The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company has announced a new pilot program with Envoy Technologies, a provider of shared on-demand, community-based electric vehicles (EVs). The pilot was launched in early 2019 and is primarily testing services that minimise operational downtime for vehicle fleets.
Goodyear’s unique predictive tyre servicing solution is being used to forecast and automatically schedule any necessary tyre maintenance and replacement. The on-demand scheduling program has Goodyear gathering random, secure data from Envoy’s connected vehicles, later predicting and scheduling service needs – provided via Goodyear’s network of outlets and mobile vans, which can install tyres on-site at their charging stations while maintaining vehicle safety.
Goodyear’s advantage thus lies in its combination of fleet management expertise, intelligent products and a vast service network to deliver complete solutions for future mobility.
Envoy’s fleet managers are also notified of the fleet’s status and maintenance needs, and will then update appointments with Goodyear’s on-demand scheduling program, helping to keep its vehicles operational and avoid the typically unforeseen issues that might suddenly force a shared vehicle to be pulled from service.
Chris Helsel, Goodyear’s CTO, has explained: “With on-demand car sharing and ride hailing services on the rise, Goodyear is extending its fleet services business model to shared mobility providers to improve urban fleet operations.”
Envoy co-founder Aric Ohana has said that pilot with Goodyear helps Envoy provide more comprehensive fleet management services and ensures vehicle readiness for customers: “Goodyear is uniquely positioned to provide the type of support needed by Envoy to keep fleets on the streets.”
Goodyear’s effort with Envoy builds on a successful test program with Tesloop, a city-to-city mobility service using Tesla electric vehicles; advanced telematics and predictive analytics technology allow fleet operators to optimise fuel efficiency and precisely identify and resolve tyre-related issues before they happen.
Goodyear is one of the world’s largest tyre companies, with about 64,000 employees distributed among 47 facilities in 21 countries around the world. Its innovation centres strive to develop state-of-the-art products and services that set the technology and performance standard for the industry.
Envoy Technologies provides shared, community-based electric vehicles, with a significant percentage of its services dedicated to disadvantaged communities. The two-year-old company recently passed a milestone of more than 100 deployed vehicles and a further 1,800 vehicles to be launched in major metropolitan areas across the US.