Bridgestone claims ‘world first’ with EV service platform

Amsterdam – Bridgestone Corp. has claimed a ‘world first’ with the launch of an electric vehicle (EV) services platform, which connects fleets with a network of service providers.

The platform is led by Bridgestone Mobility Solutions, a business focused on data-driven mobility and covering the tire maker's European fleet management operations Webfleet.

Unveiled during the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), 9-12 Jan in Las Vegas, the Webfleet-powered offering, enables businesses to “seamlessly access” a range of support services.

These include energy-management, battery analytics, fleet-management and EV charging as well as routing and planning solutions, added Bridgestone's 9 Jan release.

The ecosystem, it added, enables providers from the mobility and energy industries to collaborate and connect, delivering data-based services to fleets “better, faster and cheaper.”

The service will engage charging hardware and software experts to provide charging information according to fleet needs, while monitoring and analysing charger performance.

According to Bridgestone, the platform can also reduce costs by avoiding peak loads and high-energy tariffs, and lower emissions by utilising renewable energy.

Furthermore, fleet operators will have access to expertise in ‘energy management’, receiving guidance on how to optimise efficiency in vehicles and buildings.

In terms of fleet management, operations can run optimally based on real-time vehicle data and insights on driver behaviour and energy consumption, added Bridgestone.

Service providers to the platform include Eaton; fast-charging solutions supplier Heliox; EV fleets experts VEV; as well as Bridgestone’s fleet management solutions in Europe and North America: Webfleet Azuga.