All this and more was discussed by Irfan Tansel, Chief Executive Officer, Al Masaood Automobiles, in his opening keynote at the Fleet & Mobility Summit on 21st of September 2022. In his presentation, Tansel highlighted the most notable changes disrupting the mobility sector, specifically in the digital and electrification front. Tansel also showcased the latest mobility trends and technologies that fleet operators can leverage to help the region achieve its decarbonisation ambitions, as well as to enable them to operate at optimal costs through smarter measures for service and accident management.
During the presentation, Tansel underlined the developments and growth opportunities that are shaping the industry, including new multimodal mobility schemes, ADAS autonomous driving technology advancements. He also spoke of the influx of data that mobility software is generating, and how fleet is leading the adoption of electrification in the region.
Tansel’s presentation shed light on the technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Omni-channel platforms, that will support the fleet of the future as well as the new approaches that will influence mobility and transportation in the coming years. This goes back to many advancements in the commercial vehicles today. Explaining further, Tansel cited that according to the U.S. National Safety Council, driving technologies like the Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) have a potential to prevent around 62% of traffic fatalities. “Significant advancements have been made in sensor, camera, and software technologies to enable ADAS to efficiently function in complicated environments,” he noted.
Taking Nissan as an example, Tansel highlighted that the Japanese automaker has installed advanced driver-assist technologies in many of their latest vehicles. The ProPILOT system was premiered in the region on the 2021 Nissan Altima, and more recently in the all-new Nissan Pathfinder. ProPILOT revolutionizes the driving experience by combining Nissan’s intelligent cruise control system with steering assist technologies, making driving easy and stress-free by automatically increasing or decreasing the vehicle’s speed to maintain a set distance from the car ahead. Tansel added that Nissan is aiming to expand its ProPILOT technology to over 2.5 million Nissan and Infiniti vehicles by the 2026.
Furthermore, Tansel discussed some of the rising trends in the fleet management realm, such as the increased adoption of electrification and telematics, and how these can improve the overall safety measures adopted by fleets and allow them to optimise vehicle uptime and service management.
He stated that fleet operators are driving the shift towards green mobility by investing in electric and autonomous infrastructure. Teletrac Navman, a leading global telematics software-as-a-service provider, cited in its Telematics Benchmark Report, that the adoption of electrification in commercial fleets is bringing ample opportunities for operators as 32% consider fuel their largest expense. From the report, Tansel also cites that 55% of fleets have seen lower fuel costs after adopting telemetry software. “Fleet telematics have improved their data production capabilities in addition to controlling uptime and the full repair lifecycle of fleet vehicles. The cost of accidents has decreased by 22% as a result of fleet telematics data, and fleet tracking was found to have improved customer service by 54% in 2020,” he stated.
The governments and municipalities in the region have made achieving Net-Zero a top priority. But doing so will require the commercial vehicles industry and professional fleets to reach out and support this goal. The Fleet & Mobility Summit brought together a distinguished panel of lecturers and business leaders to examine how cities and nations can take bigger strides in becoming greener places to live while preserving the region's large progress over the past 50 years. Tansel also spoke about the changing behaviours and measures that should be taken to address the continually evolving needs and requirements of customers.
Recognised as one of the ‘Top 100 CEOs in the Middle East’ by Forbes twice, Tansel has over 40 years of experience in the automotive sectors and has worked across three continents. He has achieved numerous milestones including being named within the ‘100 inspiring leaders in the Middle East’ by Arabian Business magazine and ‘CEO of the Year’ by CEO Magazine. He works with a vision to disrupt the automotive industry and leave behind a legacy of excellence. Considered a visionary in the automotive industry, he has been part of multiple achievements for Al Masaood Automobiles, like the 2019 ‘Nissan Global Award’, INFINITI’s ‘Outstanding Performance Award’ in 2020, and Renault’s Global Partners Award 2020 (P.A.R.I.S Challenge).
The Fleet & Mobility Summit 2022 summit served as a platform for stakeholders and industry leaders to share and discuss the technologies and practices that will enhance the future of the mobility sector. Key industry players shed light on the inspirational factors that helped them achieve greater heights in the mobility sector and provided insights to participants on optimum practices to enhance their business operations.