Case Study: SBB (Swiss Federal Railways) achieves data-driven electrification readiness with Geotab (GO9 & EVSA)

SBB AG Data-driven electrification of the fleet on the path to climate neutrality

Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) needed a practical, data-driven way to electrify a diverse fleet of cars, vans and SUVs used for track maintenance, station cleaning and other tasks across varied terrain and temperatures. With a 2040 target for climate neutrality and 99% of vehicles diesel-powered, SBB faced the challenge of matching specific range, load, road-surface and all‑wheel‑drive needs to suitable EVs while planning charging infrastructure and securing employee buy‑in.

SBB equipped about 100 vehicles with Geotab GO9 devices and used MyGeotab plus Geotab’s EV Suitability Assessment to analyze driving profiles, ranges, g‑force (road condition) and elevation data. The analysis identified which vehicles could be replaced without operational limits (for example, five of 15 pool vehicles), supported charging‑site planning, enabled a phased rollout of EVs by the end of 2021, and created a repeatable, data-backed roadmap for further electrification and advanced analytics.

SBB

Marco Weibel

Project Manager for Climate Neutral Road Vehicles