Amid technological transformation and evolving business, fleet management is a more complex and, consequently, critical sector to prioritise.

This was the topic of discussion at the inaugural colloquium hosted by the South African Association for Fleet Professionals (AFP), powered by MasterDrive, on May 14.

Titled ‘Navigating the Future: Strategic Insights for Tomorrow's Fleet Professionals’, the colloquium unpacked strategic and successful approaches to fleet operations.

AFP president Eugene Herbert argued that, while the future of fleet management was characterised by aspects such as increased automation, data-driven decision-making and, as the trends developed in the adoption of EVs, advanced telematics, AI predictive maintenance and autonomous driving, the industry was faced with the challenges of being able to do this and do it well.

“Fleet managers struggle with the significant changing markets. As a result of its impact on supply chain management, businesses need to get ahead, and the individual that is going to drive that in many instances is that of the fleet manager,” he said.

With this in mind, charging infrastructure company GridCars founder and MD Winstone Jordaan discussed the evolution and future of fleet management, emphasising the shift towards electric vehicles (EVs).

Jordaan provided an overview of the efficiency of electric motors compared to diesel engines, highlighting their faster speed, higher torque, lower weight and lower maintenance needs.

He pointed out that charging infrastructure for EVs already existed throughout South Africa, arguing that the EV revolution had already begun.

“Electrification is not just a shift in the fuel type; it's a revolution in thinking about electric and understanding how that works,” he said.

“It is a different technology and this does mean there's a different value chain, there's different models, there's different ways that we fuel them, and different mindsets that you’ve got to have when you're operating them,” he added.

Other benefits of electrification include operational cost savings, efficiencies, price stability and a reduction in carbon emissions.

Jordaan noted, however, that there were still some challenges that needed to be overcome, such as limited vehicle choice and lower productivity linked to vehicles needing more time to charge.

Jordaan noted that EV driver training was also critical, noting that drivers made a significant difference to the efficiency of the vehicle and longevity of the battery.

“Overall, you’ve got to be able to use this as an opportunity to get the most out of your fleet".

He also emphasised the importance of driver behaviour, noting that drivers needed to be aware of aspects such as range, how vehicles worked and battery health.

“All of these things are critical to being able to drive an efficient electric fleet,” he said, adding that diagnostic reporting was also important for EVs to be able to monitor aspects such as battery health.

He also pointed out that there was resistance to change and adopting new technologies in the fleet management space, expressing that  “technology has come of age”.

“We are now able to deliver EVs that are going to be here and be here for a long time,” said Jordaan.

“You've got to just get comfortable with the adoption and how you're going to be adopting that going forward,” he added.

With regard to concerns about possible changes in employment, Jordaan explained that new jobs were being created with the adoption of EVs, thereby requiring an expansion of current skills.

“Jobs are going to change, jobs are going to evolve. It just so happens that we're going to be in a time now where that evolution is going to be really, really quick,” he said, emphasising the need for training in this regard.

While EVs cost more than diesel vehicles at the moment, Jordaan said EVs would eventually cost less than diesel vehicles.