Scottish Water has signed a four-year deal with Michelin Connected Fleet to help boost the performance of its 2,000-strong mixed fleet and accelerate the switch to zero-emission vehicles.

Scottish Water’s two-year trial of Michelin Connected Fleet’s solutions led to more than 100 ICE-powered vans being replaced with EVs

The company, which provides water and wastewater services to over five million customers across rural, island and urban communities, is rolling out Michelin Connected Fleet across its 1,300 vans, 200-plus trucks and trailers, and 500 specialist pieces of plant, over the next six months.

The fleet management solutions will primarily be used to guide decisions about switching to EVs by drawing on data analysis of battery charging and range performance.

The data tools will also be used to support improvements in driver behaviour and safety.

Elaine Pringle, fleet manager at Scottish Water, said: “We see huge benefits from partnering with Michelin Connected Fleet, both to support driver safety and also help the business to meet our own ambitious target of transitioning to a zero-emission fleet.

“We’re really impressed with the reporting capabilities of the fleet management tools, which will provide invaluable insights to determine how we introduce EVs and where we need to install charging infrastructure. Data analysis will also aid vehicle utilisation, whilst helping cut costs by enhancing route optimisation and scheduling and reducing CO2 emissions across our fleet.”

The deal follows Scottish Water’s two-year trial of Michelin Connected Fleet’s EV transition tools and services. This led to more than 100 internal combustion engine-powered small- and medium-size vans being replaced with EVs.

Gilson Santiago, CEO of Michelin Connected Fleet, commented: “After working with us on a project basis since 2021, Scottish Water has seen how it can benefit from our connected fleet management tools in a number of impactful ways. We are committed to helping customers run more sustainable fleets and we believe our services and data insights will be incredibly useful in the firm’s ongoing EV transition programme.”