Electric car batteries could unexpectedly go flat leaving motorists stranded by the side of the road this winter, according to experts.
The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) said fleets have reported a rise in issues of 12v batteries on fully-electric vans.
Paul Hollick, AFP chair admitted this was a “significant issue” and stressed it was not an “isolated incident”.
The widespread issue has left some owners forced to pay hundreds of pounds in breakdown callouts.
Meanwhile, fleets have had to install brand-new batteries in their vans to keep their vehicles on the road.
Speaking to Fleet News, Paul said: “This is definitely a significant issue on e-LCVs (electric light commercial vehicles), especially those that when charging, the (12v) battery is not being topped up.
“It is not an isolated fleet and seems to be an issue for all e-LCV fleet deployments.”
Figures from the AA show that there have been more battery failures in electric vans than diesel models over the past year.
Electric vans have accounted for almost 20 percent of all LCV 12v battery issues compared to just 15 percent for diesel vehicles.
Diesel breakdowns overtook electric breakdowns back in October 2023 but this swaps a trend seen across the entirety of last year.
The AFP claims that some batteries have even died when plugged into an EV charging bay. To counter the issue, Paul has suggested that fleets should consider installing solar panels on the roof of their models.
However, this would prove highly expensive with a bill of around £800 per vehicle to install the technology.
He also suggested that there were major issues with WLTP range figures with owners being sold vehicles on the back of incorrect information.
He added: “We’ve had reports during the last few weeks of operators of electric vans with a WLTP range of 200 miles seeing that number halve with a full load in cold conditions.
“That’s a reduction that is extremely difficult for fleet managers to work their way around in operational terms.
“Ultimately, it means that the official data designed to guide fleets towards making informed buying decisions is at best, inaccurate and, at worst, actively leads them to purchase the wrong vehicles.
“These are very expensive mistakes for businesses to be making.”
