A Partnership Revolutionizing Fleet Management
In the ever-evolving world of mobility data and fleet management, Mobilisights and Echoes are standing out as innovators. In this exclusive interview, we speak with Sébastien Fraysse, VP and Head of EMEA Sales at Mobilisights, and Mathieu Chènebit, CEO of Echoes, to discuss their companies’ unique contributions and their vision for the future of fleet management.
1. Can you describe your core business and target audience?
- Sébastien Fraysse, Mobilisights:
Mobilisights plays a crucial role by being the single point of exit for all the data generated natively by the vehicles of the Stellantis group. We facilitate various use cases based on this data, providing data streams in the form of APIs that end customers integrate into their own systems, or that neutral servers such as Echoes harmonise to make them searchable. Our main customers are large professional fleets, insurance companies and B2B2C service providers who use our data to manage their vehicles on a daily basis, to optimise their TCO and for a variety of services such as assistance, remote diagnostics, etc. - Mathieu Chènebit, Echoes:
Echoes sees itself as a neutral server, an independent intermediary that accesses data from vehicle manufacturers. This status allows us to connect to most manufacturers present in Europe, including Stellantis, to collect data from many new vehicles. Since our creation in 2017, we have been developing fleet monitoring tools for our short- and long-term leasing customers and corporate fleet managers. Our expertise lies in continuously improving the user experience using agile development methods.
2. With the introduction of native OEM data, will manufacturers of connected boxes become obsolete?
- Sébastien Fraysse, Mobilisights:
The emergence of native OEM data is transforming the telematics market. While there are still some concerns regarding vehicle compatibility and coverage of multi-make fleets, Mobilisights is addressing these issues by covering all 14 Stellantis brands, with full compatibility now available for new light commercial vehicles and electric vehicles. It is becoming increasingly necessary for traditional box manufacturers to integrate manufacturer data into their product offerings. The installation of boxes is becoming less and less relevant, with the focus shifting to data interpretation and ergonomic presentation.
- Mathieu Chènebit, Echoes:
We are also seeing a strong trend towards the adoption of native OEM solutions as our connected base grows. The benefits are many: services available on demand, no need to buy or install external boxes, OEM certified data and much more complete. It’s a real revolution in our industry. However, box manufacturers will not disappear; they will be used to meet specific needs or in redundancy for security reasons. For example, Echoes offers covert devices to locate and secure vehicles in the event of theft, adding value to the manufacturer’s data.
3. What does the future hold for your business?
- Sébastien Fraysse, Mobilisights:
We’re focusing on expanding our data catalogue and improving our infrastructure. The aim is to enable vehicles to be updated remotely, thereby increasing the quality and quantity of data collected. We are also exploring new use cases with aggregated and anonymised data for applications such as traffic information and identifying damaged road infrastructure, such as potholes, by analysing driver behaviour.
- Mathieu Chènebit, Echoes:
Sky is the limit! New services and applications are proliferating. The trend is similar to what we saw in the 2000s with the adoption of the cloud thanks to pioneers like AWS. Now, mobility service providers can consume the data from their fleets as a service that can be activated remotely 24/7 without any intervention in the vehicles. At Echoes, we’re eagerly awaiting access to functions such as open/close and charging to meet the specific needs of professionals and users. We are also continually improving our interfaces to enhance the user experience. We are also experimenting with new use cases with test customers, particularly in customer relationship management for car dealerships. We are also working on aggregated data to provide valuable fleet usage statistics.
4. What are the new perspectives that will be opened up by the electrification of the fleet?
- Sébastien Fraysse, Mobilisights:
The electrification of fleets, in response to the ban on internal combustion vehicles by 2035, is creating new opportunities and challenges…
Native data from electric vehicles is essential to optimise and add value to these vehicles. It guides everything from the location of charging stations to the analysis of total cost of ownership and the transition to electric, as well as the deployment of dynamic charging and assistance services. The data provided by Mobilisights is at the heart of successful customer experience and value creation. It also plays a key role in adapting insurance policies and maintaining the residual value of electric vehicles. - Mathieu Chènebit, Echoes:
For companies, electrification is an opportunity to reduce the total cost of ownership (TCO). With our tools such as CarFleet, managers can optimise the use of their electric fleets, monitor charging behaviour and compare performance between makes and models. We are also looking at future capabilities such as charging point identification and managing energy demand through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) solutions.
Conclusion
The interview with Sébastien Fraysse and Mathieu Chènebit highlights the growing importance of OEM data and neutral servers in modern fleet management. Their collaboration aims to transform the sector through accurate data, advanced interpretation and innovative management tools. As the mobility landscape continues to evolve, the contributions of Mobilisights and Echoes will be essential in maximising the efficiency and sustainability of vehicle fleets.