This week I wanted to share some personal thoughts on electric fleet vehicles and what all fleet managers should be aware of while navigating this new space. It is important to note that I do work on the distributor side of this equation; however, these thoughts are my own and being offered as my opinion. I have been heavily involved in this area since some of the very first prototype and production motorcoaches have arrived in the US and as they continue to expand in use, requiring much needed training and support no matter who is manufacturing them.
Recent News
It is not hard to find recent news about prominent EV Bus, Truck, or Car manufacturers closing up shop or re-structuring these days, and from my personal experience I cannot say that it is surprising. I would like to take this time to explain my thoughts in this space, in an effort to help those purchasing or operating vehicles and those making and selling vehicles for fleets. It is also not uncommon to find one larger EV or even a non-EV vendor suddenly acquire another smaller one and leave the customer in a constant state of flux not knowing what tomorrow will bring. Ford purchasing fast charging technology company AMP , Cummins purchasing Siemens Electric Driveline division, and the list continues to grow. Every one of these acquisitions appears to come with reduced support for those that have taken the leap into the industry early, with one vendor or another. Starting a small business creating a unique and new product is difficult, and getting the opportunity to sell that business to a larger entity is how the market works but I hope there is more consideration given to the customers that took the leap early, so they are not left in the dark after such a transition occurs.
A Word About Vendors
There are many vendors out there in the world building and selling EV vehicles. Many of these vendors are very good and really try to produce a great vehicle in this competitive and niche market, but there are some pitfalls that fleet managers and owners should be aware of. From my perspective these vehicles have many positive attributes and likely have a place in numerous fleet operations, but choosing a good vendor is critical for a successful roll out and long term success. One of the biggest complaints that occur in relation to vendors and manufacturers is poor support after the vehicles are sold. This problem is also not just with small companies. For an electric vehicle roll out to be successful all vendors and manufacturers need to understand each other's products and how they will work together. The most important factor in determining who you should choose to work with is how well they will work with other vendors. Chargers don't always work out of the box, the charge management company can't always do everything they promise, and the vehicle doesn't always work with every charger available for one reason or another. It is important to realize that industry standards are great, but the current standards are still being written and debated. Some of these reasons are why good vendor relationships are key.
Truth About Chargers
Most people in this novel industry have likely heard recent news of the Tesla NACS vs. the SAE CCS plug wars. Given the private standard (NACS) is seeming winning over the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) standard should already raise eyebrows. It is the private vs. public battle in full swing, and even those deeply invested in this market don't know how it will turn out. I can say with firsthand experience that just because the plug fits, doesn't mean it works. There are many reasons for this issue but the solution to the problem is having good vendors to work together to solve it. If you are operating a high voltage (anything above 500 Vdc) battery vehicle, there is a likely possibility that you will encounter errors between the charger and the vehicle. These errors can come about from various reasons, but most can be corrected if all of the parties are working together. I suspect that as vehicle to grid (V2G) technology starts to take hold where the vehicle talks to the electric company to share power, these errors will be more common and take more effort from all vendors to correctly implement and ensure reliability. Charger interoperability tends to only occur at the charger companies' location and not the customers location. This issue alone can bring about misunderstandings and aggravation. It is not uncommon to work with a customer who purchased an expensive charger they were told "should" work, only to later be told the vehicle has not been tested on their charger. Expectations should be clear what the charger manufacturer will do if the charger does not work and how they will resolve it. Experience tells me that unless they are willing to come to you, it will be a long and difficult road.
What Should You Expect
It is important to have expectations when incorporating EV into your fleet, and I think these expectations are a great start for a successful project:
Vendors are responsible to ensure that they are working together to make sure problems are addressed. This includes working onsite together, when things go wrong (not everything can be done behind a desk). All to often assumptions are made about what went wrong when a 30-minute onsite visit could dispel the myths and speed up the time to get to a solution.
Things will go wrong but how those problems are handled will determine how successful your EV rollout will be. Every contract should have guarantees or expectations laid out about how the initial rollout and interoperability testing will be done. Charge manufacturers like to say something wasn't tested on their product, after they already sold it and there is now an issue. When it comes to fleet setups it should be incumbent upon the charger company to be onsite when a charger comes online.
Look at the size of the company and how large their support network is before taking on complex projects. EV's usually cannot be repaired by vendors other than the one that put it together, so keep that in mind. It is also important to get detailed documents of how the vehicle is assembled and how it works. If those documents are not available then the vehicle you are purchasing is likely still in prototype stage, and that may not be a problem you wish to inherit.
Be wary of conversions. This especially pertains to a situation where a brand-new vehicle from Ford, Dodge, etc... has the fuel driveline removed and an electric one installed. Vendors may promise that the local dealership will fix anything not related to the EV part, but that tends to not be the case. You will be glad you purchased from a reputable distributor that will get in the middle and solve this problem when it happens. If you are converting an older vehicle that is no longer under warranty from an OEM, this issue is not so much of a problem since warranty repairs from the OEM won't muddy the waters.
Lastly, EV operation is different than operating a Diesel or Gasoline vehicle. There will be driver training needed, especially if your operators are being moved between the EV and non-EV models. Keep this in mind when developing your plans to roll out EV equipment in your operation.
Conclusion
Successfully integrating EV models into your fleet can be a large undertaking and no one knows everything, but there are resources available and industry experts out there that can provide help. A hour long conversation with these experts can save you in the long term by helping provide direction and clarity. I have to take a moment to acknowledge the team at the Electrification Coalition for whom I have collaborated with in the past and got to see first-hand the efforts that they put forward to progress the industry, including providing helpful resources to fleets and industry stakeholders. I also ask that if you find my articles helpful or find yourself in need of assistance with your fleet, please sign up, or reach out and contact me. Signing up allows me to know that these articles are reaching people and providing a valuable service.
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