Calisen is fitting solar battery-maintenance technology across its electric fleet to reduce avoidable vehicle downtime.
The business operates around 350 vans supporting approximately 1100 engineers and technicians, with about one-third of the fleet now fully electric.
It found that systems including telematics continue drawing power from a vehicle's 12V battery while the van is parked. During extended periods of inactivity, that can leave an otherwise charged electric van unable to start.
Calisen has responded by installing solar panels that maintain the auxiliary battery rather than charging the vehicle's main traction battery.
Forty vans have already been retrofitted, with the technology also being installed on newly purchased vehicles. Calisen expects the system to reduce avoidable downtime by up to 50%.
As fleets electrify, traditional assumptions about vehicle reliability need to be reconsidered. Telematics, cameras and other always-on equipment can create new electrical loads even when vehicles are stationary.
Relatively simple interventions can therefore produce meaningful operational benefits.
