Top delivery handover tips for new EV car owners

Based on his own experiences, Nick Chadaway, managing director of DMN Logistics, provides his ‘delivery handover advice’ to first time EV buyers.

The rapidly growing demand for EVs means the ‘handover’ has become a vital part of vehicle delivery and now provides the customer with the ideal opportunity to find out as much information about the vehicle as possible.

Nick Chadaway

The increase in online vehicle purchases further confirms the importance of vehicle delivery drivers because through this buying process, customers may only see their vehicle for the first time upon delivery (and have undoubtedly never driven it before, nor any other EV). As the customer is unfamiliar with the actual functionality of the car, it has inadvertently become the delivery drivers’ role to educate the customer.

Now, with numerous functional differences in each make and model, it is the responsibility of the vehicle delivery drivers to enlighten the customer about the vehicle during handover. Customers should not hesitate to ask for quick, functional, practical demonstrations, especially when unfamiliar with the vehicle.

Here are a few tips I recommend new EV drivers keep in mind during the handover:

• Before the delivery of your new vehicle, write down any questions you have about the car to ask the delivery driver – they will most likely be able to answer your questions due to their familiarity with the vehicle.
• Ask about the basic differences between driving an ICE to an EV. The answer should help you feel more confident in driving it for the first time.
• Ask about charging. The driver can demonstrate the ‘handshake’ between the plug and the car so the customer is aware of the correct technique to use to ensure efficient charging and no delays.
• Ask about any software included in the car to help with driving efficiency. Most cars will have these, and although prior to buying, the customer will have read about them, they may not have seen how they work in real-life. End users should ask for a demonstration to gain a better understanding.
• To help deter range anxiety, ask questions about the range. The driver will be able to inform the end-user of ‘typical’ mileage on a certain percentage of charge. It is also a good idea to ask about eco-mode and how this improves range.

I think it is important that the client feels happy and confident with the vehicle before the delivery driver leaves. In our industry, our vehicle delivery drivers have had to adapt to new learning systems and therefore are best equipped to advise end-users on how to drive an EV in the most efficient way.

Vehicle delivery drivers are in the best position to provide advice and we suggest customers utilise their knowledge to gain familiarity and a better understanding of their new vehicle so that they feel more confident making the switch.

My best advice for the end-user is to gain as much insight into the vehicle from the person that is most familiar with it – the vehicle delivery driver.

DMN Logistics’ White Paper outlines the challenges in EV logistics. In it, we outline the experiences of our drivers adapting and learning new systems and driving efficiencies of EVs, challenges we face in the industry and how to overcome them. To access the DMN white paper on addressing the challenges in EV logistics go to http://bit.ly/EVWP1511