SUMMARY
Fleet Edge will provide the commercial fleet owner with real-time data for track and trace vehicles
The fleet owner can be connected to the drivers, also get data about fuel efficiency and driving behaviour
In the case of privately-owned vehicles, advanced technologies such as connected cars are yet to find popularity in India
Tata Motors, on July 13, launched Fleet Edge, a connected vehicle fleet management solution for informed decision making. The product is said to offer real-time insights for track, trace and checking the overall health of the commercial vehicles in the fleet. It will use metrics such as fuel efficiency, fuel-loss alert and driving behaviour, among others.
While the Fleet Edge solution is provided for the entire medium and heavy commercial vehicles range (M&HCV) and the BS-VI range of Tata Motors trucks and buses, it is also available for a select range of intermediate and light commercial vehicles (I&LCVs) as well as small commercial vehicle (SCV) models, Tata Motors said in a release.
“Digital technology and connectivity solutions are rapidly transforming both passenger and goods transportation. The rich data that vehicles can now send through the telematics unit is opening up several new possibilities for the entire logistics chain,” said Girish Wagh, president, commercial vehicle business unit, Tata Motors.
The automotive manufacturing company claims that Fleet Edge has the capability to process large volumes of data with its Telematics Control Unit (TCU), which is factory-fitted into more than 200,000 Tata Motors M&HCV vehicles. The insights gathered by the Fleet Edge solution will be available for the customer’s viewing through an interface on the Tata Motors Fleet Edge portal. Customers can also access it through a mobile application.
The Fleet Edge solution is aimed to give commercial fleet owners better access to the vehicles in their fleet, and by extension, better control over their business operations. The company says that the fleet owner can be in contact with the driver at all times, with the product also equipped to monitor the unauthorised movement of vehicles in the fleet, with a map monitoring the exact location of the fleet vehicles in real-time.
The launch of Fleet Edge marks the beginning of a new era of connected commercial vehicles and is an ode to the continued endeavour of the company to provide a rich experience to the customers, as they profitably and sustainably grow their businesses with Tata Motors commercial vehicles.
Tata Motor’s initiative to launch connected commercial vehicles with Fleet Edge comes at a time when advanced technologies such as connected cars are yet to find popularity in India. In the case of private vehicles, connected cars have witnessed just 5% penetration in the case of infotainment systems and digital cockpits. Moreover, such connectivity is largely seen only between users’ smartphones and in-car services for music and entertainment.
However, in recent times, the signs have been encouraging. According to Deloitte’s Global Automotive Customer Research for 2020, Indians are willing to pay for advanced technologies such as connected cars, with two out of three people saying that they would be willing to spend up to INR 50,000 for technologies and solutions which come with a connected car.
