Local Motion – Fleet Telematics Case Study

Vehicles seem to have infinite potential when it comes to IoT technology. Whether it be Elon Musk’s goal to implement fully automated public transport, or syncing your entertainment system to your home so you never miss your favorite song, the possibilities appear to be endless. But in the middle ground between grand designs and gimmicky features there is a vast space in which IoT developers are creating devices that offer real time-saving value, optimize operations in a wide variety of areas and, most importantly, are efficient and effective in the real world. One of these developers is Local Motion, who enable effortless vehicle sharing through a combination of keyless access, real-time fleet monitoring and control software, and web-based motor pooling to enhance every vehicle from utility trucks to golf carts.

Local Motion’s keyless vehicle sharing and fleet management technologies enable drivers and fleet managers to get more out of their fleets. By optimizing all aspects of fleet sharing they estimate annual efficiencies can be achieved of up to $300k with 3,000 hours of employee time saved, 30% more fleet mobility and a reduction of 130 tons of CO2. Their end to end solution makes motor pooling easier for drivers, providing keyless access using RFID badges or mobile devices, a flexible online reservation platform, and on-demand access even without a reservation. Local Motion’s cloud-based platform allows fleet managers to monitor vehicle and driver activity in real-time, control access on-the-fly with remote locking and unlocking of vehicles, and receive alerts for speeding, late returns, and battery levels.

One of the most important features of a keyless fleet is the efficiency of the technology itself, and Local Motion’s devices streamline unlocking the vehicle using the driver’s RFID badge or mobile device. This requires a robust mobile network signal that can actively overcome network restrictions.  Local Motion found that single network coverage could often be patchy in customers’ parking lots. To resolve this issue, Pod Group provided their Best Signal Multi Network SIMs, which automatically connect to the strongest mobile signal available, wherever the device is located. These multi-network SIMs provide reliable data connectivity for devices that are on the move, or in remote locations. With comprehensive coverage in the US and the additional advantage of one competitive flat rate across the US and Europe, Pod’s multi-network SIM was a perfect fit for both the mission-critical stage (unlocking the vehicle) and the tracking stage (monitoring the vehicle location, status and driver behavior). Michaël Javault, Head of Hardware, Local Motion said, ‘We found that network signals could often be weak in our customers’ parking lots. Without being able to find a signal for unlocking the vehicles, this potentially meant our keyless entry system wouldn’t always work. This is mission-critical for us. ‘Pod’s Multi-Network SIMs solved our parking lot signal headache. The flat rate data across the US and Europe is a bonus that helps us to closely control our data costs whilst we focus on growing our business on both sides of the Atlantic.’

Access to Pod IoT Suite, our SIM management platform, comes as standard with all multi-network SIMs. Local Motion found that this platform made it easier than ever before to manage their SIM base online and on mobile devices, with SIM activations, alerts, data usage information, analytics and more in one centralized location. Michaël Javault said, ‘We have been really impressed with the functionality provided via the Pod platform – it’s really easy to use and makes it so simple to manage our SIMs.’ Outstanding customer service is another important reason why Local Motion chose to work with Pod Group. Michael continued, ‘The Pod support team responds to any queries quickly and they really seem to go the extra mile to listen and respond to our technical queries. They even implemented some new features on the SIM management platform following my discussions with the technical team about what we found would be most useful for us.’ Pod Group has a strong focus on fostering long-lasting partnerships with their customers, and the combination of Local Motion’s keyless vehicle sharing and Pod Group’s robust connectivity is one such partnership that has been particularly successful and will continue to provide mission-critical, continuous access to their fleet customers for years to come. Since this case study Local Motion has been acquired by Zipcar.