Fleets have undergone a remarkable technological evolution in the past five years. Traditional vehicle fleets like taxis, law enforcement vehicles, maintenance vehicles, rental vehicles and more have been digitally upgraded to meet the needs of their owners.

Through the collection, connection and analysis of extensive digital data about a fleet’s operation, those who manage these traditional fleets have gained significant insight into the utilization, efficiency and even misuse of their vehicles. Alongside this digital revolution of traditional fleets, the nature of what can be considered a “fleet” has also evolved. A changing model of consumer mobility has taken hold through car-sharing, ride-hailing and more, bringing together specialized fleets of vehicles under brands like Uber, Getaround and Zipcar. This new paradigm for mobility has created large pools of vehicles that share similarities with traditional fleets but occupy a highly valued place in consumers’ lives.

Combining the digitally upgraded traditional fleets and the technology-driven vehicle groups built for consumer mobility, the number of vehicles on the road that belong to a fleet has grown tremendously. That growth has greatly accelerated the development of vehicle technology available to the market today. While it may take many years for our roads to be substantially occupied by autonomous vehicles, upgrades to the vehicles on the road today are quickly enabling new forms of ownership, greater sustainability and more personalized experiences.

A Mobility Revolution: From Ownership To Participation

One specialized fleet category that has recently arisen in the consumer market is ride-sharing. Leaders in this space have quickly created multibillion-dollar businesses like Lyft, Uber, Didi Chuxing and Ola Cabs. Ride-sharing has transformed the definition of a fleet, with companies that build these apps now reaching deeper into the driver and passenger experience with technology to make rides safer and more personalized.

New consumer mobility business models don’t stop at Lyft and Uber. Companies like Ford-owned Chariot are branding themselves to target a specific audience of tech-savvy city commuters during high-volume transit times, offering a shared-ride alternative to public transportation. These commuter mobility solutions are also being driven to compete for customers with personalization, safety and experiential differentiation through vehicle technology.

On-Demand Access

Another important transformation in mobility comes from shared-utilization companies like Getaround, ZipCar, Turo and GM-owned Maven, all of which offer convenient, on-demand access to a vehicle without the burden of ownership. These companies, despite the drivers of the vehicles being the consumers themselves, share many commonalities with ride-sharing fleets. Consumers are demanding investments in experience, safety and more to enhance the shared-utilization experience. Most importantly, shared-utilization companies replace personal ownership with on-demand mobility and do so through technology that is deeply integrated with a vehicle itself.