E-fleet solutions provider VEV has announced that it has partnered with chargepoint management systems provider Techniche to automate the maintenance of EV chargers.
VEV has integrated Techniche’s ‘Techniche EV’ product into its EV charger platform VEV-IQ. The Techniche EV product helps automate the process of maintaining EV chargers by solving software problems automatically and submitting tickets for repairs of physical issues automatically, rather than relying on customer report data. According to the two firms, the new system is able to detect and triage up to 85% of charger issues automatically.
The new software will be used alongside VEV’s VEV-IQ platform, sending data ot automatically create work orders and thus speed up the process of repairing EV chargers in need of maintenance that cannot be fixed with a remote solution. This allows chargers to be fixed significantly faster and thus helps increase the amount of uptime for EV chargers and improve the charging experience for everyone. VEV is Techniche’s first dedicated fleet solutions customer to use the Techniche EV software platform.
In a recent Current± webinar, Brad Sandys, head of business development at Techniche, discussed the ways in which software providers and chargepoint operators (CPOs) can provide a strong service that keeps drivers happy, noting that “data, data, and more data is key” to dealing with the root cause of problems at chargepoints. Sandys also said that 80% of driver issues at chargepoints are solved without technical intervention and instead by providing instruction or guidance to the user.
Mike Brown, VP of product at VEV, stated that maximising fleet uptime is “critical” for operators seeking to optimise the productivity and profitability of their operations.
He added that: the Techniche EV software is “ideally placed to help us meet and report on the rigorous service level requirements set by our end-customers.”
Brad Sandys added: “This partnership represents an exciting opportunity to further develop our product for the e-fleet charging market”.
VEV keeps trucking on
In recent months, VEV has been significantly impacting the commercial haulage market, with new partnerships aimed at speeding the rollout of zero-emission heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) across the UK.
Last month, the company partnered with haulage firm AV Dawson Transport to trial an electric HGV as part of the firm’s operations in the north of England. The Middlesborough-based transport firm, tested a 42-tonne fully electric HGV for ten days across a variety of routes. In total, the truck completed over 1,800 miles of driving spread over 42 journeys to customer sites and reduced AV Dawson Transport’s emissions by 2.3 tonnes over the trial period.
In May, VEV partnered with road and rail freight logistics firm Maritime Transport to develop high-powered electric truck chargers. Electric truck chargers will be installed at three Maritime Transport sites located in Wakefield, Doncaster, and Tilbury, ahead of Maritime Transport introducing its first battery electric trucks later this year.
