Choosing more environmentally friendly vehicles should not jeopardize the economic balance of the vehicle fleet.
Rentokil Initial had to reverse its decision to switch its fleet to CNG when the price of this energy soared.
Finally, the specialist in corporate hygiene services opted for electric to green its fleet.
But before electrifying its fleet, Rentokil Initial sought to control its consumption and emissions through telematics and eco-driving.
Since 2020, the company has equipped its vehicles with a solution marketed by Michelin Connected Fleet, the new label under which Masternaut operates within the manufacturer.
The technologies deployed allow Rentokil Initial to promote safer, more responsible and more economical driving.
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Telematics allows the implementation of eco-driving training which is based on the actual practice of drivers.
Advice is provided based on the data collected for increased efficiency.
With calmer and more anticipatory driving, the driver saves fuel and reduces the risk of an accident.
Initially, telematics was installed on thermal vehicles before providing support in the process of greening the fleet.
“With electrification and thanks to telematics, we are able to control driving habits to increase autonomy and limit the stress linked to running out of fuel
,” explains Franck Rognon, national director of logistics, transport and distribution.
To avoid distracting drivers, driving indicators do not appear on the vehicle screen.
Performance is analyzed by the supervisor whose advice helps to curb any discrepancies.
Accelerations, decelerations, speed and compliance with the highway code are scrutinized and controlled by the company using telematics.
A 10% reduction in CO2 emissions
By electrifying its fleet, Rentokil Initial wants to reduce its CO2 emissions by 10% by 2025 and compared to 2021. Over this same period, fuel consumption must also drop by 10%.
The company's fleet includes 750 light utility vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes, with the majority being vans such as the Renault Kangoo or the Peugeot Partner.
Vehicles that can more easily switch to zero emissions.
The Rentokil Initial fleet was equipped with telematics in 2020 and 2023. Now, managers track vehicle activity by connecting to the Michelin Connected Fleet platform.
The telematics specialist has developed tools capable of analyzing all the usage data of a vehicle.
Around a hundred electric vehicles in 2024
When the electric vehicles have been put on the road, fleet managers access graphs showing the mileage achieved, acceleration levels and remaining range.
For Rentokil Initial, this overview is comprehensive and gives precise indications for electrifying the fleet.
Vehicles are grouped into different fleets and telematics helps measure the electrification potential of each of them.
Thanks to this information, Rentokil Initial will be able to integrate around a hundred electric vehicles into its fleet in 2024.
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In the process of electrifying a fleet, telematics helps to resolve doubts on a large number of questions.
Do the vehicles return to the agency?
How long do they stay in one place?
What are the durations of the stops?
The information collected makes it possible to combat certain myths surrounding electric mobility.
“Within a company that we equipped,”
recalls Assem Deif, key account director of Michelin Connected Fleet
, “there were rumors about the impossibility of recharging electric vehicles because the journeys did not pass through the agencies during the day.
In addition, other noises suggested an inability of future terminals to recharge all vehicles.
We showed that the vehicles returned to the agency at least once and that the power of the terminals met the needs.”
For Rentokil Initial, eco-driving and the various indicators made it possible to make the investment profitable.
With fuel savings alone, significant profits could be made.
And for electricity, alongside the identification of compatible uses, telematics also makes it possible to choose the types of charging stations to install on its various sites.
Valuable information to support the transition.