Avis Budget Group has announced an agreement with Ford Commercial Solutions to connect around 14,000 Ford vehicles in Avis Budget Group’s European fleet.

Ford is providing an embedded telematics solution offering a “simplified and efficient way for Avis Budget Group to connect vehicles, reducing typical cost and complexity of implementing aftermarket solutions”. More than 4,000 Ford vehicles in the Avis Budget Group fleet are expected to be connected by the end of 2019, and a further 10,000 vehicles by the end of 2020.

The group describes the move as “part of its mission to reinvent rental”.

Connected global fleet

Valerie Chenivesse, fleet services director – international, Avis Budget Group, said: “Following the recent announcement of more than 35,000 Ford vehicles connected in our US fleet, this expansion of a further 14,000 connected vehicles in Europe is testament to the relationship with Ford Commercial Solutions and a significant milestone in our commitment to have a fully connected global fleet.

“Connectivity allows us to increase efficiencies as a business, delivering a more streamlined and on-demand experience for our customers.”

“It is great to work alongside an organisation which shares our mutual goal to push the boundaries of connectivity and innovation as we charge into a new era for mobility.”

Mobile app

Connected vehicles allow Avis customers to manage their rental through the Avis mobile app, including vehicle type and upgrading and extending the duration of their rental via their phones.

Additionally, the connected Ford vehicles will provide valuable real-time telemetry data, including mileage, fuel level and vehicle condition update: allowing a faster turnaround for customers.

Transportation Mobility Cloud 

To connect its embedded telematics solution, Ford Commercial Solutions is using an open platform called the Transportation Mobility Cloud (TMC) from Autonomic, which securely manages information flow to and from vehicles’ embedded modems.

Through this partnership, Ford Data Services takes advantage of Ford vehicles’ built-in connectivity and transfers data directly from vehicles to the TMC without the need for additional third-party hardware, management or installation downtime. The data is then relayed to the fleet owner’s internal IT system or telematics service via the TMC. This says Ford, gives businesses easy access to valuable information that can improve their operations and the overall customer experience.

Real-time connectivity

Dave Phatak, director of Ford Commercial Solutions, Europe, said: “Ford Data Services and the TMC make it possible to deliver real-time connectivity across a fleet, enabling new data collection and insights. These insights make daily operations more efficient for our partners and their customers.

“We are thrilled to work with Avis Budget Group, whose commitment to a fully connected fleet matches ours as we deliver 100 per cent new vehicle connectivity in Europe by the end of 2020.”

Collaboration

Earlier this year Avis Budget Group and Continental announced a collaboration to equip Avis’ EU and US connected fleets with Continental’s Key as a Service (KaaS) technology.

Under the enhanced collaboration, Avis Budget Group boosted its fleet of connected cars in Europe and in the United States by equipping 50,000 vehicles with Continental’s enhanced Key as a Service (KaaS) technology – 25, 000 of which are in Europe.

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