One of the reasons why more companies are refusing to take on electric vehicles is because of fears over whether they can be fixed successfully at the roadside after a breakdown.
However, these fears are largely unfounded, according to ‘The Facts’ initiative, launched last year by Autotrader, Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders and Charge UK.
The campaign, which is supported by Fleet News, the AA, Institute of the Motor Industry, Zapmap, National Franchise Dealer Association, British Vehicle Rental Leasing Association, Cox Automotive Europe and EVA England, and endorsed by Department for Transport, seeks to promote user-friendly facts that offer a data-backed view of electric vehicles to dispel popular misconceptions.
New data provided from the AA reveals that EVs are more likely to be successfully repaired at the roadside than petrol or diesel cars, with a repair rate of almost 89%, versus 87.5% for internal combustion engines (ICE).
Similarly, data from the AA reveals that the 12-volt battery in an ICE car is a more likely reason for a call-out than the battery of an electric car.
Edmund King, AA president, said: “The AA has the biggest database of EV breakdowns in the UK and our data shows EVs running out of charge is a tiny proportion of EV breakdowns and has fallen dramatically since 2015. In addition, we fix a greater proportion of EVs at the roadside than petrol and diesel cars and the small number we can’t fix can easily be towed with our free-wheeling hub.”
