Wialon in Lisbon. Highlights from Fleet Europe Days 2023

On November 22–23, Wialon made a significant presence at the Fleet Europe Days in Lisbon, Portugal. Fleet Europe Days is a series of events focused on showcasing and discussing new technologies in fleet and mobility within a selected circle of industry professionals. Over these two days, Wialon presented its platform to European and Global fleet decision-makers at the Fleet Europe Village. Aliaksandr Kuushynau, Head of Wialon, spoke about Wialon’s role in decarbonization at the Fleet Europe Conference. Read on to learn more.

About the Fleet Europe Village

Fleet Europe Village is the foremost exhibition for fleet stakeholders, drawing a diverse audience that includes European fleet managers, procurement managers, automotive fleet suppliers, startups, and mobility disruptors. This year, it attracted over 1,200 visitors.

Wialon had its booth at the expo, providing everyone with the opportunity to learn about the product and meet the team behind its creation. Local telematics service providers showed a particular interest in the platform’s compatibility with thousands of device models. Besides, they were keen on exploring features related to driver behavior monitoring and carbon footprint control — these are trending requests in the telematics market.

In conversations with booth visitors, we found out that many prominent European fleet owners are still not fully leveraging the potential of telematics. The issue of a lack of harmonized telematics data remains prevalent. Data from vehicles is often dispersed across different systems, and some reports are still complied manually. These challenges prevent fleet managers from accessing comprehensive information and operating with the efficiency that Wialon can offer.

Powering e-mobility decarbonization

On November 23, Aliaksandr Kuushynau, Head of Wialon, took part in a panel discussion on fleet and mobility decarbonization. The panel, titled “Powering e-mobility decarbonization,” was shared with Fabrice Roudet, General Manager of Energy Transition at Eaton, and Hilmar van den Dool, General Manager of eMobility and Decarbonization at Shell.

Aliaksandr Kuushynau highlighted the fact that, in the current reality, large corporations typically have the resources to implement decarbonization policies and electrify their fleets. At the same time, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often lack these possibilities and are more focused on immediate operational tasks. However, it's noteworthy that the vast majority of cars moving on the roads belong to SMEs.

Another aspect to consider is that developed countries place a higher emphasis on environmental risks associated with exhaust emissions, while developing countries do not prioritize this issue.

Based on our in-house data, a big part of vehicles connected to Wialon are owned by SMEs operating in developing countries. The Wialon team understands the significance of building an environmentally friendly future and recognizes the challenges faced by fleet owners in moving toward this future. Therefore, Wialon is committed to providing partners with the tools necessary to contribute to decarbonization. For instance, our software for fleet management and IoT promotes features to reduce fuel consumption, optimize routes, and analyze CO2 emission data. While these measures may seem simple, they can significantly impact minimizing carbon footprint.

Fabrice Roudet emphasized that a dramatic shift to electric vehicles could strain the current power infrastructure, which may need to be adequately prepared. He proposed to start moving towards e-mobility by creating diverse charging options and energy storage capabilities for its even usage. 

The key message of Hilmar van den Dool was that decarbonization is a journey, not just a vehicle swap. He highlighted that operational and delivery fleets turning to electric vehicles require special hardware and software technologies. Positive changes are already taking place, and new complex solutions are being implemented, but not yet on a large scale.

Fleet Europe Conference covered many other topics related to the electrification of transportation, encompassing discussions on electric vehicle pricing, maintenance costs, and the competitive landscape among electric vehicle manufacturers in the market.

Fleet Europe Days flew by with intensity, providing us with valuable insights from industry leaders and plenty of inspiration. Thank you, Lisbon!

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