Advertisement feature from Shell Fleet Solutions

Across the UK, there’s a mobility revolution underway, and fleet businesses sit at the heart of it. The need to decarbonise and reach a net zero future is helping to drive transformation across the industry.

While decarbonisation is critical to securing the industry’s future, fleets are faced with the challenge of balancing their transition to low- and zero-carbon solutions, with rising costs, to drive sustainable growth.

Sustainable growth allows fleets to advance decarbonisation while maintaining a competitive business. It also requires fleets to shift to a mindset focused on total cost of ownership (TCO), assessing their entire operations and using data-driven technology to target efficiency where it can add the most value. However, no single fleet can achieve sustainable growth alone. It involves effective collaboration across businesses, providers, and government.

Why UK fleet operators should make the case for change

Increasing pressure from employees, consumers and regulators for businesses to shift towards low and zero carbon operations means that decarbonisation is becoming a central part of many organisations’ license to operate. As part of this, the fleet industry is already experiencing significant regulatory changes, like the UK’s commitment to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030.1 At a local level, fleets must also comply with new transport sustainability measures like Clean Air Zones (CAZs) and London’s Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ).

While regulatory pressures are pushing fleets to decarbonise their operations, advancements in infrastructure and technology are helping to make this process easier. Research by Frost & Sullivan predicts that delivery vehicles powered by electricity will become the standard for last-mile delivery, proliferating the release of more than 30 new electric light commercial vehicles by 2023.2 Equally, the UK government announced plans this year, to commit £1.6 billion to expand the UK charging network.3 By 2030, Shell UK aims to have 100,000 public EV charge points across the country, 11,000 of these will be rapid chargers at locations including forecourts and supermarkets, which means that 90% of UK drivers will be within a 10-minute drive of a Shell rapid charger.4

These actions help highlight the infrastructure investment needed to support the UK fleet industry’s journey to net zero. But, ultimately, each individual fleet’s route to net zero will be different, so fleets need tailored solutions and ongoing support from a trusted partner. To provide this, Shell Fleet Solutions has shifted its focus to make sure customers get everything they need to operate efficiently, sustainably and profitably.

How Shell Fleet Solutions is keeping up with a changing industry

As the fleet industry changes, its partners and suppliers simply must keep pace, which means innovating to meet shifting customer needs. So, Shell Fleet Solutions has worked closely with fleet customers and industry partners to not only create a portfolio of simple, smart and sustainable end-to-end solutions but also change the way it collaborates with businesses.

When fleet managers are treated as business partners by their providers (rather than simply a customer), the complex and often overwhelming journey to net zero can be managed in a way that reduces emissions, while simultaneously improving efficiency to drive savings.

That’s why, earlier this year, Shell Fleet Solutions launched its Accelerate to Zero programme designed to help fleets with their journey to net zero. The four-step programme combines Shell’s full range of expert consultancy services with integrated solutions and products, within a roadmap tailored to meet the specific decarbonisation needs of each fleet operator. And, by partnering with fleet businesses at every stage of their journey – from establishing decarbonisation goals to optimising and refining their strategy – Shell Fleet Solutions can help organisations reach net zero sooner.

Solutions that shift with fleet business needs

Of course, the Shell Fuel Card remains a central part of the Shell Fleet Solutions offer. It gives drivers access to a combined total of 3,800 sites nationwide, across the Shell and third-party network.5 For mixed fleets, the hybrid Shell Card allows businesses to manage traditional fuel and electric vehicle (EV) charging payments through a single card. Shell Recharge offers access to more than 12,000 public EV charging points across the UK. In the UK, ubitricity already operates the largest public charging network in the country, having installed more than 5,500 charging points (while partnering with local councils to convert lamp posts to on-street chargers).6 And, with 80% of EV charging happening at home or at the office, Shell now provides charging solutions that turn driveways, on street parking spaces and fleet depots into charging destinations.7

Both cards provide businesses with crucial fleet data and supports solutions that can be used to drive more efficient and sustainable operations, while improving total cost of ownership (TCO). This includes Shell Telematics, launched in 2020, which combines real-time vehicle and Shell Card data to provide fleets with insights into driver behaviour, utilisation rates and fuel-efficient routes – helping to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions.

Shell Telematics also helps fleets to lay the foundations for electrification, through its Electric Vehicle Suitability Assessment (EVSA). This can deliver tailored EV adoption recommendations by matching existing fleet telematics data to real-world EV performance data. Fleet managers can then make an informed decision on which EVs meet their range requirements and which ones make the most financial sense. While EVs provide a viable decarbonisation pathway for fleets, there is also a need for solutions that can help drive emissions reduction in the interim. Shell TapUp mobile fuel delivery service allows fleets to refuel with a range of traditional and sustainable fuels such as Shell GTL and Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) fuel, directly at their depot. By improving access to alternative fuels and limiting unproductive miles on the road spent refuelling, Shell TapUp helps fleets to drive emissions reduction.

As fleets take steps to transition to low and zero-carbon solutions, they will still produce some unavoidable emissions. In response to this, Shell Fleet Solutions offers customers the option to compensate their unavoidable emissions, via their Shell Card. Shell’s portfolio of nature-based projects are independently verified to determine their carbon impact and social and bio-diversity benefits in order to help to preserve natural ecosystems .

Ultimately, fleet managers will need an ecosystem of solutions that truly support each aspect of their operations. They will also need trusted partners who can help them to develop a decarbonisation strategy that can help their business to be more competitive. After all, no single organisation can reach net zero alone.

Shell Fleet Solutions is constantly developing its range of end-to-end mobility solutions to help fleet managers make better-informed decisions. And partnerships with GeoTab, Shell Recharge Solutions, Shell TapUp and others mean businesses can expect these solutions to evolve to meet their shifting needs – now and in the future. Discover how Shell Fleet Solutions can help your fleet on its journey to net zero here.

1 GOV.UK, Transitioning to zero emission cars and vans: 2035 delivery plan, July 2021

2 Shell and Frost & Sullivan, Decarbonising Mobility, Together We Drive Change, 2021

3GOV.UK, Tenfold expansion in charge points by 2030 as government drives EV revolution, March 2022

4 Shell, Shell UK aims for 90% of drivers to be within 10 minutes’ drive of a Shell rapid charger by 2030, May 2022

5 Shell, Why get a Shell Fuel Card?

6 ubitricity, We’ve installed over 5,500 public EV charge points

7 Shell, E-mobility with the Shell Card