EE has launched its first Connected Cars service ‘EE Auto Mate’ as part of its Internet of Things strategy for the transport sector.
The service has been created for the five million small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the UK that may require a fleet of vehicles to run their business.
‘EE Auto Mate’ will allow SMEs to track locations, performance and driving patterns with the aim of increasing productivity and reducing running costs.
It costs £11 per month, per vehicle, and comes with a £49 upfront charge as part of a 24 month offer.
Data collector
The Auto Mate device works by being plugged into a compatible vehicle and can gather telematics and diagnostics data from the vehicle. This data includes health and fuel efficiency and also location, speed and traffic routes.
The information that is collected is then sent back to the driver or fleet manager through the Auto Mate app or an online portal.
BT Enterprise MD for strategy, marketing and digital Chris Sims said: “We’re helping SMEs improve their bottom line performance by harnessing and interpreting fleet data, empowering them to make better decisions about their business.
“We believe that companies such as couriers, hauliers, estate agents, plumbers and electricians will find the service really appealing.”
Alerts
The service can be monitored 24/7 and can alert managers to any faults within the vehicle and also allocate jobs to the nearest workers to increase efficiency for customers and services.
EE is planning a future expansion of this service to notify emergency services automatically in the event of an accident.
The service also notifies SMEs when vehicles are due for servicing or an MOT, as well as if need road tax needs to be renewed.
