Cutting costs and curbing range anxiety with the Fuel and Energy Hub

Alto is actively working toward their goal of an all-electric fleet—throughout their electrification journey, they use Samsara to manage their mixed fuel fleet and inform their future EV plans. 

Samsara's EV features provide insights into charging patterns and battery health. "We schedule charging to avoid peak electricity costs using Samsara’s charging insights to understand each car's efficiency,” said Donato. “This data allows us to determine if a car returning during peak hours can wait to charge until a later, less expensive time, especially if it has enough power for another shift." 

Knowing exactly how many miles they can get out of a charge based on Samsara data allows them to schedule customers in tighter windows and maximize efficiency and utilization of their EVs. “Range anxiety is a big concern for many EV fleets, but not for us. I can confidently say we no longer experience range anxiety with Samsara,” said Donato.

To ensure batteries last the target four years and avoid costly early EV battery replacement, Alto tracks battery health data with Samsara to inform charging practices, such as adding L2 charging to offset wear and tear from L3 chargers.

Using Samsara’s Fuel and Energy Hub to monitor their fleet, the data shows significant savings in energy spend. Compared to the cost of fueling ICE vehicles, Alto saves about 66% when charging their EVs in California, helping improve profitability and meet their sustainability goals. Now, fuel and energy costs represent just 6% of their total revenue—a 53% decrease since deploying EVs. 

Tracking dead-heading time with accurate trip data

As a W2 employer, Alto pays drivers for their time regardless of whether they have a passenger. This makes "dead-heading" time (driving without a passenger) very expensive. Samsara's data, particularly mileage and trip data, is used to track dead-heading time and costs. 

Transforming rideshare safety protocol with AI Dash Cams

Prioritizing driver and passenger safety, Alto equips each of their vehicles with Samsara AI Dash Cams for real-time visibility, instant driver feedback, and video evidence of incidents. In fact, as part of their employment agreement, drivers agree to dual-facing camera use while on the job.

AI-powered in-cab alerts detect unsafe behavior and prompt drivers to self-correct in the moment. For Alto, detections for speeding, harsh driving, rolling stops, and drowsiness help ensure drivers are providing safe and smooth rides for customers. As a rapidly growing company, Samsara’s self-coaching tools give drivers personalized training without manager intervention, enabling Alto to scale coaching efforts. 

In-cab visibility is crucial for Alto's safety record, which is one of their primary competitive differentiators. "Samsara has been an invaluable partner in safety. I definitively know what's going on and have the data to back it up,” said Donato. 

Dash cams also protect drivers by providing video evidence to exonerate them from false claims as well as recognize exemplary behavior. This helps Alto foster a driver-centric culture to improve their drivers’ experience and reduce turnover.

Today, Alto has an exceptional safety record that they share with their insurance provider, driving significant savings on their premiums.