If you’ve not come across the Mobilize business before, worry not - it’s still in its infancy.

Created in 2021 as a division of Renault, the business has been tasked with selling VaaS (Vehicle-as-a-Service) to the SME business sector as well as to the consumer. It’s based on the concept of usership rather than ownership, as the transition to paid-for services starts to shape up across Europe, fuelled by the increasing electrification of vehicles.

Not only that, an integrated software ecosystem will provide additional customer services to underpin the usership experience.

There are also bespoke vehicles being developed for the brand to enable provision of dedicated services to SME fleets. For example, its fully-electric EZ-Flex model (pictured) is designed to handle last-mile deliveries. The vehicle has already undergone testing with a range of partners, such as La Poste, the Montpellier Méditerranée Metropolitan Area, the Town Hall of Montpellier, and the company SEV (Services Ecusson Vert).

Other Mobilize services planned include Mobilize Driver Solutions, which covers everything from taxis and PHV drivers and operators to car subscriptions, car-sharing, insurance, maintenance, EV charging, and assistance.

RCI Bank becomes Mobilize Financial Services

To enable the wide range of services envisaged by Mobilize, Renault’s captive bank - RCI Bank - is being renamed Mobilize Financial Services, effective today (May 10, 2022).

João Leandro, CEO of the newly named Mobilize Financial Services,commented:

“Today, RCI Bank and Services is reaching a new milestone in the development of its activities with Mobilize, by becoming Mobilize Financial Services, the brand reference for all car-related usage-based mobility needs. We will leverage our 100 years of expertise and our best-in-class customer satisfaction, to support Mobilize’s growth in the retail customers and fleet segments. As such, Mobilize Financial Services will accelerate in operating lease, insurance and payments, while easing access to a greener and more sustainable mobility for all our customers.”

As well as offering the financial firepower to underwrite subscription and operational leasing, Mobilize Financial Services will expand to offer  ‘Car insurtech’, a usage-based insurance product, and the creation of a payment ecosystem that will combine EV charging, universal payments (in and out of the car), and Buy Now Pay Later offers.

Clotilde Delbos, CEO of Mobilize, added that the business would reduce costs of usage for customers, saying:

“Mobilize sells services, not vehicles. With the VaaS model and leveraging an integrated software ecosystem, we are offering a range of services that includes financing and insurance solutions as well as energy and maintenance services.”

So, while Mobilize might be a stranger to most fleet managers at present, its fleet offerings and mobility provision will grow significantly over the next eight years as its services become more widely understood.

The Numbers Behind Mobilize

Renault has high ambitions for Mobilize.

• It plans a 70% growth in the number of financial services sold to its customers in order to reach 8 million in 2030.

• A doubling of the size of the operational leasing fleet of vehicles financed by Mobilize Financial Services by 2025, with a target of 1,000,000 units in 2030, including 70% of electric vehicles.

• A 2030 target of 150,000 to 200,000 units used by mobility operators, including 80% of electric vehicles.

• A growth in the number of charging points installed from 22,000 in 2021 to 165,000 units by 2030.