A fleet of passenger service vehicles would contain buses and they need 24v battery sets. We know what the average battery failure and non-start rate would be within a typical fleet, from our extensive ROBIS research analysis of 21,500 buses (up to April 2019) and through our partnerships with our fleet customers.

Within an imaginary bus fleet of 100 buses, we know from the data of 700,000 tests via ROBIS (until April 2019) that around 43% of those vehicles experienced battery issues over a 12-month period and, from the same 700,000 test data, that 30% have reported non-starts in the same period. This would equate to an assumed cost of circa £200 to deal with each roadside nonstart, which would be in the region of £6,000 annually. The cost of replacing two batteries per vehicle would be additional, at a cost of around £300 for two batteries. That totals £9,000 for battery replacement costs. Add that to the non-start budget and it amounts to £15,000 annually for our imaginary 100 vehicle bus fleet.

This does also not include the incremental charges from local authorities for lost mileage claims and customer complaints due to the public disruption. Therefore, if a bus has broken down on its regular route, the fine could be from any stage of that route to its final destination. The worst-case scenario could be that the route could be withdrawn from their contract and given to a competitor, losing significant revenue.

We know that from the data of 700,000 tests via ROBIS, that we would expect to see 15% of those 100 buses from our imaginary fleet in service with a battery in a state of imminent failure. Those batteries could fail at any stage and prevent the bus from getting to its final destination on time through a non-start.

From our 700,000 ROBIS tests, we know that 27% of these 100 imaginary fleet vehicles will have batteries in a poor state of charge and, whilst not yet at a point of failure, they could cause a non-start if they are not charged in a workshop as part of routine maintenance to avoid the risk of premature failure. This means that a fleet manager could be replacing batteries sooner than s/he should due to premature aging of the batteries. Each battery costs over £150 and by not testing and charging, there is a risk of reducing the battery’s serviceable life by anything up to 50%.

The ROBIS Solution ROBIS provides visibility of the overall performance of workshop practices, capturing data to analyse the effectiveness of the workshop battery management programme.

It is saving workshops money by identifying vehicles which are falling outside of those correct practices, We know that by using the battery management programme, including ROBIS, workshops experience a significant reduction in non-starts. They are also in a position of being able to secure warranty claims that would previously have gone unclaimed.

Our customers are also seeing a reduction in the number of batteries that need attention, thus saving workshop time and increasing battery performance and battery life. This also carries a considerable human impact with a public service vehicle being out of service, having a bearing on passengers’ daily lives.

Key Features of ROBIS

What will ROBIS do for your business? ROBIS will reduce non-starts, help workshops save money and reduce their battery budgets by reducing roadside defects. The battery performance across a fleet will be improved and your warranty processes can be streamlined as ROBIS provides under-the-microscope data regarding battery performance. ROBIS will deliver proven ROI supporting your workshop battery management programme and will provide uniformed testing practices across your business. ROBIS will benefit your customers when you reduce lost miles and delivery penalties; you can make sure that vehicles are where they should be, when they should be.

Ken Clark, managing director of Rotronics, says: “ROBIS will reduce non-starts as it becomes central to helping fleet managers and owners evaluate exactly how their batteries perform across the fleet. ROBIS can gather national/regional data to one source and is a great tool to help reduce unnecessary battery-related costs in a workshop budget.

“Our customers have been extremely positive so far; they are amazed by the level of data and information that can be extracted from our battery management process. ROBIS offers underthe-microscope battery performance data and can support battery suppliers with valuable trend analysis. ROBIS will show real-time cost savings in the proactive use of the Rotronics battery management programme.”

New Key Features of ROBIS

• Live data reported into ROBIS, for instant results visibility
• No need to extract SD card from tester
• Warranty claims immediately processed and can be submitted as they happen
• Know instantly how many tests are being carried out by technician’s daily aiding compliance
• Instant ability to track the number of daily vehicle inspections against the number of battery tests performed
• Accurately compare “non-start” defects against latest routine maintenance test. · Extract and create weekly charging schedules against those vehicles tested as requiring charging

Existing Features

• Centralised dashboard showing regional and national KPI output of workshop battery test performance
• Early detection of vehicle and battery related performance issues
• Instant online access to current and historical workshop battery test results.
• User uploadable fleet information list to enable vehicle performance and trend analysis
• Tracking of equipment usage across multiple locations
• Benchmarking of regional and national tests result comparison and league tables.
• Auditing of technician input, to measure and identify any training needs required.
• Delivery of continuity across business, with KPI dashboard measuring key deliverables.
• Centralised database enabling visibility of all data, without risk of data loss.
• Active vehicle database exception reporting of vehicles not being maintained.
• Highlight battery performance issues and trends, to understand the quality of the batteries you fit to your vehicles.
• Active Warranty management reporting processes, enabling semi-automated warranty process.
• Multiple reporting sofware, enables numerous bespoke reports to be produced.
• Proven ROI capability, enabling measurement of success versus impact of noncompliance.
• Peronalised datbase with company logo

Internet access is required and users will receive a personalised, secure login which will give multiple user access to the dashboard, reports, warranty management and the regional/national statistics of their fleet. The dashoard works on any PC, tablet or mobile phone device and gives instant access to current and historical workshop testing results and analysis.

The workshop and management team can manage both workshop maintenance and vehicle reliability trends with their personalised reports. These reports will also help them identify individual training needs within the overall battery maintenance process. With minimal input from the technical team, workshops can actively manage and process their warranty claims. ROBIS can provide a comprehensive overview of the battery health and lifecycle performance if fleet information is uploaded into the database; this will help warranty adjudication for both user and supplier.

Please contact Rotronics now to discuss ROBIS. For more information on Rotronics and the battery management programmes, go to www.rotronicsbms.com and call Ken Clark on 0121 526 8185. You can also email [email protected]