GRIDSERVE has taken delivery of 12 fully customised Vauxhall Vivaro-e L2H1 vans that will help facilitate a nationwide maintenance patrol running 24/7, 365 days of the year, for its ever-growing electric vehicle (EV) charging network.
Operated by a team of GRIDSERVE field service engineers, the vehicles will be deployed across specific regions of the UK to manage both preventive and corrective maintenance, improving the reliability, transparency and accessibility of the 180,000 charging sessions now taking place each month on the GRIDSERVE Electric Highway.
Although the UK Government is mandating a 99% uptime for all EV charge point operators, GRIDSERVE is already setting this target as a minimum standard for its network. Since the start of 2023, field service engineers have worked with the operations team to conduct quarterly health checks at all locations, support predictive maintenance schedules and deal with an average of three repair call outs per day, mainly focused around replacing damaged hardware.
With each service vehicle estimated to accrue at least 25,000 miles of driving each year, the fully electric fleet will not only ensure the network remains operational but will also help to save the equivalent of 37 tonnes of carbon annually*.
Kevin Dodd, Head of Operations, said: “We’re always looking at how we can use the latest technology to best serve our customers, while also doing the right thing for the planet. Launching a fully electric fleet of service vehicles will provide a new level of charger maintenance while still delivering on our ambition to move the needle on climate change.”
GRIDSERVE is further building on its trusted reputation for customer service by having charging attendants support key Electric Super Hub locations during busy periods. It has also recently migrated all customer service call centre operations in-house, helping to radically improve both the wait time and quality of response.
Rebecca Trebble, Chief Customer Experience Officer, said: “The quality of our EV charging experience is just as important as the quantity. The GRIDSERVE Electric Highway may be growing at an astonishing pace, but drivers will quickly become frustrated if they discover chargers aren’t working, they can’t clearly see how much it costs to charge or the person helping on the other end of the phone isn’t as knowledgeable as they should be. This is critical infrastructure, so combining real-time data from our operations team with our dedicated call centre and field service engineers will mean we’re able to respond quickly to customer needs and minimise any downtime on the network.”
Notes to editors
*Based on average van emissions defined by SMMT as 195.7g/km
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