Kia is teaming up with Geotab and 42dot to develop advanced fleet management solutions for its upcoming electric vans.

The global deal will improve safety, sustainability and efficiency for fleets running Kia’s PBV electric vans

The global partnership will integrate advanced data solutions with enhanced in-vehicle technology to support safety, sustainability and efficiency for fleets worldwide.

Kia revealed plans to launch PBVs in its 2020 Plan S strategy and showcased three ‘PBV’ (Platform Beyond Vehicle) concepts at CES 2024. The first vehicle, the PV5, is expected to launch in 2025.

The new partnership builds upon Kia’s PBV business strategy – to offer software solutions seamlessly integrated with the vehicle, with FMS (fleet management system) as the core differentiating factor.

Geotab and 42dot, Hyundai Motor Group’s Global Software Center and fleet management system provider, will collaborate to develop an AI-driven FMS, enabling Kia fleet customers to utilise advanced data insights.

Louis De Jong, chief revenue officer at Geotab, said: “By integrating our data insights and AI capabilities with Kia’s automotive technology and 42dots’s data expertise, customers will receive enhanced value for their operations including access to quality data insights that drive improved cost management, safety and sustainability. This exciting collaboration is advancing the connected mobility industry, ensuring fleets are well equipped to navigate today’s challenges and tomorrow’s opportunities.”

The partnership will also include an in-vehicle application, developed to leverage the MyGeotab platform and Kia’s PBV In-Vehicle Display App Store. This will enhance the fleet’s operations through route optimisation as well as improve safety.

Geotab will also work with Kia as an OEM-Geotab Cloud-to-Cloud data provider. This will enable customers to draw on OEM-embedded data without the need to install a separate device.

Europe will be the first region to benefit from the collaboration, where a co-branded FMS platform will be offered with the launch of Kia’s first PBV models next year.

Sangdae Kim, senior vice president and head of the PBV Business Division at Kia Corporation, said: “Kia is partnering with Geotab and 42dot because this collaboration is essential to the strategic growth of Kia’s PBV business.

“Together, Kia aims to offer the best-in-class fleet management solutions that not only optimises fleet operations but also lay the foundation for PBV software capabilities. As we launch our first PBV next year, Kia will provide a total mobility solution including both connect-ready vehicles and FMS solutions to fleet customers for greater operational efficiency and safety.”

Sangseok Lim, head of the AEV Platform Engineering Division at 42dot, added: “By combining 42dot’s vehicle data platform and intelligent fleet safety technology – based on autonomous driving and software-defined vehicles – we are creating an advanced FMS designed to meet both the current and future demands of fleet operators, ensuring their long-term success.”