By Jon Mason, commercial director at Call Assist, parent brand of Start Rescue

Jon Mason, commercial director at Call Assist,

Change comes fast in the fleet world. Nowhere is this better demonstrated than the transition to electric vehicles. The fleet sector’s willingness to embrace that change, do its bit for the environment, and lead the way with EVs has resulted in more than one million of them now on the UK’s roads.

With so much change in a short space of time, it has inevitably proved to be a steep learning curve for all involved. As with everything in the fleet market, data is at the root of how we understand it and taper our approach. For Start Rescue as a breakdown provider, this has meant tracking our understanding of how often EVs break down, what types of failure we are more likely to see, and what type of roadside resource is required to handle this evolution within the motor industry.

We began by ensuring our VROs (vehicle recovery operatives) were fully trained in how to safely deal with an EV that has broken down and had the right equipment to solve the issue or recover the car properly.

That’s not as simple as it sounds as the additional weight of EVs compared to their combustion engine equivalents means towing EVs cannot usually be achieved with the conventional rapid deployment trailers we typically see housed in the back of a Ford Transit-style patrol van. EVs being stored also require more space around them and specific safety concerns addressed due to the increased risk of fire and electrocution.

The biggest worry with EVs to begin with was, of course, driving range and the risk of running out of battery charge. We enhanced our breakdown cover for running out of charge, which includes our Business Breakdown Cover.

However, even for early adopters, who were confronted by a disparate EV charging network, the “range anxiety” phenomenon simply didn’t manifest itself in our roads being littered with stranded EVs.

Our data, therefore, suggests fleet drivers have been quick to adapt to charging up instead of filling up. And while it is true that running out of charge is currently occurring more than the “human error” equivalents for drivers of combustion engine vehicles such as running out of fuel or misfuelling, we fully expect to see a reduction in “out of charge” incidents as the charging infrastructure and technology improve.

What the data tells us is the number one reason for us being called out is not due to an EV conking out, it’s because drivers can’t get them started. This accounts for 37.8% of callouts to EVs, compared to just 29.0% in ICE vehicles. And the biggest factor in an EV non-start is actually a failure of the 12-volt battery some EV drivers didn’t even know existed!

Just like any other vehicle, EVs rely upon a normal 12-volt battery to operate systems such as opening the doors, wipers, lights, dashboard, and crucially the initial start-up of the vehicle.

Instead of being recharged by an alternator, this 12-volt battery is kept topped-up by the main high voltage batteries. Intelligent systems govern when this 12v battery is charged and this is seemingly where the technology and education need to be improved. Some vehicles will only charge the 12v battery when it is being driven, while others will stop charging when the State of Charge of the main batteries fall below 20%.

The better-considered systems have an auto-shut-off of the 12v battery to prevent the main batteries being drained, but allow the charging of the 12v battery to be manually reinstated by the driver in the cabin without the need for a jump start.

Fleet drivers tend to cover larger annual distances than most others, which is why we believe education is key. Whether that comes from the manufacturer, the lease company, or from within your business, the message is the same: understanding an EV’s 12-volt battery system is the foremost way to avoid the most common breakdown call-out faults and avoid unnecessary downtime within your workforce.

We’re very optimistic about the future of EVs in the fleet sector. This applies to the ability of EVs to reduce operating costs, improve efficiency and environmental performance, but also to flex with regulatory demands as they arise.

As an EV driver who has learned the hard way about looking after the car’s 12-volt battery, I know just how good these vehicles are and their importance to the fleet sector. It’s also why I know data and education are vital to fleets remaining in the vanguard of the switch to EVs.