On October 19, 2023, the Flotauto Meetings transformed the test and confirmed the success of their establishment in Lyon. A second edition marked by an increasing number of visitors to discover the stands and spaces dedicated to vehicles and charging (see pages 16 and 21), but also to attend the conferences. Report of the day.
1800 visitors, 120 exhibitors, 40 vehicles on display and 6 conferences. Here, in a few figures, is a brief summary of the second edition of the Flotauto Meetings in Lyon, as part of La Sucrière.
But this show also offered an opportunity to take the pulse of the fleet management. And it is clear that it is constantly accelerating. Indications of this evolution: just as in Paris, exhibitors in Lyon are becoming ever more numerous, with ever more diverse activities.
An expanded scope
Thus, alongside traditional players (rental companies, manufacturers, maintenance retailers, telematics specialists, etc.), the alleys of the Lyon exhibition space welcomed more fleet management providers, carsharing solutions, software publishers of fleet management, and, of course, providers of charging solutions.
The ChargeAuto space, dedicated to charging stations, has in fact expanded this year. And to give it the space it deserved, the organizers had revised the layout of the exhibition spaces since the last edition, failing to be able to push the walls.
The variety of themes of the round tables and the debates between professionals also reflected this diversity. During the first conference of the day, “Electrified vehicles: what steps should we follow? ”, Franck Schaller, sales and marketing director of the rental company Agilauto, noted that the tasks of the fleet manager had expanded a lot in recent years.
Electric vehicles...
The spread of 100% electric vehicles has greatly contributed to this. With the increasing importance of these engines, the role of the fleet manager is no longer limited to choosing models and entrusting them to drivers: he must also monitor their integration by ensuring their proper use by drivers and their suitability for uses.
Tasks that lead this manager to strengthen his exchanges with other departments involved in employee travel. “Electricity is a real business subject”, summarized Franck Schaller on this subject (see also the box below).
The case of the Anaveo group, for which Louisa Reziga, its HR director, testified, confirmed this involvement of fleet management in the organization of trips. At this specialist in electronic security, drivers, mostly salespeople, achieve average annual mileages of 50,000 to 60,000 km.
The introduction of electric models (Mégane E-Tech, Mercedes EQB and Renault Zoé) among its more than 300 vehicles logically led the company to review the organization of trips for its salesmen. In particular, it has reduced their range of action, which has hitherto been extended to three departments.
The reflection of managers on the nature of their fleet and its openness to other forms of mobility also has the benefit of contributing to strengthening the attractiveness of the company. In a period where recruitment is sometimes difficult for medium-sized companies, highlighting its ecological commitment through its travel policy is a way of attracting young employees, noted Louisa Reziga, for Anaveo Group.
And new mobilities
This topic of corporate attractiveness came up in another round table, “New mobilities: what place in fleets? ”
According to Julie Huyghues Despointes, director of new mobilities at Arval, who was based on a recent study by the Rental Mobility Observatory, more and more employees believe that it is the company's responsibility to be involved in their mobility.
This Arval representative also cited an investigation by Ekodev, a specialist in CSR and climate strategy consulting. This study showed that the career projection time of employees in a company was subject to the complexity of the trips to their workplace.
Milena Lançon, Purchasing Manager, Alpes Contrilles
It is to meet these different expectations that Alpes Contrôle, an independent control body active in several areas, offers its employees a “simple pack” that combines an electric bike and a small company car.
“This “simple pack” is valid for three years and we ask that at least 2,000 km per year be done with the electric bike”, detailed Milena Lançon, the purchasing manager at Alpes Contrilles.
Thus, the skills of fleet managers are expanding as they become involved in arbitrations related to employee journeys and more generally in the company's environmental policy.
Managers in charge
Skills that also extend to more technical aspects, such as with electric charging. Again, the interventions during the round tables will have made it possible to take stock of current developments.
As far as charging stations are concerned, the competence of fleet managers is acquired over time: based on the experiences acquired with the installed terminals, but also according to the practice of recharging vehicles.
“While many companies have installed 22 kW terminals, they now prefer 7 kW terminals or fast charging stations over 22 kW”, noted François Oudot, co-founder and CEO of the Bump charging installer, during the conference “Electric charging: where are the most advanced fleets? ”
The question of terminals...
The experience of businesses also helps them determine a ratio of stations based on the number of vehicles.
At Enedis, the ratio has hitherto been “one to one”, estimated Pierre-Olivier Courtois, strategic pilot of the electric mobility project of the energy distributor Enedis. But this ratio is gradually changing, called into question by the possibility of remotely controlling refills.
Within the Anaveo group, the decision was made to install terminals for employees, terminals which the company remains the owner of. A solution that also raises the question of the future of the terminal in the event of the employee leaving, as one participant noted in the audience at the end of the round table.
If the situation had not yet occurred at Anaveo, Laurent Pichon, consulting and commercial opportunities manager at ALD|LeasePlan, emphasized that, if not removing them, companies had the option of reselling these terminals to employees.
And that of costs
But while fleet management is constantly being reshaped by various factors, the current situation is pushing fleet managers more than ever to return to one foundation of their business: controlling expenses.
At a time when inflation affects all cost items, a round table focused on one of them in particular, that of return costs (“Restitution: what are the best practices to follow? ”). Because these costs are soaring, and the speakers at this conference shared their tools and methods to mitigate excessive excesses.
However, for some companies, this increase in return costs is also linked to the extension of the duration of ownership of vehicles, an extension practiced to deal with the difficulties of supplying new vehicles in recent years.
To renew their fleets without driving their costs up too much, companies are therefore using used vehicles or short and medium term rentals.
Others questioned their usual sources of supply in favor of Asian manufacturers.
Challenges and solutions that reflect the essential evolution of fleet managers' practices. This second edition of the Rencontres Flotauto de Lyon will have contributed to a better understanding of this evolution.
And for the rest, see you on February 8, 2024, at the Grande Halle de La Villette, for the next Parisian edition.
Frédéric Blin
#gestion_de_flotte, #IA, #mobilité
