Rethinking Pool Vehicles: What a Modern Fleet Strategy Really Needs

In many companies, pool vehicles are considered a minor issue. Yet they hold more potential than most fleet managers realize. We spoke with Thomas Schrodi, head of the Fraunhofer Application Center at Fraunhofer IAO, as well as with Theresa Strobel-Vogt, a research associate at Fraunhofer IAO, and Tobias Küchler, fleet manager at Fraunhofer IZS. Fraunhofer is one of Europe’s largest application-oriented research organizations and operates a fleet at IZS that consists exclusively of pool vehicles. The conversation combines research perspectives with real-world practice.

Unlike traditional company cars, which are permanently assigned to individual employees, pool vehicles are shared among multiple users. Companies can meet the same mobility needs with fewer vehicles while gaining insight into the actual usage of their fleet. This makes it possible to actively manage and optimize mobility. This is particularly relevant for the electrification of vehicle fleets: Through centralized organization and the availability of usage data, driving profiles can be analyzed to specifically identify those trips that can already be easily completed with electric vehicles today. Business trips in urban and regional traffic, or trips with predictable downtime, are often particularly well-suited for electric vehicles. Pool vehicles are therefore used by many companies as a starting point for electrification.

Furthermore, the perspective of many fleet managers is shifting. Whereas the focus used to be on the costs of individual vehicles, today the emphasis is increasingly on overall corporate mobility. In addition to company-owned vehicles, costs for rental cars, taxis, public transportation, or trips in private vehicles are also taken into account. Against this backdrop, concepts such as corporate carsharing are gaining importance, whereby fleet vehicles are made available to employees for personal use outside of work hours. This increases vehicle utilization and can help reduce the overall costs of corporate mobility. Sustainable mobility therefore means not only switching to alternative powertrains, but also organizing mobility as a whole in a way that is more needs-based, data-driven, and resource-efficient.

Our experience shows that electric mobility works for many use cases in a corporate setting today. Most business trips fall within a distance range that current electric vehicles can easily cover. Range is often a much smaller challenge than many users initially assume. However, a key success factor is the charging infrastructure: a widely available and reliably functioning charging infrastructure at the company’s location greatly simplifies the integration of electric fleet vehicles and builds trust among users.

Furthermore, electrification offers far more potential than simply reducing CO₂ emissions. Electric vehicles are increasingly becoming an integral part of the energy system. Topics such as smart charging management, the use of self-generated electricity, and bidirectional charging open up additional opportunities for cost optimization and better integration of renewable energy.

At the same time, the human factor must not be underestimated. Many employees are using an electric vehicle for the first time in a professional context. Uncertainties and concerns regarding range, charging, or vehicle operation are common. Successful electrification strategies therefore also involve actively supporting users. Once these reservations are addressed, acceptance usually increases very quickly.

While many routine meetings now take place digitally, in-person meetings are used more selectively for activities where face-to-face interaction offers particular value, such as workshops. Although the number of business trips has risen significantly again since the pandemic, it remains below pre-pandemic levels overall.

For companies, this means that mobility is used more deliberately today, but at the same time is less predictable. Whereas regular business trips used to follow fixed patterns, mobility needs today are more variable and arise on shorter notice. On some days, demand for fleet vehicles can be very high, while on other days vehicles are barely used. Companies therefore need greater transparency regarding vehicle availability, utilization rates, and usage profiles in order to manage their fleets efficiently. The goal is to provide sufficient mobility at all times without maintaining permanent overcapacity.

Modern fleet management systems are therefore increasingly evolving from pure vehicle management systems into platforms for corporate mobility that, depending on the use case, also incorporate public transportation, bicycles, or car-sharing services.

One of the biggest challenges is that many organizations are unaware of their actual mobility patterns. Decisions regarding fleet size, vehicle types, or electrification strategies are often made without reliable usage data. Yet information on utilization rates, mileage, downtime, and booking behavior is precisely what forms the basis for making informed decisions. In practice, we often see that companies either maintain too many vehicles or fail to recognize opportunities for electrification because actual usage patterns have not been adequately analyzed. Another common mistake is viewing fleet vehicles exclusively as an organizational issue. Successful systems require not only the vehicles themselves but also digital processes, clear responsibilities, and a high level of user-friendliness.

The introduction or optimization of fleet vehicles should therefore always be data-driven. Only when companies understand how their vehicles are actually used can they assess where excess capacity exists, which vehicles can be electrified, and how operating costs can be reduced in the long term.

Electrification is transforming fleet management systems not only on the vehicle side but also in scheduling and operational control. For conventional vehicles, availability is essentially the key factor. With electric vehicles, the state of charge is an additional planning factor. If a vehicle returns with a low state of charge, it may not be available for immediate reuse under certain circumstances. In addition to pure vehicle availability, state of charge and charging processes must therefore be continuously transparent. If a vehicle is not charged, alternatives must be available at short notice—for example, other vehicles within the fleet or, if necessary, external rental vehicles. This increased dynamism can hardly be managed efficiently with purely manual processes.

The greatest challenge with multimodal mobility services lies not in the availability of individual modes of transportation, but in their integration from the user’s perspective. In many organizations today, different systems for fleet vehicles, public transit tickets, bicycle services, or external car-sharing services exist side by side. When employees must use separate processes, access points, or billing systems for different modes of transportation, everyday complexity increases significantly, and services are rarely used despite good availability. The goal of modern corporate mobility concepts is therefore to integrate these services into a unified platform with centralized booking, transparent availability, and a consistent process—regardless of the mode of transportation chosen.

Although organizations generally have operational data at their disposal, they do not use it for the strategic management of their vehicle fleets. Only by analyzing usage patterns, driving routes, idle times, and booking behavior can a realistic picture of actual mobility demand be obtained. This transparency makes it possible to adjust fleet sizes to meet demand, select appropriate vehicle types, and identify opportunities for economic and environmental optimization. This data is particularly crucial in the context of electrification, as real-world driving profiles can be used to assess which vehicles are suitable for the transition to electric powertrains. As a result, shared vehicle systems are increasingly evolving from administrative booking systems into data-driven management tools for corporate mobility.

The acceptance of shared vehicle systems depends to a large extent on their suitability for everyday use. Brief introductions are often insufficient to convey the processes. Training sessions that explain specific usage scenarios—such as vehicle booking, accessing the vehicle, or using digital key systems—significantly lower the barrier to entry. Technical reliability and clear support structures are equally important. When needed, users require a designated contact person who can provide support and guidance in the event of problems.

Corporate mobility is undergoing a structural transformation, driven in particular by the electrification of vehicle fleets. In this context, fleet management systems are evolving from purely administrative systems into integrated platforms for corporate mobility, in which charging infrastructure management, energy optimization, and fleet control are taking center stage. Concepts such as smart and bidirectional charging will lead to vehicles being viewed not only as mobility components but also as energy components. At the same time, the integration of different mobility services will continue to gain importance: In the future, shared vehicles will be more deeply embedded in multimodal platforms that combine different modes of transportation depending on the specific use case.

With the Mobility Cloud, AZOWO offers companies a digital solution for managing fleet vehicles. A booking algorithm automatically assigns vehicles based on route, availability, and features, thereby preventing double bookings. The system is supplemented by real-time data on location and utilization, as well as automated reports that help keep track of maintenance intervals and costs. Access to the vehicles can also be managed digitally—for example, via a driver app, RFID, or PIN—instead of using physical keys.