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Battle for vehicle tech intensifies as digital giants wade into market

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Europe was the most active autotech M&A market in 2018 with 39% of deal activity, ahead of North America and APAC, yet accounted for only 7% of total global M&A transaction value.

The latest research from GP Bullhound reveals M&A activity in autotech across Europe, Asia and North America has steadily increased in the last few years, reaching a record 166 transactions in 2018, up from 144 the previous year.

Though Europe is the most active market worldwide for M&A transactions, Asia Pacific and North America lead in terms of deal value – with 72% and 21%, respectively.

The total global autotech fundraising value increased by 293% to €27bn over the past five years,

Sven Raeymaekers, Partner at GP Bullhound, said: “Europe’s autotech sector has been growing from strength to strength in the last few years, and the figures in our report attest to significant innovation and investment across the continent. The next challenge for Europe’s autotech firms will be to achieve scale in order to compete with the biggest players in the industry. The difficulty so far is that European autotech companies struggle to get the same level of funding as their competitors in APAC and North America.”

The report also reveals that technology giants such as Google, Intel, Tesla and Uber are challenging established automotive firms when it comes to innovation in autonomous driving, connected cars, electric vehicles, and shared mobility solutions.

With Tesla on track to outsell both BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the US and several global automakers issuing recent profit warnings, GP Bullhound says the automotive industry is facing unprecedented disruption from emerging and established technology firms keen for a slice of the action.

Guillaume Bonneton, Partner at GP Bullhound, added: “A battle is emerging between global tech giants and the traditional automobile manufacturers. The tech giants have an advantage in terms of total resources available, but do not rule out the OEMs as they are pouring significant levels of investment into the four key sectors highlighted in our report. Combined with the existing levels of trust they have from consumers, it will be interesting to see who comes out on top.”

The report considers four key trends set to significantly reshape the automotive sector over the next ten to fifteen years: shared mobility, electrification, autonomy and connectivity.

Autonomy looks set to catch up to shared mobility as the most disruptive sector with the greatest increase in transaction value from €0.2bn in 2014, to €8bn in 2018 and an average transaction value of €70m, just below level of shared mobility on €75m which has dominated since 2014. This came as shared mobility declined from €17bn in 2017, to €8bn last year.

Looking ahead, the report identifies micro-mobility – bike, scooter and mopeds-sharing– as a fast-growth area, with deal activity in bike-scooter sharing increasing from $14m in 2015 to $3.5bn by the end of 2018.

BMW and Daimler invest €1 billion in joint mobility services provider

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The BMW Group and Daimler AG are pooling their mobility services to create a new global player in the rapidly expanding segment.

The two companies are investing more than €1 billion to develop and more closely intermesh their offerings for car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport.

The cooperation comprises five joint ventures: REACH NOW for multimodal services, CHARGE NOW for charging, FREE NOW for taxi ride-hailing, PARK NOW for parking and SHARE NOW for car-sharing.

The two companies’ mobility services have a strong customer base, with a combined total of over 60 million active customers to date. Te aim is to build on the existing European and North American base to grow their combined global footprint. Here’s how each of the five core services breaks down:

  • REACH NOW offers more than 6.7 million users simple, direct access to a range of mobility services through a single multimodal platform. The REACH NOW apps will offer a range of options for getting from A to B, allowing users to book and pay directly for public transport and various other mobility options, such as car-sharing, ride-hailing and bike rentals. REACH NOW will be managed by Daniela Gerd tom Markotten as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), with Johannes Prantl as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
  • CHARGE NOW is a service by Digital Charging Solutions GmbH (DCS). It makes public charge points quick and easy to locate, use and pay for, both at home and abroad. Digital Charging Solutions GmbH develops simple, standardised access to public charge points for car manufacturers and fleet operators. With over 100,000 charge points across 25 countries, its white-label solutions are helping OEMs and fleet operators to realise their strategies for electric mobility. Customers benefit from cross-border access to one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing charging networks, with over 250 charge point operators (CPOs) to date.
  • PARK NOW offers users parking solutions at a glance, allows them to reserve parking slots and manage their parking times, and enables ticketless entry and exit in public garages as well as cashless payment of parking fees. In addition, with the search for parking currently accounting for about 30 percent of the traffic on urban roads, PARK NOW is helping towns and cities to reduce traffic volumes, thereby helping to make city centres cleaner, healthier and more liveable. In Europe and North America over 30 million customers are already using the service in more than 1,100 cities. CHARGE NOW and PARK NOW are headed by Jörg Reimann as CEO, with Thomas Menzel as CFO.
  • FREE NOW offers a variety of mobility services including taxis, private chauffeurs with rental vehicles, and state-of-the-art e-scooters, all at the tap of a finger. One of the largest ride-hailing services in Europe and Latin America, FREE NOW already serves more than 21 million customers and over 250,000 drivers, who make a valuable contribution to the reduction of traffic in city centres. FREE NOW is headed by Marc Berg as CEO, with Sebastian Hofelich as CFO.
  • SHARE NOW is a free-floating car-sharing service that allows customers to rent and pay for vehicles by smartphone. Its fleet will now be extended to incorporate a wider range of models and increase market coverage. More than 4 million customers in total currently use the fleet’s 20,000 vehicles in 31 cities around the world. Car-sharing increases vehicle utilization rates, helping to cut the overall number of cars on the roads in urban areas. Olivier Reppert has been appointed CEO of SHARE NOW, with Stefan Glebke as CFO.

The partners say their new mobility portfolio will be easy to access, intuitive to use, and will cater to customers’ needs. The next few years will see up to 1,000 new jobs created worldwide – including in the Berlin HQ and Germany.

“Our mobility services have developed a strong customer base and we are now taking the next strategic step. We are pooling the strength and expertise of 14 successful brands and investing more than €1 billion to establish a new player in the fast-growing market for urban mobility,” said Dieter Zetsche, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Head of Mercedes-Benz Cars. “By creating an intelligent network of joint ventures, we will be able to shape current and future urban mobility and draw maximum benefit from the opportunities opened up by digitalization, shared services and the increasing mobility needs of our customers. Further cooperations with other providers, including stakes in startups and established players, are also a possible option.”

“We are creating a leading global game changer. The 60 million customers we already have today will benefit from a seamlessly integrated, sustainable ecosystem of car-sharing, ride-hailing, parking, charging and multimodal transport services. We have a clear vision: these five services will merge ever more closely to form a single mobility service portfolio with an all-electric, self-driving fleet of vehicles that charge and park autonomously and interconnect with the other modes of transport,” said Harald Krüger, Management Board Chairman of BMW AG. “This service portfolio will be a key cornerstone in our strategy as a mobility provider. The cooperation is the perfect way for us to maximize our chances in a growing market, while sharing the investments.”

5 Minutes With… Peter O’Driscoll, UK Country Manager, RingGo cashless parking

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As part of our ongoing fleet executive interview series, we sat down with RingGo’s UK Country Manager Peter O’Driscoll to talk about new products, current market trends and technological innovations…

Tell us about your company, products and services.

RingGo is the UK’s leading phone parking service – available in more than 450 towns and cities across the UK.  

RingGo Corporate is our unique offering for businesses, which lets employees pay for parking quickly and easily using their company account.

Most of the UK’s largest telecoms, utilities, and service companies use RingGo Corporate.  Quite simply because it improves the efficiency of their business, increases employee and customer satisfaction, and reduces pay and claim.  

One company says they save £3 million pa because they’ve reduced penalty charges so much! Another saves £500,000 each year.  A major telecoms company told us they’ve seen customer satisfaction increase since introducing RingGo Corporate – just because engineers no longer worry about parking overruns and can take time over each job.  

What have been the biggest challenges the Fleet Services industry has faced over the past 12 months?

We know businesses find it hard to work efficiently with increasing congestion in towns and cities. At a tactical level, things like our award-winning space availability solution already help, by analysing RingGo parking data and highlighting where free parking spots are most likely to be. This can save countless motorists from circling for spaces.  

And as part of the new BMW/Daimler mobility services joint venture, we will in future be able to offer wider transport solutions that use intelligent data to indicate the best mode for each trip.  This will also help employees carry out their critical journeys in a more efficient and environmentally-friendly way.  

And what have been the biggest opportunities?

We see a whole host of new technology which helps employees work more efficiently while they’re out on the road.  The simple act of avoiding congestion, finding a space, parking and paying, close to your destination, simply wasn’t possible a decade ago – but now, everyone has a smartphone and we take it for granted.  The rate of change is astonishing.  

What is the biggest priority for the Fleet Services industry in 2019?

Improving efficiency and road safety is also key, so if you can make the lives of your employees easier and less stressful, we obviously think you should do that!   

What are the main trends you are expecting to see in the market in 2019?

From our point of view, we work closely with hundreds of Councils and many of them are under pressure to improve local air quality.  Several are varying parking tariffs to encourage electric and hybrid vehicles, and yes often discouraging older petrol and diesel vehicles too.  That’s something that will affect many more fleets in 2019, especially those that need to travel in City centres.  

What technology is going to have the biggest impact on the market this year?

The introduction of in car payments for parking – In-car is coming…

In 2022 we’ll all be talking about…?

Whether the progress in autonomous vehicles is as fast as some predict right now.

Which person in, or associated with, the Fleet Services industry would you most like to meet?

The Fleet Managers of every major utility – can you sort that please?!

What’s the most surprising thing you’ve learnt about the Fleet Services sector?

The most surprising thing that we have learnt is what actually constitutes a fleet vehicle. Historically these were either purchased outright or leased by the company but today there are a multitude of funding methods, with a large number of fleet users funding these from cash, so identifying what constitutes a fleet user presents its challenges. 

You go to the bar at the Fleet Services Management Summit – what’s your tipple of choice?

A rum and Coke always sits well.  The nice thing of course being that if I leave the car overnight I can always top up the next morning with RingGo.

What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

Building cool, useful stuff that people like using!  I love it when people ask what I do and they reply “Oh I use that.  It’s great!”

What could be nicer than making people’s daily lives that little bit easier?

And what’s the most challenging?

Purely and simply juggling all the amazing opportunities for new and better parking services.  With limited resources, I have to make difficult choices on a daily basis.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?

Try and see ahead and make plans for what’s coming. Then focus on two or three key areas to deliver.

Peaky Blinders or The Crown?

Peaky Blinders… and their unique entrepreneurial spirit. 

Do you specialise in Driver Training? We want to hear from you!

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Each month on Fleet Management Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on a different part of the fleet & logistics market – and in March we’ll be focussing on Driver Training solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help fleet buyers find the best products and services available today.

So, if you’re a supplier of Driver Training solutions and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Here are the areas we’ll be covering in 2019, month by month:

March – Driver Training
April – Accident & Risk Management
May – Fleet Management Software
June – Telematics
July – Contract Hire & Leasing
August – LPG/Alternative Fuel & Fuel Management
September – Vehicle Tracking
October – Duty of Care
November – Grey Fleet
December – Service, Maintenance & Repair

For more information on any of the above, contact Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 / c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

SAVE THE DATE: Fleet Services Management Summit 2019

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The Fleet Services Management Summit has been confirmed for 2019 – Make a date in your diary now for this two-day event taking place on November 11th& 12th at Whittlebury Hall, Northamptonshire.

And ensure you have a place by registering for your free VIP ticket.

As our VIP guest, you will be benefit from:

  • A personalised itinerary of face-to-face meetings with innovative suppliers who match your requirements and upcoming projects. No time wasted, no hard sell.
  • Access to educational and inspirational seminar sessions.
  • Networking opportunities with like-minded peers.
  • Full hospitality, including lunch and all refreshments.
  • An invitation to our gala dinner with entertainment
  • Overnight accommodation

It’s entirely FREE to attend. Simply click here to register.

Or for more information call Katie Bullot on 01992 374049 or email k.bullot@forumevents.co.uk.

To attend as a supplier, call Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 or email c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.

Don’t miss out on the Total Supply Chain Summit

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Attend the Total Supply Chain Summit on May 20th & 21st at Heythrop Park for business insights, networking and did we mention Brexit?

You’ll meet new suppliers, attend insightful seminar sessions and mingle with other senior care professionals.

Plus, your free pass includes overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments and an invitation to a gala dinner.

Register now to avoid disappointment.

Alternatively, contact Jamie Higgs on 01992 374058 / j.higgs@forumevents.co.uk to find out more.

Or, if you’re a supplier to the sector and would like to use the event to showcase your solutions, contact Nick Stannard on 01992 374092 / n.stannard@forumevents.co.uk.

New low emissions buses as part of £48m investment

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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Communities across the UK stand to benefit from greener journeys with the introduction of 263 new low emission buses on certain routes.

A £48 million investment from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles will fund green vehicles and infrastructure to drive forward government plans to clean up the air in towns and cities.

Speaking at the UK Bus Summit, Buses Minister Nusrat Ghani also announced a new partnership with Greener Journeys to reflect the ‘pivotal role’ played by the bus industry in tackling loneliness and social isolation.

The partnership will see companies across the sector pledge to tackle loneliness, including through innovative vehicle design and initiatives to encourage bus passengers to talk to each other.

Buses Minister Nusrat Ghani said: “Buses are far more than a way of getting from A to B. They are a crucial tool in the fight against loneliness and it is good to see the industry taking steps to tackle isolation.

“This government is doing more than ever before to reduce emissions across all modes of transport and I’m delighted to see the bus industry putting itself at the forefront of this.

Nineteen successful bidders across England and Wales will receive funding to purchase new low emission buses and supporting infrastructure, such as charge points.

The fundings is part of the government’s £1.5 billion Road to Zero strategy published last year.

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive, Greener Journeys, said: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the government to tackle the epidemic of loneliness affecting millions of people in the UK. Research from Greener Journeys shows that a third of people in Britain go at least a day a week without speaking to anyone – not a friend, colleague or family member.

“Buses play a vital role in facilitating social connections among the most vulnerable people, who rely on them to take them to visit friends and family. It’s fantastic to see the industry come together to launch such a brilliant range of initiatives to address the problem of loneliness.”

LCV demand strong in early-2019

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
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The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMT) says the new light commercial vehicle (LCV) market grew 8.6% in January, with more than 22,000 new vehicles in this category joining UK roads in the first month of 2019.

The findings equate to an uplift of 1,761 vehicles as compared to January 2018.

Commercial vehicles weighing less than  2.0 tonnes also saw an increase of 31.7%, along with pickups (13.4%). Demand for larger vans also grew by 7.1%.

However, medium sized vans weighing 2.0-2.5 tonnes fell by 3.9%.

New models and proactive sales campaigns have been attributed to the rise in demand.

Discussing the findings, Mike Hawes, chief executive SMMT, said: January’s positive performance follows a mixed 2018, which finished on a particularly poor December, so some bounce-back was to be expected. Further fluctuations in demand are predicted over the coming months as the UK’s post-Brexit future remains uncertain. 

“Operators need stability to invest and renew their fleets, which now depends on government providing the right conditions starting with removing the threat of ‘no-deal’.”

Improve efficiency, increase happiness and save money – all with business parking

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

If your employees are still hanging around in the rain and cold, hassling with coins and wasting time on pay and claim, why not use RingGo Corporate?

It’s the UK’s leading phone parking solution, used by the UK’s largest utilities, telecoms, facilities management and security companies, and it’s offered across the UK.

One RingGo Corporate customer saves £3M pa having virtually removed PCNs and the admin of dealing with them. Another saves £500,000 pa.

Businesses that use RingGo Corporate say: 

  • Their employees are happier and more productive at work. 
  • They’ve improved control with the online parking reports.  
  • They claim back VAT with our HMRC approved invoice.  
  • Their business works more efficiently and
  • Customer satisfaction has increased as a direct consequence (yes, really!*)

How it works

You nominate drivers for your RingGo Corporate account.  They park where RingGo is offered and use the app, call or website to pay.  RingGo recognises the mobile or vehicle registration and offers immediate payment. 

Each time someone parks, the fee is debited from your prepaid account.  If the job overruns, employees can top up wherever they are. 

If you’re not already using RingGo Corporate, we wonder why.  It’s the easy, efficient way for employees to park and pay.

Call 01256 317523 for more information

*One of the UK’s leading telecoms providers insists their employees use RingGo Corporate whenever they park.  Engineers no longer worry about topping up their parking, watching for CEO’s or rushing to finish their jobs.  And customers are happier because of it. 

Network your way to success at the Fleet Services Management Summit

 960 640 Stuart O'Brien
By:

Join with 65 fellow professionals for two days of networking and learning at the Fleet Services Management Summit, which takes place on November 11th & 12th 2019.

This unique two-day event is tailor-made for senior fleet managers – and is FREE for you to attend!

Simply register your place here.

  • Meet with innovative and budget-saving suppliers based on your own requirements
  • Attend a series of insightful seminars
  • Network with like-minded fleet managers
  • Enjoy complimentary overnight accommodation, all meals and refreshments, plus an invitation to our gala dinner, with entertainment.
  • Give your business the edge in 2019 and beyond

Don’t miss out! There are only a limited number of VIP places available.

Or for more information call Katie Bullot on 01992 374049 or email k.bullot@forumevents.co.uk.

To attend as a supplier, call Chris Cannon on 01992 374096 or email c.cannon@forumevents.co.uk.