Meet SVT Fleet Solutions: Revolutionizing Fleet Management for a Zero Emission Future

David Shultz

David Shultz reports on clean technology and electric vehicles, among other industries, for dot.LA. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Outside, Nautilus and many other publications.

Meet SVT Fleet Solutions: Revolutionizing Fleet Management for a Zero Emission Future
Evan Xie

Less than a month ago, the California Air Resources Board announced new regulations that aim to phase out fossil fuels in medium and heavy duty trucks by 2045. Known as Advanced Clean Fleets, the rule caused major concerns across the transportation industry and has sent many fleet owners and operators scrambling for solutions that will help their business comply with the ambitious timelines.

A new Los Angeles-based company, SVT Fleet Solutions, is hoping to capitalize on the coming wave of change by providing a one-stop-shop for fleet management that will enable owners to build and execute a plan to transition off of diesel and into zero emission technologies like batteries and hydrogen. “There really has not been any new fleet management companies in this space in over 10 years,” says Don Kelley, president of SVT. “I'm just thrilled that somehow– in some form or fashion–transportation is sexy again.”


With the advent of electric trucks, the economics of fleet management have undergone a seismic shift. Electric trucks are still much more expensive than their diesel counterparts, but their engines don’t wear and degrade as quickly. Not to mention the cost of refueling changes dramatically as the equation shifts from diesel to hydrogen or electricity. Even the process of recycling and disposing of the vehicle at the end of its life is dramatically different for zero-emission technologies. Though battery recycling is still in its infancy, the huge quantities of lithium need to power a class 8 truck’s battery represent a tremendous opportunity to recoup some of the costs of purchasing the vehicle that doesn’t apply at all to diesel engines.

There are of course, many original equipment manufacturers and charging companies offer their own fleet management systems to help users understand how, when, and where to recharge or refuel their trucks. But SVT is hoping to offer a more holistic approach. If you employ their services they’ll build a custom tailored solution for your company that aims to get you to your emissions goals on time and on budget.

In many cases, this will be a herculean task, and Kelley says the first step of getting fleets to believe in the service is establishing real credibility. To that end, SVP will leverage its owner, Velocity Vehicle Group—one of the nation's largest and best-known commercial vehicle companies. As the distributor for 14 different OEM brands, Velocity already has a wealth of knowledge about equipment, maintenance, and zero emissions alternatives. “[Velocity] have literally unmatched resources when it comes to sustainability, EVs, knowledge of the market, and understanding of the regulatory issues in California.” Kelley, who boasts 40 years of experience in the field of fleet management, says that it was Velocity’s involvement that convinced him to come aboard in the first place. “They have the kind of credibility that's required,” he says.

SVT only launched a few weeks ago, but according to Kelley the company is already getting inquiries from large companies in the United States and internationally. The team is still small for the moment–just three people total–but Kelley is hoping to grow rapidly as fleets begin to think seriously about how to move away from fossil fuels. “We are the first and only fleet management company that is sort of a single source resource for those large fleets and want to make that transition,” says Kelley. “We think we have something special and I'm really, really excited about it.”

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Tech Week Day Two: Social Roundup
Evan Xie

L.A. Tech Week has brought venture capitalists, founders and entrepreneurs from around the world to the California coast. With so many tech nerds in one place, it's easy to laugh, joke and reminisce about the future of tech in SoCal.

Here's what people are saying about L.A. Tech Week on social:

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LA Tech Week: Technology and Storytelling for Social Good

Decerry Donato

Decerry Donato is a reporter at dot.LA. Prior to that, she was an editorial fellow at the company. Decerry received her bachelor's degree in literary journalism from the University of California, Irvine. She continues to write stories to inform the community about issues or events that take place in the L.A. area. On the weekends, she can be found hiking in the Angeles National forest or sifting through racks at your local thrift store.

LA Tech Week: Technology and Storytelling for Social Good
Photo taken by Decerry Donato

On Monday, Los Angeles-based philanthropic organization Goldhirsh Foundation hosted the Technology and Storytelling For Social Good panel at Creative Visions studio to kick off LA Tech week.

Tara Roth, president of the foundation, moderated the panel and gathered nonprofit and tech leaders including Paul Lanctot, web developer of The Debt Collective; Alexis Cabrera, executive director of 9 Dots; Sabra Williams, co-founder of Creative Acts; and Laura Gonzalez, senior program manager of Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator (LACI).

Each of the panelists are grantees of Goldhirsh Foundation’s LA2050, an initiative launched in 2011 that is continuously trying to drive and track progress toward a shared vision for the future of Los Angeles. Goldhirsh’s vision is to make Los Angeles better for all and in order to achieve their goal, the foundation makes investments into organizations, creates partnerships and utilizes social capital through community events.

The panelists shared how the work they are doing in each of their respective sectors uses technology to solve some of society's most pressing challenges and highlight the importance of tech literacy across every community.

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LA Tech Week Is Back! Here Are the Events We're Watching

Kristin Snyder

Kristin Snyder is dot.LA's 2022/23 Editorial Fellow. She previously interned with Tiger Oak Media and led the arts section for UCLA's Daily Bruin.

LA Tech Week Is Back! Here Are the Events We're Watching
Evan Xie

This is the web version of dot.LA’s daily newsletter. Sign up to get the latest news on Southern California’s tech, startup and venture capital scene.


MONDAY

LA Hardtech: Local Talent Meets CEOs: Want to see robots in action? This hardtech event will showcase product demos and feature conversations about all things aircrafts, satellites, electric vehicles, robots and medical devices. June 5 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in El Segundo.

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