Electric van maker Arrival is setting up a service and repair network for its electric vans. Called the Arrival Service Network Program, four partners have been appointed in Europe and four in the US. These initial partners will provide fleets with the service and repair back up to keep both the vans and buses from the electric-only OEM fully maintained.
The Arrival eLCVsand eBuses are built on modular platforms and built locally at what Arrival calls microfactories both in the UK and the US, enabling end user costs to be comparable to petrol or diesel commercial vehicles, says Arrival. The company has received significant investment from sustainable investor Black Rock and from the Hyundai Kia Group. US parcel delivery company UPS has placed an order for 10,000 of the electric vans, which will be rolled out in the UK, Europe and the US as UPS transitions to a zero emission fleet.
Partners in the SMR program will use the company’s digital Service Platform to train and certify technicians on its vehicles. The Service Platform uses the data from Arrival’s vehicles and proprietary algorithms to enable existing service providers to repair and maintain vehicles utilizing existing networks of technicians and workshops. Arrival says this will ensure scalable coverage for fleets using its electric commercials.
To begin with there will be four partners in Europe. These are: ARC Europe Group, Kwik Fit, Rivus Fleet Solutions and ZF. And four in the US: Amerit Fleet Solutions, Bridgestone Retail Operations, NAPA AUTO PARTS, and Valvoline.
Together these eight partners offer more than 21,000 workshops and 60,000 mobile service units across the two markets. Arrival says that this will ensure “exceptional service to Arrival customers”.
“We’re aiming to fundamentally change the way that maintenance, service and repair is performed using in-house software to create a next generation experience for our customers,” said Serge Sulgin, CEO of Arrival Solutions. “The Arrival Service Platform will provide a marketplace to connect EV users with skilled and certified service providers, giving them an end-to-end solution for the newest and most advanced products in their fleet and allowing us to scale our service network quickly and on-demand to meet our customers wherever they are. It will also give our partners the opportunity to upskill their workforce for the future of mobility.”
Commenting on the professional social media platform LinkedIn, commercial manager for eLCVs in the UK, David Watts, said:
“In the absence of a franchise dealer network, a common question is around the future servicing of our vans. We can now start to share what that's going to look like with the announcement of our initial service partners and the technology that we are developing to support their activity.”
The service partner technicians will have the backup of Arrival Service Engineers to provide remote support via chat and live sessions using smart glasses. To ensure customer satisfaction, the Platform carefully manages the people by delivering training, certification, and technical support directly to the technicians and helping them stay up to date. Automatic warranty authorization and easy job documentation further support the technician through the entire process and minimize any paperwork required.
Thomas Maerz, chief development officer of Rivus Fleet Solutions added:
“We are excited to be a preferred partner for Arrival. We believe Arrival will be a strong player in the LCV space, with a compelling and unique offering. Our customers are eager to hear about new vehicles that are available and suitable. The customers we fleet manage, some of the largest critical fleets in the UK, are moving to EVs at a rapid pace, therefore we are already the market and thought leaders in electric vehicles. We are excited to be asked to support Arrival as they launch their new zero emissions products.”
In July 2021, LeasePlan was announced as the preferred leasing partner for Arrival eLCVs.
