Vehicle total ownership cost and contract calculation tool

Problem

The existing approach relied on a static Excel workbook that was limited in flexibility, accessibility, and scalability. Dealers lacked an integrated way to calculate FSC pricing alongside TCO, resulting in fragmented workflows and inconsistent customer presentations. There was no integration with dealer portals, no standardized reporting output, and no way to manage or update input data efficiently.

Specific Pain Points:

• Reliance on Excel with version control risks.
• Manual updates required for both TCO and FSC calculations.
• No integration with authentication systems used by dealers.
• No way to track session history for analytics or offer performance insights.
• No unified reporting for lifecycle cost comparisons and maintenance contracts.
• Lack of branded, professional outputs for customer proposals.

Solution

We developed the TCO/FSC Calculation Tool, a cloud-hosted web application integrated directly into the client’s portal, enabling existing users to keep using the platform they are already familiar with to access this new feature. The tool allows dealers to:

• Select utilization parameters (e.g., operating hours, fuel prices, subsidies, and customer pricing).
• Instantly compare two machine models 
• Generate Full Service Contract pricing for those models in the same workflow.
• Generate PDF output of TCO/FSC calculation.

Specific Features Provided

• Built a web app to execute TCO and FSC calculations dynamically.
• Implemented PDF export with conditional branding.
• Integrated user authentication through the existing dealer portal.
• Enabled session persistence for analytics on pricing and FSC uptake.

Unique Value Proposition:

• Enabled dealers to present complete lifecycle costs and maintenance contract values to customers in a single branded document.
• Unified TCO and FSC calculations into one tool.
• Created a foundation for future features like warranty extension calculators and telematics-based, per-vehicle lifecycle calculations.

Smart Tip

Combining lifecycle cost analysis (TCO) with service planning (FSC) in one tool provides transparency, speeds up the sales process, and builds customer confidence.

Smart Fact

Having calculated the total cost of ownership will further allow the company to focus on electrification and streamline the possibility of end-customers moving from diesel to electric vehicles, which is in line with future EU strategies for clean energy. TCO calculation enables customers to compare different vehicle models (diesel vs electric) and allows dealers to present the many benefits of electric vehicles which also includes lower cost, even though the upfront costs are higher. TCO can show how the total cost of ownership with electric vehicles is lower than with diesel vehicles.

About the Client

The client is part of a global group specializing in street sweeping technology and heavy equipment manufacturing. Their dealer network spans multiple markets, focusing on delivering high-performance machines supported by strong lifecycle value propositions.

Technologies Used

• AWS
• Python (FastAPI)
• React (Frontend)
• PDF Export Libraries
  Secure Portal Authentication