B2B software-as-a-service fleet management company GoMetro has been awarded a grant from the Freight Innovation Fund to finance a six-month trial of its EV software with Maritime Transport and Welch’s Transport.

The trial will use GoMetro’s EV-FIT solution for electric vehicles and its Bridge fleet management software platform to collect and analyse fleet movement data for a chosen depot, from which they will identify critical vehicle and infrastructure specification needs.

EV-FIT is GoMetro’s electric vehicle (EV) feasibility and planning solution and is driven by Bridge, the company’s telematics aggregation platform.

Announcing the deal GoMetro’s EV-FIT project lead, Christopher de Saxe, said that given the complexity of lorry operations and the upfront vehicle and infrastructure investments at stake, an effective EV transition plan must be customised to suit the unique operating characteristics of each fleet.

He added: “Telematics data is the key to unlocking this. Telematics data provides insights into key operational metrics such as daily mileage and idle time at depots. These insights help to identify the required vehicle and charging infrastructure specifications such as battery capacities and the number, power, and location of chargers.”

“Unique to GoMetro’s solution, Bridge streamlines the data collection process by aggregating telematics data from a range of telemetry providers directly via API, including those from subcontracted fleets.

“With our trial partners Maritime Transport and Welch’s Transport, we will be collecting fleet movement data using Bridge alongside the collection of important contextual non-telematics information. The data will then be analysed to identify optimal routes, vehicles, and charging infrastructure needed for a successful EV pilot within the fleet. The outputs will help accelerate our partners’ EV transition journeys and will in turn help to refine the EV-FIT offering to address the needs of UK fleets,” de Saxe explains.

Group CEO and founder of GoMetro Justin Coetzee said: “The grant is an amazing validation for GoMetro in the UK freight market, and implementing our solution with major logistics players is an incredible opportunity to show how our software platform can help fleet owners achieve better results.”

De Saxe, added: “I’m thrilled to be trialling our solution with MaritimeTransport and Welch’s Transport to address one of the UK’s biggest decarbonisation challenges. Data is fundamental to decarbonising UK road freight, and we have the tools needed to unlock key insights for the industry.”

Both Maritime and Welch’s Transport are part of the Zero Emission Heavy Goods Vehicles and Infrastructure Demonstrator (ZEHID) programme aimed at supporting the freight sector on its path to net zero. 

The programme, one of the largest funded initiatives by Innovate UK in partnership with the DfT, involves four consortia rolling out up to 370 zero-emission HGVs and delivering around 57 refuelling and electric charging sites.

Over the next five years, each project will see real-world trials take place for advanced battery electric and hydrogen fuel cell technologies in HGVs, providing key insights for the government’s long-term infrastructure decisions to make road freight more sustainable and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The funding for Go Metro to work with Maritime and Welch’s, announced on 10 October by Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood, is the third tranche of the department’s Freight Innovation Fund Accelerator Programme.

The programme is a £7m government investment across three years to support the freight sector in deploying AI and automation to improve the way trains, lorries, vans, and ships carry parcels and goods.

It is funded by the DfT and delivered through Connected Places Catapult, the UK’s innovation accelerator for cities, transport and place leadership.

 

 

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