Following on from its immensely successful Fleet Expo of 2022, leading provider of vehicle management including compliance, driver behaviour and performance measures EROAD, hosted a first-of-its-kind event for light fleet managers and business leaders.
Wellington’s exclusive Boomrock venue played host to the one-day event which was co-supported by the Greater Wellington Regional Council.
Jeanette Parsons from Greater Wellington Regional Council says, “For a fleet manager, the EROAD Fleet Expo is an invaluable, unique event for the industry to embrace vehicle technologies and data whilst motivating us all as we look towards a greener, safer future! Greater Wellington Regional Council is proud to support such an inspirational event!”
Attended by 120 business leaders who gained insights on the transport sector from several industry experts including, Jonathan Parker, founder of ThunderGrid and ChargeNet CEO Danusia Wypych, along with managing director of Optimal Fleet Solutions Limited Jack Gordon Crosby, the event proved to be a resounding success.
There was much more to the EROAD Fleet Expo than the dissemination of information however, and this was a core element of the event’s success.
Working with multiple car dealerships, including Hyundai NZ, Capital City Ford and many others, the event also put on an impressive display of over 60 different light fleet models for attendees to experience.
And this was experience in the truest sense of the word, since a number of the vehicles were made available for test drive evaluations on Boomrock’s exclusive race circuit and surrounding off-road environments.
Speaking about why EROAD put on the event, EROAD’s Executive General Manager for Australia and New Zealand, Konrad Stempniak says, “Fleet Expo is an excellent way to bring together light fleet professionals and businesses to discuss the challenges, trends and opportunities they’re facing.”
Transport accounts for 17 percent of New Zealand’s emissions, and in a recent survey commissioned by EROAD, 76 percent of businesses operating light vehicles said low or zero emissions vehicles will become part of their fleet by 2025. Events like EROAD Fleet Expo aim to help businesses understand the options available to them, and learn from each other as they work to reduce emissions.
“We want to help break down some of the barriers that might be getting in the way of progress towards net-zero,” adds Stempniak, “Fleet Expo was designed to serve up knowledge, industry connections and first-hand experience of new technologies in a single event – something that hasn’t been available to light fleet professionals until now.”
In addition to the excitement of driving some of the latest vehicle releases focused on cleaner and greener transportation, business leaders took part in discussions on the journey to electrification and the actions which should be taken now to prepare for the future.
There was also practical advice on fleet optimisation, leasing versus buying and how to plan for EV charging infrastructure.
Stempniak adds, “We know fleets want to better understand their emissions and ways to reduce them. We also know the pathway can be unclear. As well as technology solutions, businesses need to be able to learn from each other and that’s where events like this come in.”
EROAD, which is currently developing a fleet decarbonisation tool in conjunction with EECA, hopes the event will encourage more fleet businesses to begin or advance their own fleet sustainability programs.
To find out more about EROAD and the services it offers fleet operators visit the www.eroad.co.nz website.
