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As electric vehicles (EVs) make their way into commercial trucking fleets, maintenance teams are considering preventative maintenance plans for battery-powered vehicles and systems. Preventative programs help guide maintenance managers and ensure the longevity of vehicles.
To get ahead of maintenance, last year, Amerit Fleet Solutions deployed a management network for EVs that provides commercial vehicle maintenance. The company is also partnering with leading EV companies through its Amerit EV Anywhere initiative, a nationwide service program and technician training platform.
Below, we explore what there is to know about electric truck management.
What You Should Know About Electric Fleet Truck Management
One major step toward future advancement is the use of sustainable sources to power our technologies, especially in the transportation industry. In 2021, the transport of goods and people accounted for close to 30% of total U.S. energy consumption. Currently, petroleum powers much of the trucking sector, with petroleum products accounting for 90% of the total U.S. transportation sector’s energy use in 2021.
However, gas and oil are limited, and the industry has begun investing in sustainable alternatives. Although EVs are becoming an increasingly important part of the trucking sector, many technicians are unfamiliar with EV maintenance. The move toward electrification will take time, as EV maintenance is a different ballpark than gas-powered vehicles.
For example, the cables and transmissions are different and even wait times for new parts vary. Lithium batteries, for instance, can’t air travel, so they must be delivered by ground. Technicians must also be extremely familiar with the charging infrastructure of vehicles.
“Training technicians on the charging infrastructures is very essential. They need to know how the charging really affects the vehicle,” said Arun Chickmenahalli, director of maintenance at truck leasing provider Ryder System Inc.
As fleet maintenance providers prepare for electric trucks to enter the sector in mass, Amerit Fleet Solutions created a program to help technicians.
A Game-changing EV Service and Training Program
Amerit’s EV Ready technician training program provides support to more than 160,000 vehicles for its fleet customers. The company is increasing accessibility and transitional ease by training diesel technicians, who can sometimes pick up entry-level maintenance practices for EVs in about eight hours. The maintenance program is a win-win, as technicians are able to advance their careers while also developing the EV industry and making electric truck fleets all the more effective. In the future, Amerit says it will work with OEMs to establish more technician training programs.
Amerit has added EVs into its own fleet of Mobile Service Centers, which works as a “garage on wheels” to maintain fleet assets in out-of-the-way areas. The fully-electric EVolution Mobile Service Center was produced in collaboration with automaker Phoenix Motor Cars. The zero-emission maintenance vehicle allows technicians to perform side-by-side maintenance and repairs for both electric and internal combustion vehicles.
While ranges and efficiencies are still improving, the EVolution eliminates one of consumers’ major fears about EVs: running out of electricity. It can supply EVs the 5-10 mile boost they need to reach a charging station.
Electrification is the future, and as EVs make their way to the trucking sector, technicians must evolve to maintain the vehicles.
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