{"id":10778,"date":"2021-04-18T12:03:55","date_gmt":"2021-04-18T10:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=10778"},"modified":"2021-04-18T12:03:55","modified_gmt":"2021-04-18T10:03:55","slug":"maintenance-25","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/04\/18\/maintenance-25\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Update Your Fleet Maintenance Operations for BEVs"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/photos\/WhoXOrkPWMI\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><em>Photo: Unsplash\/Markus Spiske<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Here are some baseline areas to update in your maintenance protocols so you can integrate battery electric vehicles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Integrating battery electric vehicles (BEVs)\u00a0into fleets comes with a host of cost savings and environmental benefits, but it also requires planning and some operational shifts. One of the areas fleet managers must give thought to is vehicle maintenance. The different technologies involved in running an EV versus an internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle requires f<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Here are some baseline areas to update in your maintenance protocols so you can integrate BEVs (it is worth noting that exact service intervals and adjustments will depend on your fleet\u2019s use case and the specific makes and models of BEVs you select).<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Adjust Your Service Intervals<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">One of the biggest changes to maintenance when you integrate EVs is updating your service intervals accordingly. BEV systems are drastically different from ICE vehicles because there is no engine. Instead, the battery stores energy that is used for propulsion and supporting cabin functions like air conditioning.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Here is a brief overview of what maintenance of various EV systems can look like:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Battery:<\/strong>\u00a0BEV batteries are maintenance-free. Maintenance should not be attempted due to their high voltage (400-600VDC or more). The Battery Management System\u00a0(BMS) maintains the battery and generates fault codes if it requires attention. Charging a battery fully, as indicated by the fuel gauge, will not cause battery issues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Brakes:<\/strong>\u00a0All BEVs have regenerative braking systems, which help recapture energy when the vehicle is slowing down. Regenerative braking reduces the frequency by which mechanical brakes have to be engaged, thereby extending the life of mechanical braking system components. This means brake pads and fluids need to be maintained far less frequently for BEVs.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Coolant:\u00a0<\/strong>BEV cooling systems are not exposed to temperature extremes that are common in ICE engine vehicles; therefore, they tend to last longer. Refer to your owner\u2019s manual for recommended service intervals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Engine Oil:\u00a0<\/strong>A BEV does not have an engine that is lubricated by synthetic or conventional oils, so they do not require oil changes. You can remove this from your maintenance checklist.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Powertrain:<\/strong>\u00a0Passenger, light- &amp; medium-duty pickups, and cargo vans that are fully electrified do not have a transmission that requires periodic flushing. Heavier duty vehicles, which are currently in design and early test phases, may have simpler transmissions that will require fluid exchange. However, it is projected these intervals will be considerably longer than an equivalent ICE vehicle. Refer to your owner\u2019s manual for recommended service intervals.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Tires:\u00a0<\/strong>Tires should be changed and rotated on a regular schedule, much like their ICE vehicle counterparts.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Rethink Your Cycling and Runtimes<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">BEVs are expected to last much longer and log many more miles than their ICE counterparts. One transportation network company (TNC)\u00a0released the data on their BEV fleet, and many vehicles made it past 200,000 miles with minimal maintenance and no significant reduction in battery capacity.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Expand Your Service Network<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Not all garages are equipped to handle EV maintenance. Fortunately, most OEMs are focusing their efforts on expanding their existing dealership service location capabilities through specialized training, tools, and charging stations. Fleet managers should fully understand an OEMs repair network footprint and mobile repair capabilities as a part of their due diligence during the procurement phase.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The Driver\u2019s Role in Maintenance Still Applies<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Advances in technology and fewer parts to maintain still don\u2019t override a core piece of the maintenance equation: the driver. Driving behavior can still greatly influence the maintenance cycles and lifetime of a BEV vehicle, especially in the realm of non-preventive maintenance or unexpected repairs. While drivers will have fewer trips to make for routine maintenance, driver compliance with maintenance policy still is a factor to ensuring your BEVs are serviced on time.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">Expect Cost Savings<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">All of these maintenance changes add up to cost savings. There have been numerous studies around BEV maintenance savings potential, and overall fleets can expect to spend less maintaining EVs than their ICE counterparts. According to Consumer Reports, BEVs cost\u00a0half as much\u00a0to repair, and the New York City municipal fleet spent\u00a075% less\u00a0on maintenance. Part of this is due to the fact that there are simply fewer systems. BEVs do not have mufflers, catalytic converters, oil filters, spark plugs, fuel injectors, fuel pumps, or exhaust systems. This means fewer systems to maintain or fix in the case of a failure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">BEV battery warranties exceed most ICE powertrain coverage and are typically up to 100,000 miles or even up to eight years long. Many BEVs have been driven much farther than this (in excess of 200,000 miles)\u00a0and still had the battery perform at above 80% effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">The introduction of BEVs to commercial fleets presents many exciting opportunities, both for sustainability and for the bottom line. As we enter a newer, \u201cgreener\u201d chapter, make sure your fleet is taking advantage of these opportunities and staying up to date on the latest changes to maintenance protocols and technologies. Your fleet management partner is a good resource to help you stay on top of these changes.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<p class=\"p-16-gray\"><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\">by George Albright, Director, Fleet Products: Maintenance, Merchants Fleet<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"posted-by\">Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.automotive-fleet.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/www.automotive-fleet.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>CUT COTS OF THE FLEET WITH OUR AUDIT PROGRAM<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/consultancy\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-5377\" src=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 858px) 100vw, 858px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2020\/04\/nueva-ley-auditoria-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" alt=\"\" width=\"858\" height=\"572\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">The audit is a key tool to know the overall status and provide the analysis, the assessment, the advice, the suggestions and the actions to take in order to cut costs and increase the efficiency and efficacy of the fleet. We propose the following fleet management audit.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/consultancy\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><strong>FLEET MANAGEMENT AUDIT<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo: Unsplash\/Markus Spiske Here are some baseline areas to update in your maintenance protocols so you can integrate battery electric vehicles. Integrating battery electric vehicles (BEVs)\u00a0into fleets comes with a host of cost savings and environmental benefits, but it also requires planning and some operational shifts. One of the areas fleet managers must give thought&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":10779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[53],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10780,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10778\/revisions\/10780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}