VE Commercial Vehicles (VECV) announced a giant step towards modernising the CV industry with its industry-first proposition of 100 per cent connected vehicles across its entire product portfolio, powered by their connected vehicle solution – Eicher LIVE. From August 1, 2020 onwards, the trucks and buses built on the EUTECH6 platform will be equipped with pre-fitted hardware that would enable them to be completely connected while on the road along with industry first ecosystem.

Logistics costs in India are amongst the highest in the world. Almost half of the operating costs of trucks and buses are accounted for by fuel. This solution will help extract maximum possible fuel efficiency with savings of up to 10 per cent in fuel costs. The low asset utilisation or limited hours the trucks and buses run every day, is another key reason for high operational costs in India. However, with improved infrastructure and the advanced commercial vehicles in BSVI range, it’s possible to run more. This solution will significantly improve uptime and logistics efficiency, hence the revenue-earning potential for Eicher customers. Being constantly connected, commercial vehicle owners will be able to maximise the potential of earning and saving, while improving service levels to their customers.

The 100 per cent connected Eicher trucks and buses come with a host of intelligent features that will enable a three key benefits for the customer including fuel-efficient operations, superior uptime enabled by the industry-first Eicher Uptime Centre support, and segment-specific benefits such as enhanced logistical efficiency in e-commerce and passenger safety in buses.

Commenting on the announcement, Vinod Aggarwal, Managing Director & CEO, VE Commercial Vehicles said, “The unique proposition of connected vehicles is a significant step towards modernising the CV industry. Starting with Eicher Live, then the uptime centre and now with 100 per cent connected vehicles, we are closing the loop on providing a connected ecosystem for tomorrow, which is driven by the BS VI wave. These offerings will not only reduce the operational cost by maximising fuel efficiency but will also increase revenue through improved asset utilisation with superior uptime. It will also offer better safety and logistical efficiency to our partners and customers.”

On expanding the technology across 100 per cent of the vehicle range, he added, “Large fleet customers who have high demands of fuel efficiency, safety and driving behaviour as critical elements will be able to maximise their productivity and profitability. This technology will not only benefit the big logistics players but also the last mile vehicles as effectively.”

Eicher’s advanced telematics system is fully integrated with the vehicle’s electronics and is engineered as an integral part of it. With the new emissions era of BSVI, the telematics system leverages the several sensors fitted in the vehicle and converts the large amounts of data to enable deeper insights, thereby creating a unique value proposition for customers. On one end, it is connected to the CAN, the electronics backbone of the truck and hence has access to vehicle data generated by sensors, ECUs and any exceptions through fault codes. On the other side, it’s connected with Eicher’s unique support solutions, such as Uptime Centre, Fuel Management services and segment-specific solutions.