By the end of 2024, Idealease forecasts a positive advance of between 18 and 20% in the number of units under its management, derived from the strategies of renewing vehicles in its short-term rental fleet, so that it reaches an average age of three years. Another factor that stimulates progress is the growth of the active fleet and the pre-purchase of units before the entry into force of NOM-044 (which establishes the maximum limits of pollutant emissions from diesel engines) in January of next year.
The company currently has a fleet of approximately five thousand units, of which 45% are intended for short-term rental and 55% are leased with maintenance included with plans of three to six years.
Although the vast majority of Idealease’s fleet runs on diesel engines, for some years now it has been committed to adding vehicles with sustainable energy, with its Idealease electric fleet program to test last-mile vehicles , learn about market developments and find out how products respond to the country’s topography and loading conditions, explained Fernando Noriega, CEO of Idealease, in an interview.
“As far as electric vehicles are concerned, one of the biggest challenges is the charging infrastructure and the availability of energy. On the other hand, the autonomy of the vehicles is also a key factor. We are analyzing and testing the vehicles, but we are doing so with caution, taking into account that the industry itself is taking different directions. We know that change will eventually come, but it will take time,” said Noriega.
The director explained that although the path to reducing polluting emissions is complex and requires a complete ecosystem, in the case of electric vehicles, it is also true that diesel vehicles that comply with the Euro 6 regulations and which are normally those that will be sold from January of next year, are much cleaner, since the exhaust gases are much cleaner.
Given this scenario, Noriega explains that it is necessary to have a clear understanding of where the industry is going to move, and above all to consider the country’s infrastructure capacity to supply the energy required by vehicles, since there is still not 100% availability of ultra-low sulfur diesel , which at some point could complicate the operation.
The director also explained that a high-sulphur diesel would affect the performance of the new engines and could present mechanical risks, which in the long run would cause vehicles to stop. Therefore, it is necessary to speed up the pace to cover the areas that do not have adequate fuel.
For next year, and based on dialogue with its clients, Idealease predicts a 10% growth in the volume of its fleet, “the mood in the industry is one of work, but also of many challenges that are being presented, we have to be aware of what is going to happen so that the world of logistics is not affected by decisions made in the country, however, we see a positive mood about what is happening,” he said.
