Kia partners with Geotab to provide fleet management solutions

Kia Connect has partnered with Geotab to offer fleet customers a telematics solution to provide them with key insights for their upcoming Platform Beyond Vehicle (PBV) electric light commercial vehicles.

The vehicles use a specially-designed BEV platform that can be adapted to different wheelbase lengths to accommodate a wide range of vehicle sizes and body types.

Kia says, when launched in summer next year, the PBVs will offer advanced software solutions, over-the-air updates and best-in-class dimensions and loading capacities.

To allow organisations to integrate the vehicles into their fleets, as pat of the cooperation, Geotab will provide a white-label fleet management platform, a fleet manager app, a driver app, and in-vehicle infotainment integration.

The partnership will also cover additional features, including advanced EV routing capabilities with automated charging stop recommendations.

It will also integrate Kia Charge services, such as charging contracts and billing management, to enable fleet managers to view and manage all charging invoices based on different types of charging events such as public, home or depot charging.

The solution will offer fleet managers the ability to integrate other branded vehicles into the platform and it will also provide an overview of their operations, while offering a platform to integrate the fleet’s own business solutions, including warehouse management.

On the vehicle side, real-time data gives access to the vitality of the vehicle, streamlining operations, reducing downtime and optimising maintenance needs.

Marc Hedrich, president of Kia in Europe, said: “As Kia PBVs will be the most technologically advanced LCVs available, we want to enhance every aspect of the customer experience through advanced connectivity.

“This extend to having flexible data solutions that enable easy integration in multi-brand fleets without the need for additional hardware.”

Kia PBVs are part of the brand’s Plan S strategy, which includes expanding the line-up of EVs.

The brand has developed a BEV platform specifically for PBVs that can be adapted to different wheelbase lengths, to easily accommodate a wide range of vehicle sizes, body types and conversions.

Christoph Ludewig, vice-president Europe OEM and leasing/rental/mobility at Geotab, added: “This partnership aims to support fleet managers in their daily operations, but also in the strategic management of their fleet.

“In a market where vehicle uptime directly impacts profitability, Geotab’s advanced data analytics can enable fleet managers to optimise planning, efficiently manage EV fleets in line with charging infrastructure and ensure that vehicles are always available when and where needed.”