Better insight into the switch to cleaner vehicles

As fleets face pressure to cut emissions and electrify, telematics and AI are emerging as essential tools, giving operators the data and insight they need to boost efficiency, improve safety and plan a confident transition to electric vehicles

As the pressure mounts on fleet operators to transition to zero-emission vehicles, telematics and artificial intelligence (AI) are becoming indispensable. Together, these technologies offer data-driven insights that help fleets operate more efficiently today, as well as helping them confidently move to electric vehicles. 

Modern telematics systems provide operators with a wealth of real-time data, from vehicle location and speed to fuel consumption, maintenance needs and driver behaviour. With this level of detail, managers can identify patterns that result in inefficiencies or safety risks and introduce targeted interventions to address them.

For fleets looking to electrify, telematics is proving particularly transformative. By analysing trip patterns, mileage, dwell times and charging needs, telematics tools determine which vehicles are best suited for replacement with electric models. This ensures that electrification strategies are grounded in evidence rather than assumptions, reducing risk, infrastructure requirements and operational disruption.

Telematics is also being used to increase the efficiency of existing electric vehicles, and to aid in emissions reporting.

AI is fuelling fleet optimisation

AI is rapidly becoming central to fleet management, helping simplify what are now highly complex operations. From predictive maintenance and route optimisation to decarbonisation planning, AI automates the heavy analytical work needed to make informed decisions at scale. Increasingly, these tools simulate EV adoption scenarios, forecast long-term total cost of ownership and advise on charging infrastructure needs. Importantly, they place sophisticated analysis within reach of organisations that previously lacked the resources for in-house modelling, allowing even modest fleets to map out confident decarbonisation journeys.

Yet as AI becomes more deeply embedded in fleet operations, so do concerns around data security and privacy. Protecting sensitive information, ensuring ethical use of video footage and maintaining human oversight will be critical as organisations embrace increasingly automated systems. 

Telematics in action

Belgium’s postal operator, bpost, is undertaking one of Europe’s most ambitious electrification projects, converting 10,000 last-mile delivery vans to electric by 2030. A quarter of the fleet has already made the switch, and the company has relied heavily on Geotab telematics to make the transition financially sustainable and operationally manageable.

A central challenge was understanding how often vehicles genuinely needed to charge. Without reliable data, bpost would have been forced to invest in costly high-voltage infrastructure capable of charging all vans simultaneously. With real-time telematics insights into state of charge, energy consumption and actual driving patterns, the company implemented a staggered charging strategy. This revealed that some vehicles required charging only every two to four days, dramatically reducing infrastructure costs and easing concerns about range among drivers. Coaching based on individual energy-use patterns helped further improve efficiency.

Crucially, the data showed that electric vans were almost nine per cent cheaper than their diesel counterparts over their lifespan. This finding gave the organisation the confidence to expand its electric fleet to 3,000 vehicles by 2025.

Sustainability gains

Telecoms provider Circet has transformed its fleet operations across the UK and Ireland by integrating telematics. 3,000 vehicles are conntected with Geotab and Lytx technology and within three months, Circet recorded a significant improvement in driver safety scores thanks to near real-time feedback from cameras and safety scorecard.

Fuel efficiency also increased, with diesel vehicles performing 10 per cent better than peer group leaders. 

Telematics is also highlighting how Circet can further adopt electric vehicles. Over the first three months of 2025, electric vehicles accounted for three per cent of total fleet trips, covering more than 263,000 miles. According to an Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment, Circet stands to save approximately £385,000 annually by expanding its electric fleet and swapping ICE vehicles for EV where appropriate. 

With EV driving requiring different skills from traditional combustion vehicles, Circet has also used telematics data to inform driver training, aiming to extend EV range and reduce charging demand.

The company is also using telematics for Scope 1 emissions calculation to track fuel consumption and emissions reductions across both diesel and electric vehicles as it prepares for stricter ESG reporting requirements under EU legislation. 

Using telematics to reach net zero

United Utilities, which supplies water and wastewater services to three million homes and businesses across Northwest England, operates a fleet of more than 2,300 vehicles. To improve reliability, reduce emissions and maintain safety across such a large operation, the company adopted Vodafone Business Fleet Analytics, powered by Geotab.

Real-time performance data now enables maintenance teams to spot issues before they become operational problems. Insights into idling, wear and tear and driver behaviour help the organisation cut fuel use, reduce emissions and improve safety. This is particularly important in a business where emergency response times are critical.

With a goal of achieving a fully green fleet by 2028, United Utilities is also using telematics to identify which vehicles can transition to electric, how infrastructure will need to evolve and what impact this will have on day-to-day operations. The data has been central to developing an environmental impact plan aligned with the company’s net-zero objectives.

A safer, smarter fleet 

Telecommunications infrastructure specialist MJ Quinn is deploying telematics from Webfleet across its expanding fleet of 3,000 vehicles as part of a broader digital transformation. 

More than 800 vehicles are already equipped, including vans used by engineers trained through the company’s academy.
The technology deployed offers real-time insight into driving behaviours such as distraction, speeding and mobile phone use. Driver-facing cameras are activated only in high-risk cases once coaching has been provided, ensuring transparency and maintaining trust.

MJ Quinn expects substantial long-term savings through improved fuel efficiency, fewer incidents and better vehicle health. 

The system is also set to guide the company toward its sustainability goals, using the technology to determine which vehicles can be electrified without compromising service levels.

Towards a more intelligent future

Telematics and AI underpin informed decision-making, enhance safety, improve operational efficiency and accelerate the shift to zero-emission transport. Fleets that embrace data-driven technologies early can unlock immediate operational benefits while positioning themselves for long-term sustainability.