SOUTH West Water has installed Lightfoot®, the in-cab driver efficiency system, on a new fleet of Peugeot vans, a measure intended to cut fuel consumption and reduce CO2 emissions.
Developed by UK company Ashwoods Automotive, Lightfoot is said to be quite different from ‘track and trace’ telematics – and is less about sending data back to the boss and more about assisting driver behaviour in the moment, according to the company’s website.
Lightfoot® has been installed in 54 new Peugeot Partner vans following a highly successful trial which commenced in January this year and proved fuel savings of over 15%.
For an initial four-week ‘blind’ trial, Lightfoot’s in-cab display and audible commands were switched off so that an accurate picture could be built up of baseline driving behavior across the fleet. Then, a further eight-week live trial followed when the Lightfoot® units were remotely activated, indicating to the drivers when they needed to modify their driving style in order to optimise fuel efficiency with safer driving. A final two-week ‘blind’ trial where the prompts were deactivated was then undertaken to assess further changes in driver behavior.
South West Water’s Mark Karkeek said: “From my perspective, there’s little management intervention required to use Lightfoot® and feedback from our drivers is very positive; it’s very easy to use and Lightfoot’s installation appears to have introduced healthy competition within the team.”
Commenting for Lightfoot, Sales Director Martin Kadhim said: “South West Water operates over a large geographical area so being as efficient as possible is paramount. Lightfoot’s introduction to the fleet will drive down fuel consumption and contribute to reduced accidents and improved vehicle maintenance. Furthermore, it feels great to work with a fleet that is less than two miles from our Head Office.”
South West Water is optimistic that the initial Lightfoot® trial results will be sustained and, subject to confirmed fuel savings being achieved across the first 54 vehicles, it anticipates pushing the technology further into its operational fleet which consists of a further 700 vehicles. More information at www.lightfoot.co.uk.
