Fleets Embrace AI, Overall Tech Readiness Progresses as Fleet Decision-Makers Seek Right Fit in Business
2024年6月27日 - 12:32AM
With a healthy staff and drivers back behind the wheel, fleet
company sales are returning to or exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
More than half (52%) of fleet decision-makers indicate business has
returned to normal, according to Escalent, a top data analytics and
advisory firm. Additionally, the overall Fleet Technology Index
(FTI) score—an industry metric that indicates market readiness and
expectation for adoption of forward-looking fleet technologies—has
increased by 39% from an index score of 21.4 in 2020 to 29.7 in
2024. Despite the chaos caused by the pandemic and supply chain
disruptions, this increase reflects the continued progress toward a
technology-driven future for fleet businesses.
The FTI for emerging technologies—artificial
intelligence (AI), drones, mobility services and blockchain—has
increased by 43% from an index score of 16.6 in 2020 to 23.7 in
2024. This increase is driven by a surge in momentum for AI, which
sees a 75% increase in the index score from 2020, of which the last
year alone sees a 41% increase.
The FTI score for core technology—data
analytics, telematics, battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and
autonomous vehicles (AVs)—also has increased by 35% from an index
score of 26.3 in 2020 to 35.6 in 2024. This increase indicates
fleet decision-makers are cautiously optimistic about business
conditions and continue to see value in investing in data analytics
and telematics.
These are among the latest findings from Fleet
Advisory Hub™, a leading insights tool designed to explore the
needs, expectations and emotions of commercial vehicle and fleet
decision-makers. The program, developed in 2019 by Escalent, offers
an annual snapshot of the state of various forward-looking
technologies among commercial vehicle and fleet businesses through
its flagship Fleet Technology Index report. For each technology,
the FTI provides an analytically based sense of market readiness
and expectation for technology adoption that reflects a point in
time, taking into consideration the perceptions of the current
business environment and several predictive factors.
“The intersection of data analytics, telematics
and AI is truly revolutionary, and fleets are showing optimism and
early adoption for these technologies as they operate in a state of
continuous improvement to remain competitive,” said Dania
Rich-Spencer, vice president and strategic advisor for Fleet
Advisory Hub™ at Escalent. “The adoption curve of these
data-driven technologies has been defined by larger fleets of over
50 vehicles and those operating heavier-class vehicles. To continue
driving adoption, service providers need to demonstrate how these
technologies can feasibly be integrated into small- and
medium-sized fleets and drive business value.”
However, an 8% year-over-year decline in the BEV
index score also indicates that some fleets are pulling back from
battery electric technology. A consistent pattern of shifting
attitudes and intentions coupled with a softening in positive
orientation toward BEVs contributes to a year-over-year 16%
reduction in companies both shopping for and intending to invest in
BEVs in the next six months. The proportion of companies not
considering adding a BEV into the fleet has increased by 21%
compared with 2023.
Readiness for AVs also recedes as receptivity
for integrating autonomous vehicles into the fleet softened in 2022
and remains flat today. Concerns around safety are prevalent and
the FTI for AVs is the lowest among the core technologies,
indicating it is more aligned with the emerging technologies of
drones, mobility services and blockchain.
“Connected fleet is the future and those who
successfully leverage their data assets will be leaders, but the
learning curve is steep. This presents an ideal opportunity for
service providers to become heroes and to direct attention to the
highest priority areas that deliver the greatest impact for the
individual fleet’s use case and business objectives,” explained
Lucas Lowden, insights consultant and program lead of Fleet
Advisory Hub at Escalent. “This is especially relevant to help
drive adoption of BEVs, for example, as many decision-makers may
believe, incorrectly, that they have the knowledge, skills and
talent to integrate zero-emission vehicles into the fleet by simply
doing what they have always done with gas and diesel vehicles.”
Fleet Advisory Hub is one of the largest
collections of commercial vehicle and fleet decision-maker insights
available on the market today. Currently, nearly 12,000 fleets
collectively numbering more than one million vehicles are
represented.
To learn more about the study, visit
escalent.co.
About Fleet Advisory Hub™
The results come from Escalent’s 2024 FTI report
about the current state of market readiness for adoption of core
and emerging technologies by commercial vehicle and fleet
businesses and comprise a subset of commercial vehicle and fleet
decision-makers drawn from the Fleet Advisory Hub audience.
Participants were recruited from an opt-in online panel of business
decision-makers and interviewed online. Escalent will supply the
exact wording of any survey question upon request.
For fleet decision-makers in businesses
operating vehicles who want to have their voices heard, you can
join here to participate in our research program.
About Escalent
Escalent is an award-winning data analytics and
advisory firm that helps clients understand human and market
behaviors to navigate disruption and business transformation. As
catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, our strategies guide
the world’s leading brands. We accelerate growth by creating a
seamless flow between primary, secondary, syndicated, and internal
business data, providing consulting and advisory services from
insights through implementation. Based on a profound understanding
of what drives human beings and markets, we identify actions that
build brands, enhance customer experiences, inspire product
innovation and boost business productivity. Visit escalent.co
to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the
world.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5c8e34f2-e146-4866-a77e-da878c960d66
Contact
Stephanie Salvadero, 734.838.5192
stephanie.salvadero@escalent.co