Expansion in Ford Pro's connected vehicle fleet witnessed a 40% surge since the year 2023
Ford Pro, the automaker's commercial vehicle division, has been making strides in the industry by introducing innovative solutions for fleet management, particularly for electric vehicles (EVs).
In 2020, Ford began equipping all its commercial vehicles with embedded modems, allowing remote access to telematics data. This move was a significant step towards digitalising Ford's commercial offerings.
Fast forward to 2023, Ford Pro received the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) accelerated security certification ("Beschleunigte Sicherheitszertifizierung," BSZ). This recognition underscores Ford Pro's commitment to securing customer and vehicle data, a concern that has grown increasingly important in the connected vehicle era.
Ford Pro's efforts in ensuring data security were further reinforced when they earned the ISO 27001 certification, a global standard for managing information security.
The company's E-Telematics software, launched in 2023, offers a comprehensive, real-time view of vehicle components, sensors, dashcam videos, battery health monitoring, and electric vehicle charger locations. This software is available on a subscription-based model and provides detailed analytics on vehicle performance, battery usage, predictive maintenance, and enhanced integration with EV charging infrastructure.
Ford Pro's E-Telematics software also includes live video telematics using dashcams, a feature that can be particularly useful for fleet management and security purposes.
To cater to the growing demand for data about commercial vehicles, Ford Pro introduced Ford Pro Intelligence in 2022. This expansion of telematics capabilities includes stolen vehicle recovery, driver behavior insights, and a more comprehensive fleet monitoring dashboard for mixed vehicle fleets.
In addition to telematics, Ford Pro offers a range of commercial services. These include vehicle sales, financing and servicing, telematics and data services, connected software, and EV charging management.
One of the standout features of Ford Pro's offerings is the Ford Pro Charging services. These services provide real-time battery range monitoring and EV charger location assistance, making electric fleet management more straightforward.
Ford Pro also offers a free tool called "E-Switch Assist" to help businesses evaluate the best addition of electric vans and trucks to their fleets. Furthermore, Ford Pro's fleet management solutions can collect data from Ford vehicles to help fleet managers monitor utilization and maintenance needs, regardless of the model.
In a statement, Dave Prusinski, Ford Pro vehicle revenue officer, acknowledged the growing demand for data about commercial vehicles, saying, "The demand for data about commercial vehicles is rapidly growing."
Ford Pro has also taken steps to address another pressing concern in the connected vehicle industry - cybersecurity. The company is working on measures to protect connected vehicle data, a priority across the industry.
Ford Pro's commitment to the commercial and electric fleet segments extends beyond North America. In May 2024, Ford Pro entered into a 10-year agreement with the city of Dallas to grow and manage electric vehicle charging infrastructure for the city's fleet vehicles. Ford Pro was established with a focus on these segments, including in Europe.
Lastly, Ford will offer a top speed limiter function for fleet operators later this year. This feature, available on model year 2022 and newer F-150 Lightning models and 2023 and newer Super Duty trucks, allows remote setting of a maximum speed limit on fleet vehicles to prevent speeding tickets.
With these innovative solutions and a focus on data security, Ford Pro is poised to lead the way in commercial fleet management, particularly in the growing EV market.
