With on-demand car sharing and ride hailing services on the rise, Goodyear is extending its fleet services business model to shared mobility providers.
Goodyear Pilot Digital Service Solution for EV Fleets
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company, which prides itself as a leading supplier of tyres and solutions for future mobility, recently announced a new pilot programme with Envoy Technologies, a provider of shared on-demand, community-based electric vehicles (EVs). The pilot, which was launched early in Ohio this year, is testing services aimed at minimising operational downtime for vehicle fleets.
Goodyear’s unique predictive tyre servicing solution for connected fleets is being used to forecast and automatically schedule needed tyre maintenance and replacement. Envoy’s fleet managers could see its fleet’s status, schedule maintenance needs and update appointments with Goodyear’s on-demand scheduling programme, helping to keep its vehicles operational and avoid the typically unforeseen issues that might suddenly force a shared vehicle to be pulled from service.
To do this, Goodyear gathers secure, anonymised data from Envoy’s connected vehicles and uses it to predict and schedule service needs. Goodyear then utilises its network of outlets and mobile vans to provide service to the vehicles. The mobile vans could install tyres on-site at their charging stations, maintaining vehicle safety with minimal time required by Envoy staff.
“With on-demand car sharing and ride hailing services on the rise, Goodyear is extending its fleet services business model to shared mobility providers to improve urban fleet operations,” said Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s chief technology officer.
Envoy provides shared, community-based electric vehicles where people live, work and stay, with a significant percentage of its fleet dedicated to deployment in disadvantaged communities. The two-year-old company recently passed a milestone of more than 100 vehicles deployed at partner sites with a pipeline of 1,800 vehicles to be launched in major metropolitan areas across the nation, including Portland, Seattle, Austin, Chicago, New York, Boston, Miami and Washington, D.C.
“This pilot with Goodyear helps us provide more comprehensive fleet management services and ensures vehicle readiness for our customers,” said Envoy co-founder Aric Ohana. “As Envoy continues to expand across the nation, Goodyear is uniquely positioned to provide the type of support needed to keep fleets on the streets.”
According to Goodyear Chief Technology Officer Christopher Helsel, Goodyear’s advantage lies in its combination of fleet management expertise, intelligent products and a vast service network to deliver complete solutions for the future of mobility.
Goodyear’s effort with Envoy builds on a successful test programme with Tesloop, a city-to-city mobility service that exclusively uses Tesla electric vehicles, and the commercialisation of Goodyear Proactive Solutions for truck fleets using advanced telematics and predictive analytics technology to allow fleet operators to optimise fuel efficiency and precisely identify and resolve tyre-related issues before they happen.
固特异，Envoy Technologies为电动汽车共享，按需车队
发起试点数字服务解决方案
以领先的轮胎及未来移动解决方案自豪的固特异轮胎及橡胶公司，宣布与基于社区的共享按需电动汽车供应商Envoy Technologies公司，共同发起一个试点项目。该项目已于今年初发起，该测试服务旨在尽可能缩短车队的运行停机时间。
固特异为互联车队提供专属的预见性轮胎检修方案，旨在预测并自动安排所需的轮胎维护及更换工作。Envoy的车队经理可查看其车队的（轮胎）状态，根据维护需求安排维护并更新固特异的按需调度项目的预约信息，有助于确保车辆的运行时间并避免遭遇未料到的（轮胎）故障，防止提供共享出行服务的车辆突然因故障而终止服务。
为此，固特异从Envoy的互联车辆处采集所需的信息，并确保该类加密信息的安全性，再利用该类信息预计所需的维护需求并进行合理安排。固特异利用其店铺网络及移动出行厢式货车为车辆提供服务。这类车辆可在其充电站提供轮胎的现场安装服务，确保车辆的安全性并尽可能缩短Envoy员工的等待时间。
Envoy提供基于社区的共享电动车，公司将旗下车队的绝大部分配置到出行不便的社区内。该公司成立了近两年，最近该公司在其伙伴方处配置了100多辆车，对该公司而言，该车队数量具有里程碑式的意义。据称，该公司计划在未来在主要的大都市区推出1，800辆车，包括：波特兰、西雅特、奥斯汀、芝加哥、纽约、波士顿、迈阿密和华盛顿特区。
“这个与固特异合作的试点项目，协助我们提供一个更全面的车队管理服务，并确保我们为客户准备好车辆。”Envoy联合创始人欧哈纳（Aric Ohana）。“当Envoy持续在全国各地扩展之际，固特异拥有独特的定位，支持在路上行驶的车辆。”
据固特异首席技术官赫尔泽（Chris Helsel），固特异的优势于其将车队管理经验、智能产品及大量的服务网络相结合，定位未来移动出行服务，提供整套产品。
固特异与Envoy的努力，建立在Tesloop测试项目和固特异主动解决方案的成功上。Tesloop是一家专门采用Tesla电动车辆，提供从城市到城市移动服务的公司。固特异主动解决方案，则是透过采用先进的远程信息处理和预见性分析技术，帮助车队运营方优化其燃油经济性，精准地确认和提前解决轮胎的相关问题。
