Goodyear Partners On-Demand EV Fleets Provider to a Pilot Program of Digital Fleet Management

Date : 2-Apr-2019
Location: Kuala Lumpur

Key Take-Aways:
  • The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company announced a new pilot program with Envoy Technologies, a provider of shared on-demand, community-based electric vehicles (EVs). The pilot, which launched early in Ohio this year, is testing services aimed at minimising operational downtime for vehicle fleets.
  • Goodyear’s unique predictive tyre servicing solution for connected fleets is being used to forecast and automatically schedule needed tyre maintenance and replacement.
  • Envoy provides shared, community-based electric vehicles where people live, work and stay, with a significant percentage of its fleet dedicated to deployment in disadvantaged communities. The two-year-old company recently passed a milestone of more than 100 vehicles deployed at partner sites with a pipeline of 1,800 vehicles to be launched in major metropolitan areas across the nation, including Portland, Seattle, Austin, Chicago, New York, Boston, Miami and Washington, D.C.
  • Goodyear’s effort with Envoy builds on a successful test program with Tesloop, a city-to-city mobility service that exclusively used Tesla electric vehicles, and the commercialisation of Goodyear Proactive Solutions for truck fleets, using advanced telematics and predictive analytics technology to allow fleet operators to optimise fuel efficiency and precisely identify and resolve tyre-related issues before they happen.
Envoy - Fiat and Docking Station

Spokeperson:
  • Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s chief technology officer, said that the company is capitalising on the on-demand car sharing and ride hailing services trends, targets to extend its fleet services business model to that industry.
  • Envoy co-founder Aric Ohana, said the partnership with Goodyear results in the availability of a more comprehensive fleet management services to their customers.
Offerings:
  • Goodyear’s unique predictive tyre servicing solution - Envoy’s fleet managers can see its fleet’s status, schedule maintenance needs and update appointments with Goodyear’s on-demand scheduling program, helping to keep its vehicles operational and avoid the typically unforeseen issues that might suddenly force a shared vehicle to be pulled from service.
  • To do this, Goodyear gathers secure, anonymised data from Envoy’s connected vehicles and uses it to predict and schedule service needs. Goodyear then utilises its network of outlets and mobile vans to provide service to the vehicles. The mobile vans can install tyres on-site at their charging stations, maintaining vehicle safety with minimal time required by Envoy staff.
Editor's comments:
  • This pilot program is an example of big players providing top-down and bottom-up services simultaneously - the company provides the technology and also services consumer via partnerships
  • I enjoy this offering because it is a good business model of selling tyres
  • A good case study for startup companies on business strategy
  • Software rules - when you have the hardware, the customer, you need the software to gel everything together.

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