A new set of phone calls
A hirer rings from a motorway services. The car says forty miles of range and the charger they found will not accept their card. Another hirer returns a car at twelve per cent charge, which means the next hire, due in two hours, cannot leave with a usable range. A third car comes back without its granny cable, which nobody notices until the next hirer asks for it.
None of these happen with petrol cars, and the processes built for petrol cars do not cover them.
Why electric hires cause more friction
Many hirers have never driven an electric car for more than a test drive. The car, the charging and the return rules are all new to them, and a rental counter handover is not the place to learn.
- Hirers do not know how to charge the specific model, which cable it needs or how to use public chargers.
- Charge level at check-out and return is recorded as a guess or not at all.
- Cables and adapters are loose items that go missing.
- Recharging a returned car takes hours, not minutes, so a low return affects the next hire.
- Recharge charges are worked out differently by different staff.
What electric hire friction costs
Roadside calls, and occasional recoveries for cars that ran flat. Next hires delayed or swapped because a car was returned low. Missing cables that cost money to replace. Charge disputes. And customers who decide never to hire electric again, which matters if your fleet is moving that way.
The EV handover flow we build
- At booking, the hirer receives a short guide for the exact model: how to charge it, which connector it uses, how to read the range, and the charging apps and networks commonly used on their route. It is written plainly and fits on a phone.
- At check-out, charge percentage and displayed range are captured from telematics where the car reports them, or from a dashboard photo, alongside the cables and adapters handed over.
- The hirer is sent the return charge requirement in their confirmation, such as the minimum percentage your policy sets.
- At check-in, charge level and cables are captured again. Missing cables open a case straight away while the hirer can still be asked.
- Any recharge fee is worked out from the difference and your rates, with photos, and a car returned low is flagged on the turnaround board so it goes on charge first.
- Roadside questions can be answered from a help page for that model, and calls are logged so you can see which models and routes cause trouble.
| Item | Petrol car process | EV process |
|---|---|---|
| Energy at handover | Fuel gauge | Charge percentage and range |
| Loose items | Usually none | Cables and adapters checked both ends |
| Turnaround | Minutes to refuel | Hours to charge, planned on the board |
| Hirer knowledge | Assumed | Model-specific guide sent at booking |
Charging between hires
The turnaround board treats charging as a scheduled task. It knows which cars are on charge, which charge point they are on and when they will be ready, so a car returned low is not promised to the next hirer before it is charged. Where your depot chargers have an API, the board can read their status directly.
Electric hires that feel easy to the hirer
Business hirers on longer EV rentals raise one more question: public charging costs. If your terms let hirers use a charge card you supply, the sessions on that card are matched to the hire and added to the final invoice, just as road charges are. If hirers pay for public charging themselves, the guide says so clearly at booking, which heads off a common misunderstanding.
Hirers arrive knowing how to charge the car. Returns are recorded with a percentage and a photo, so charges are clear and consistent. Cables stop disappearing. And you get a record of what electric hires actually involve, which helps when deciding how many to keep in the fleet.
Are your EV hires causing these headaches?
- Hirers ring about charging and range during their hire.
- Electric cars come back with low charge and delay the next hire.
- Charging cables go missing.
- Charge levels are not recorded at check-out.
- EV recharge fees are applied inconsistently.