{"id":12576,"date":"2021-10-21T16:56:06","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T14:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/?p=12576"},"modified":"2021-10-21T16:56:06","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T14:56:06","slug":"drivers-28","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/2021\/10\/21\/drivers-28\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Educate Drivers on Electric Vehicle Safety"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photo: Maxim Hopman on Unsplash<\/a>.<\/em><\/i><\/span><\/p>\n

EVs are held to the same safety standards as ICE vehicles, and drivers must understand the differences in engine noise, acceleration, and braking.<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n

The electric vehicle wave is upon us, and the technology inside these vehicles is progressively evolving \u2014 and, in turn, competing with the road for your driver\u2019s attention. With distraction at an all-time high, providing continuous education to drivers on how and when to use the complex technologies found in EVs is critical to maintaining a safe fleet.<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

This was a small sampling of the discussion during a seminar on EV safety<\/a> at the 2021 Fleet Safety Experience<\/a> presented on Sept. 22. Sara Sweeney, senior product manager, Wheels Inc., moderated a panel that included Tony Vinciguerra, chief operating officer, Driving Dynamics, and Katie Keeton, fleet manager, Siemens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Driver Education<\/span><\/h2>\n

As EV sales grow year-over-year and become established in fleets, organizations must address the unique characteristics of EV operation and educate drivers accordingly.<\/span><\/p>\n

Although Siemens has offered EVs on its selector for a few years, drivers were slow to adopt them. \u201cThe reason for that is because people are generally not aware of what it means to drive an electric vehicle,\u201d said Katie Keeton, fleet manager, Siemens.<\/span><\/p>\n

Siemens held information sessions for drivers on EVs and brought in manufacturers to discuss the specifics of EV operation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt was an opportunity for us to look at how we educate our drivers,\u201d Keeton said. \u201cMost EVs are just as safe, if not safer, than any other vehicle on the road. We had to demystify what is means to operate an EV, while at the same time help our drivers understand we have a carbon-neutral goal, so we need them to be a part of this journey with us. This is uncharted territory in fleet, so the best thing we can do is continuously educate.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

EVs must pass all the same safety standards as vehicles with internal-combustion engines (ICE). According to Tony Vinciguerra, chief operating officer, Driving Dynamics, 94% of all crashes are due to human error, and that\u2019s not going to change when a driver goes from ICE to electric. However, there are a few notable differences: the acceleration is quicker in an electric vehicle and regenerative braking is more responsive.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure your employees understand the nuances of an EV, and that you can turn off certain features, like cruise control or regenerative braking, so that you have more control over the vehicle when you\u2019re traveling in ice or snow,\u201d Vinciguerra said. \u201cIn a gas-powered vehicle, if you take your foot off the gas, you coast, but with an EV, if you take your foot off the pedal, you can feel it; it\u2019s almost as if you have your emergency brake on. It\u2019s that aggressive.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Another difference between ICE vehicles and EVs is that EVs have noiseless engines. \u201cAccording to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there\u2019s a 19% greater chance of hitting a pedestrian in a plug-in or hybrid vehicle because the vehicles are so quiet,\u201d Vinciguerra said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Organizations should keep this in mind when training drivers. For instance, drivers should create eye contact or give a quick beep on the horn to pedestrians or cyclists so they know that the driver is there, he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Engage Drivers<\/span><\/h2>\n

Sweeney cited alarming statistics on the rise of roadway fatalities in the last two years. \u201cSafety doesn\u2019t jump into people\u2019s minds when they\u2019re thinking about electrification,\u201d Sweeney said, \u201cbut based on what we\u2019re seeing on the roadways, we can\u2019t leave safety on the wayside as we move into this new frontier of electric vehicles.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s crucial for fleet managers to communicate with employees so they understand the organization\u2019s goals for electrification.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFleet managers are taking on the monumental task of getting in front of their drivers and educating them,\u201d Sweeney said. \u201cThey (drivers) can be so amped to drive their EVs that they may not have their full attention on the road.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Additional tools Sweeney utilizes are telematics, gamification, and a \u201ctrain-the-trainers\u201d module, where the company\u2019s leaders are taught EV operations and safety techniques, and they go back and demonstrate what they\u2019ve learned to their employees.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can get your drivers excited and engaged in thinking about the company\u2019s sustainability efforts and safety, it\u2019s a great way to get them educated,\u201d she said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Understanding Complex Technology<\/span><\/h2>\n

Autonomous driver-assistance systems and EVs are increasingly entwined, which makes it all the more important to train employees on how to use the technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a whole change going on in the automotive industry, and that\u2019s what\u2019s causing these challenges we\u2019re facing,\u201d Vinciguerra said. \u201cThere are way too many distractions and toys inside the vehicle, and electric vehicles are just another layer on top of that. Unless fleet managers start educating their drivers and making them more comfortable behind the wheel, we will continue to see increased fatalities and injuries on the road.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Drivers are becoming too reliant on safety equipment, according to Keeton. Vehicles are becoming safer, but if vehicle operators aren\u2019t doing their job, then all the safety systems in the world are not going to help them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cFundamentally, people need to realize that the most dangerous thing they are going to do during the course of a day is get behind the wheel,\u201d Vinciguerra said. \u201cThey get into bad habits and need to be reminded frequently about what they should be doing.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to electrification, fleet managers should never compromise on any part of their safety policy.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIf your policy says a vehicle has to have certain features or a minimum crash rating, don\u2019t compromise just because it\u2019s an EV and you need to get an EV initiative,\u201d Sweeney said. \u201cContinuing to promote your safety culture and enhancing it as you move to an electric fleet is going to be important so that you don\u2019t lose all the hard work you\u2019ve done to build it up over the course of many years.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

By Chad Simon<\/p>\n

Source: https:\/\/www.automotive-fleet.com<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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KNOW WHO WE ARE<\/strong><\/a><\/h1>\n

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Photo: Maxim Hopman on Unsplash. EVs are held to the same safety standards as ICE vehicles, and drivers must understand the differences in engine noise, acceleration, and braking. The electric vehicle wave is upon us, and the technology inside these vehicles is progressively evolving \u2014 and, in turn, competing with the road for your driver\u2019s…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":12577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18],"tags":[133],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12576"}],"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=12576"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12578,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12576\/revisions\/12578"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12577"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/advancedfleetmanagementconsulting.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}