Arrival to 'transform' fleet servicing with global service network programme

Arrival has announced a service network programme that will use the company’s digital service platform to train and certify any technician to service its vehicles. 

The service platform uses the data from Arrival’s vehicles and proprietary algorithms to enable existing service providers to repair and maintain its electric vans and buses.

This, it says will utilise existing networks of technicians and workshops, ensuring scalable coverage while helping maintenance and repair companies transition to electric vehicles.

Arrival has established four initial partners in Europe, including ARC Europe Group, Kwik Fit, Rivus Fleet Solutions and ZF.

Together, with partners in the US, Arrival says these partners will help form the Arrival Service Network, with more than 21,000 workshops and 60,000 mobile service units.

Powered by Arrival's service platform, partners will have access to repair and maintenance documentation, in person and online training, predictive and automated diagnostics, and the distribution of spare parts. 

“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.”

The service platform starts at the vehicle level, where on board sensors and embedded software constantly analyse the state of the vehicle and its components.

This vehicle-specific information is maintained in the cloud, creating a real-time picture of the vehicle that allows Arrival to remotely determine which component needs service, rather than requiring technicians to manually diagnose an issue in the field. This remote capability is augmented by predictive models that aim to identify issues before they even occur.

The platform then takes into account all the operations that are required to repair a vehicle based on the data received and builds an optimised work package determined by the criticality of the issue, the parts needed, the skill levels of the technician required and any additional supporting material needed.

Customers will either be presented with scheduling options or an automatic selection based on their predefined criteria, and the platform will orchestrate the coming together of resources to perform the repair, says Arrival.

If the technician encounters an unexpected issue, Arrival service engineers located strategically across markets remain on standby to provide remote support via chat and live sessions using smart glasses, or in-person if needed.

To ensure customer satisfaction, the platform manages the people by delivering training, certification, and technical support directly to the technicians and helping them stay up to date.

Automatic warranty authorisation and easy job documentation further support the technician through the entire process and minimise any paperwork required.

This new approach to servicing vehicles will ensure consistent, convenient access for customers through established and respected operators, says Arrival. It will continue to add partners to the network as production ramps up.  

Dan Joyce, UK fleet director at Kwik Fit, said: “Kwik Fit is delighted to be working with Arrival in the capacity of garage network support in both the UK and Netherlands.

“The strategic partnership with Arrival underlines our desire to provide innovative solutions to a broader base of customers, namely within the electric vehicle space.

“We have invested heavily in technician development and network capability in recent years, we are excited to see how the partnership can support this area further.”

Thomas Maerz, chief development officer at 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.

“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.”

Rivus Fleet Solutions is upskilling its technicians to deal with a growing number of electric vehicles (EVs) after the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) warned of a widening skills gap. 

The IMI says that 90,000 technicians will be required to provide a sufficient workforce ahead of the Government’s Road to Zero deadline. 

However, while the automotive sector is working hard to retrain and upskill, because of the accelerated adoption of EVs, the IMI is predicting that there will be a shortfall of 35,700 technicians by 2030.