future in 2015. We were a black box tracking service provider, like our competitors, however I could see that integrating cameras with telematics was the way forward. We were the first telematics service provider in the UK – and possibly the world – to make that integration and launch SmartCam as a data-rich solution in late 2016.

Initially, this forward-facing 3G solution won many awards and has subsequently evolved into a 4G device with Bluetooth, WiFi and forward and cabin- or rear-facing video camera technology.

Only recently have competitors followed, however many still don’t offer an integrated solution like SmartCam. Just having a black box and a dashcam isn’t an effective solution. As a result, the functionality is limited.

The importance of cameras in vehicles is increasingly obvious and insurers have woken up to the value of having them. There are huge benefits in mitigating liability so dashcams will continue to play a bigger role in this area in the future. Meanwhile, our clients who have embraced SmartCam have seen a reduction in claims because cameras categorically improve driver behaviour. The driver fully understands that the camera is continuously recording them and generating video events of harsh driving and it sends those videos to our cloud portal.

Alongside the new hardware, we’ve developed a driver App for smartphones, which brings added functionality for the user. One key aspect of the App is vehicle checklists. Businesses are asking drivers to perform daily checks to ensure that the vehicle they are driving is roadworthy. More and more businesses want to complete these checks to ensure the vehicles are safe, because they’ve got a duty of care.

One of the capabilities we will be integrating into the App in 2022 is job scheduling and route optimisation. If a driver has 10 or more jobs to do, someone has to plan their route and work out the most efficient journey as possible. More jobs means more invoices, more sales and more profitability.

Our system works out the best routes, but also takes into account traffic conditions wherever possible. Ultimately, you can put all the postcodes into the system and it will create an optimal order in which to do them – and work out the most efficient route to take between jobs. This route optimisation feature is a must for the service and courier industry and will be on the market and available to customers in Q1 2022.

Another change that the industry is seeing is a shift to electric vehicles, but many businesses will still rely on petrol, diesel and hybrid technology in the short-term. Regardless of the powertrain, vehicles will still require cameras to monitor driver behaviour. In addition, with the price of petrol and diesel steadily increasing, fleets will be more interested in technology such as ours. Essentially, it pays for businesses to reduce outgoings such as fuel, so it is in the interests of the company to ensure people are driving economically – plus it also reduces wear and tear on the vehicle.

The future of fleet will be challenging for all businesses when you take into account factors such as rising fuel costs, recovery from the pandemic and EV adoption. One way we can help is through solutions that limit the impact of these issues.


Tony Greenidge, CEO, IAM RoadSmart

A year for continued learning – Tony Greenidge, CEO, IAM RoadSmart

All businesses have become used to learning and adapting to new situations, and fleet decision-makers face a raft of challenges and opportunities as the provision of business mobility undergoes radical change. Vehicle replacement cycles, changes in emissions and tax rates, and the march of technological progress will require fleet decision-makers to keep at least one eye always focused on the horizon, flexing their approach according to prevailing conditions.

What is on the horizon? For all of us there will be the inevitable transition to cleaner fuel options led predominantly by EVs.

At IAM RoadSmart, ‘look well ahead to spot developing situations’ is something of a mantra, and the EV revolution hasn’t escaped our attention in the development of our courses. However, there have been other updates that may have escaped the attention of those with a responsibility for fleets and drivers, meaning 2022 will be a year of ongoing learning and development on the safety front too.

New guidance for businesses and drivers

In September, the Health & Safety Executive announced updates to its guidance on work-related road safety. Broadly speaking, business fleet policies must give due consideration to the safety of EVs and grey fleet vehicles and how they are driven. EVs require drivers to gain familiarity with the technology to ensure that they can operate, charge and maintain their vehicle safely; employers must take these factors into account when implementing EVs and the preference is that this is done at the point of delivery. As for grey fleet, this is an area often overlooked in terms of risk management processes. Stronger guidelines will require that businesses place greater emphasis on this in the current year.

There will be learning points for drivers too. Imminently due for publication, the recent review of the Highway Code will include significant changes including a new ‘hierarchy of road users’ that places further responsibility upon drivers of vehicles with the greatest potential to cause harm to others in the event of a collision.

Taking the lead in learning

How business drivers will access these updates is a basic but serious question given that the majority will not have referred to the Highway Code since passing their test, and for some this will have been many years ago? Dissemination of clear information will be crucial. Smart motorways offer the perfect cautionary tale. In early November, the Transport Committee recommended that the roll-out of new smart motorways be subject to a moratorium (as IAM RoadSmart recommended over a year ago). Their report described the communication of the changes in design as ‘woeful’, noting that many motorists did not understand all-lane running, or the safe procedures for dealing with a breakdown.

This year employers will have the opportunity to take the lead in ensuring safer roads by being the conduit for this much-needed information. Development of the appropriate fleet policies, communicated easily to a workforce via e-learning or webinars, supported by robust driver risk assessment, will be crucial in reducing costs, both financial and human.

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John Challen

John previously edited International Fleet World magazine, and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, having been in automotive journalism for more than 20 years. Over those two decades, he has researched and written about a vast range of automotive topics, including fleet, EVs, engineering, design, retail and the aftermarket.