EV Diagnostics & Prognostics: The Role of EV Software in Post-Sales EV Customer Service Support

As India becomes more conscious of its impact on the environment and the need for sustainable choices, the electric vehicle (EV) industry has emerged as one of the most significant contributors to meeting carbon emission goals.

EV technology has advanced by leaps and bounds, with batteries and other components now much cheaper and easier to produce. The Indian government has also implemented multiple policies, such as FAME, PM-EDRIVE, and EMPs, to support EV production and make them an attractive purchase option. 

Simultaneously, however, a new set of challenges has emerged: post-sales maintenance and long-term support.

EV systems are much more complex than regular automobiles, requiring special equipment and expertise to decode and maintain. For this reason, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) often struggle with support, leading to greater reluctance on the buyers’ part to invest.

In this context, investing in EV diagnostics & prognostics is crucial.

But what do the terms mean? What’s their impact on EVs?

In this blog post, we’ll introduce their role in EV manufacturing so you can seamlessly incorporate them into your business strategy.

Importance of Post-Sales Support in the EV Industry

Customers today have sky-high expectations of any product they buy. If there’s a problem, they want the answer to it right away. EVs are a relatively new concept; buyers don’t necessarily have the same confidence in them as they would with a traditional diesel car.

As a result, OEMs are under even more pressure to offer timely and precise solutions that reduce downtime as much as possible.

The trouble is that most OEMs still rely on traditional diagnostic approaches, often involving time-consuming trial-and-error that can lead to subtle errors being overlooked. The problem may only be solved temporarily, forcing the customer to keep coming back for service visits. 

When this happens, it erodes trust, resulting in widespread dissatisfaction and a damaged OEM reputation. Thus, it’s vital to invest in top-notch post-sales support that solves the problem in the most resource-efficient fashion.

EV Diagnostics: The First Step in Identifying Issues

EV diagnostics refers to identifying faults that have already occurred in electric vehicles. The technician employs specialised tools and software to study the vehicle’s systems, pinpoint where the issue lies, and take appropriate action.

The application of diagnostics tools helps speed up this process, making for efficient after-sales support. Some of the common issues identified by diagnostics in EV manufacturing include:

• Motor malfunctioning: Diagnostics can study the root cause of problems like overheating or irregular power delivery and see exactly which components are responsible.
• Battery degradation: EV batteries may experience diminished capacity or develop faults that impact vehicle performance over time. With diagnostic tools, the technician can determine what can be repaired or whether the whole battery needs to be replaced.
• Sensor failures: Sensor data is key to every function of an EV, from energy management to efficient braking. Diagnostics systems can flag exactly which sensors are acting up and why.

As an OEM, however, you cannot rely solely on diagnostics for EV post-sales support because they can only help you with issues that have already occurred.

Essentially, diagnostic tools are a reactive solution—you only attend to the vehicle once the fault has arisen rather than preemptively. Moreover, EV systems are highly complex and often have multiple interlinked components, so it may not always be possible to get the full picture.

Therefore, to truly elevate post-sales care to the next level, you need more advanced solutions that can respond proactively.

EV Prognostics: Predicting and Preventing Issues Before They Happen

EV prognostics seek to predict and prevent EV failures before they occur. In other words, they take a proactive approach by continuously monitoring data on battery health, motor temperature, wear and tear, and other key variables.

This can greatly minimise vehicle downtime and repair costs for customers. By predicting necessary repairs in advance, they can be scheduled conveniently, avoiding the risk of unexpected breakdowns. 

After repairs are completed, EV owners can drive away with confidence in their vehicle’s reliability until the next scheduled service. This boosts customer satisfaction and reduces the number of warranty claims you need to address.

Role of EV Monitoring Software in Combining Diagnostics and Prognostics

So, how do you get the best of both diagnostics and prognostics for your business? The answer is simple—invest in an EV monitoring software.

It integrates the capabilities of both functions onto a single unified platform, enabling your technicians to detect existing issues and identify potential issues from vehicular data.

This is possible as a result of two main features.

One is the real-time data monitoring feature, which continuously monitors key performance metrics for the EV to spot problems as soon as they occur, such as battery degradation, sensor anomalies, or fluctuations in motor temperature.

The other is the predictive analytics feature, which studies historical EV data to forecast issues that could potentially occur based on current patterns in the data.

The EV monitoring system then sends automatic alerts to the EV owner as well as the OEM, notifying them of the need to schedule check-ins for battery replacement or other interventions. This way, EV owners can plan for their servicing needs well in advance.

The constant data stream is also handy for understanding vehicle health across your fleet and making informed decisions to enhance your post-sales support options. 

How to Implement EV Monitoring Software in Post-Sales Support

Diagnostics, prognostics, and EV health management go hand-in-hand. Therefore, if you plan to introduce EV monitoring software into your post-sales support workflow, a structured approach is essential for optimum adoption and results.

Here are the steps we recommend.

1. Assess your current support system

Start by evaluating what your post-sales support currently looks like. What are the major gaps? How quickly are you able to collect data on EV systems? What are the chief complaints that EV owners repeatedly report? The answers to these will help you determine what to look for in an EV software solution.

2. Choose appropriate software

You’ll want to opt for a solution that offers real-time diagnostics and prognostics, integrates easily with your existing tech stack, and is compatible with the vehicles you sell. Ideally, you should also pick software that can scale with your fleet as it grows over time.

3. Collaborate with software providers

Every OEM has unique needs, and you’ll get much better results if you tailor the solution to those needs than if you use it out of the box.

You can work directly with the software provider to customise the platform as necessary by adjusting the parameters for your vehicle models or adding unique features to your offering.

4. Confirm data security and compliance

Ensure that the software has industry-grade security protocols and is compliant with all necessary regulations to keep your customer data safe. 

5. Train your technicians 

Your team will understandably have reservations about a new technology, especially one as technical as the EV monitoring software. Invest in comprehensive training so that everyone can comfortably use the software to interpret data and diagnose problems.

In addition, they should be given coaching on how to communicate with customers about the way diagnostics, prognostics, and EV health management come together.

6. Use EV data effectively

Work with your team to understand how the monitoring software analyses data and how you can use it to predict trends in vehicular performance and intervene proactively. This is also useful for long-term planning, such as enhancing the design of your vehicles with data on parts that experience the highest failure rates.

7. Keep monitoring and refining the system

Implementing EV monitoring software shouldn’t be a one-and-done activity. Keep checking in regularly to see whether it’s performing as expected, and whether your customer satisfaction ratings are ticking up. Then, tweak the software, streamline your processes, or incorporate extra training as necessary.

In Conclusion

As an OEM, it’s vital to incorporate both diagnostics and prognostics in EV manufacturing for maximum impact. Of course, adopting EV monitoring software enables you to do so with ease and delight your customers with smart, proactive support.

The good news is that getting this done is simpler than ever because many new EV players are turning to experts such as Intuions, who know the technology and industry inside out.

Our AI-driven EV monitoring platform is designed to optimize battery performance and extend vehicle longevity.

You’ll gain diagnostics for EV controller issues, enabling efficient troubleshooting and predictive maintenance. With agnostic APIs, Intuions also connects EV charging data to your CRM, ERP, and BI systems for streamlined management.

So, to stay ahead of the curve and keep your EVs performing at their best, sign up for a free one-hour consultation with us today.

EVs are the future of the automobile industry, and businesses leading now in top-notch manufacturing and excellent customer support will win the biggest audiences.