Alps Alpine Enhances Fleet Management and Digital Key System
Alps Alpine has developed a Fleet Management and Digital Key System that improves the operational efficiency of corporate car fleets by enabling central management of all related tasks, including car reservations, maintenance logs and handing over keys. Samples were made available in November 2020. Market research is currently underway and in the demonstration testing stage.
The use of a company car makes it easier to get around and also to avoid public transport, effectively reducing the risk of contracting COVID-19. Even today, however, many companies still use paper forms and spreadsheet software to manage car requests and maintenance logs – a cumbersome process. A physical key also needs to be handed over, undermining the work efficiency of both the administrator and the user.
Alps Alpine’s Fleet Management and Digital Key System let vehicle users reserve a car, receive a key, and even unlock and lock cars with a smart phone via an app developed in-house, thereby enabling efficient company car usage regardless of the time or place. Administrators, too, can centrally manage vehicle reservations, movements, inspection status and other information on their PC or smart phone using an original management console. The system both reduces hassle for administrators and users, enabling efficient, free-flowing fleet operation and eliminates paper use, helping to cut costs and lessen the environmental impact.
The digital key system provided by Alps Alpine employs block chains for key delivery, a technology jointly developed with partner FreeBit. The method eliminates the risk of unlawful access and data alteration, putting users’ minds at ease.
Alps Alpine has tapped its extensive communication expertise and system development capabilities built up over many years serving the automotive market to deliver a combined single package consisting of a digital key system and the compatible onboard unit, as well as a vehicle reservation and locking/unlocking app for drivers and an online system allowing administrators to manage vehicle reservations, movements and inspection status. Design considerations for ease of deployment support retrofitting to vehicles already in service, minimizing initial costs for customers and ensuring suitability for leased vehicles that must eventually be returned in their original state.
