New Partnership to Leverage OnStar Unveiled at The Work Truck Show
Telogis, Inc. scored a coup last week by winning a partnership with General Motors to provide fleet customers Telogis’ telematics software platform. As GM’s partner of choice, Telogis will use proprietary GM data from the carmaker’s OnStar system in the Telogis location intelligence platform. Fleets will be able to receive information about speed, vehicle location, odometer readings, fuel consumption, and maintenance requirements.
Telogis says that the agreement will allow the continued operation of “mixed” fleets already utilizing its telematics solution, or those of other telematics solutions in GM or non-GM vehicles. Ed Peper, vice president, GM Fleet and Commercial, said, “This is the next step in expanding our connected vehicle service offering to help fleets operate more efficiently and identify cost savings.” Peper said that OnStar technology is integrated on nearly all GM vehicles, including fleet vehicles, even though for fleet vehicles, OnStar is a delete option.
Peper told Fleet Management Weekly that the vast majority of its fleet-bound vehicles are OnStar equipped. Moreover, he points out, there will be savings to fleets planning to integrate telematics solutions. With OnStar there is no need for additional hardware or third-party installation costs. This, along with the proprietary data from OnStar-equipped GM vehicles, he thinks, will give GM a significant advantage in fleet sales.
Added Susan Heystee, executive vice president of worldwide sales at Telogis, “GM customers have access to powerful analytics that will transform the way their business is done outside the four walls.” The Telogis platform is the first set of commercial applications to utilize OnStar’s proprietary APIs since the company announced an online portal in 2013.
In another recent development, Telogis recently secured a $93 million institutional financing round by Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byers.
~Mike Sheldrick, Senior Editor, Fleet Management Weekly
