EURODECISION was able to account for the complexity of our problem and model it precisely. For us, it was important to interact in person with the team involved in the project. I am convinced that seeing the flows on-site helps better identify what lies behind the variables and that discussing the problem together facilitates modeling. We therefore appreciated that workshops were held at EURODECISION’s offices, as well as that their experts traveled to the Roissy and Stuttgart sites to understand the complexity on the ground fully. They demonstrated creativity in meeting our needs and proposing relevant solutions.Sébastien AlbertusDirector of the Sustainable & Connected Fleet Program - Europcar Mobility Group
As one of the world’s leading car and commercial vehicle rental companies, Europcar operates a network of nearly 1,000 stations located near train stations and airports, as well as in industrial and commercial areas. These stations are leased for a fixed period of 3 to 9 years and include service provisions that enable vehicle rental companies to operate their business (commercial and technical premises, parking spaces, water and electricity supply, waste collection, etc.).
In anticipation of the European Union ban on the sale of new combustion vehicles by 2035* and the tightening of city-center access restrictions for polluting vehicles, Europcar Mobility Group has begun its transition to sustainable mobility. Thus, during the annual renewal of its fleet, the rental company has chosen to increase its share of electric vehicles. Electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles now account for more than 10% of its fleet, and the group has set a goal of achieving a 100% electric fleet by 2036.
As part of this strategy, Europcar Mobility Group needed to objectively assess its capacity to operate a 100% electric fleet. Indeed, not only does this transition to electric mobility involve a gradual change in operational processes (vehicle shuttling, cleaning, handling, charging, vehicle return…), but since the rental company operates in a constrained energy environment (station power capacity, available equipment…), it must comply with constraints imposed by landlords.
To solve this problem, Europcar Mobility Group wanted to equip itself with a custom flow modeling and analysis tool that would allow it to understand the electric charging capacity of its current fleet. EURODECISION, a specialist in decision mathematics and artificial intelligence, won the tender launched in 2022 as part of the Sustainable & Connected Fleet program. In addition to its recognized expertise in constrained flow modeling, EURODECISION had previously conducted a vehicle fleet optimization project for Europcar Mobility Group and was therefore familiar with these issues.
The project began in autumn 2023 and took place in two phases. EURODECISION experts first conducted a study to validate the contribution of a modeling and simulation tool to meet Europcar Mobility Group’s needs and to specify its parameters.
Focused on two stations with different structures, namely a very large station (Roissy Airport) and a station located in a constrained urban environment (Stuttgart train station), this study consisted of detailed modeling of incoming and outgoing vehicle flows and all constraints related to operating the electric fleet. Datasets were built from actual rental history from 2019, with statistical variations added to account for uncertainties (vehicle models, arrival and departure times, station staff, proper functioning of charging stations, etc.). EURODECISION experts then ran simulations to identify the best scenario for optimizing charging capacity and maximizing the number of electric vehicles rented at these stations.
The study thus made it possible to determine the share of electric vehicles that can already be operated given current infrastructure and to identify optimization opportunities by relaxing certain constraints. Indeed, the two stations studied are already able to reach a target of 90% electric vehicles by 2036, and the actions needed to reach 100% have been identified. Convinced by these results, the rental company therefore wanted to industrialize the work carried out during the study and entrusted EURODECISION with the development of a custom modeling tool, which was delivered in March 2024.
Since deployment, Europcar Mobility Group has used the tool independently to conduct equipment sizing studies for 700 stations across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, enabling it to identify the share of electric vehicles that can be operated at each station, taking into account the existing environment. Thanks to the simulations, its teams were also able to precisely determine their needs and gain a clear view of the actions needed to achieve a 100% electric fleet.
Based on these elements, Europcar Mobility Group has begun discussions with landlords to review, in particular, the equipment and charging capacity provided at each station.
*European Green Deal
