Calisen Improves Electric Van Uptime with Solar Battery Maintenance
Overview
Calisen is rolling out Genie Insights’ solar battery maintenance solution across its electric van fleet to address 12V battery failures and avoidable vehicle downtime.
Telematics fitted to Calisen’s service vans continues to draw power when vehicles are inactive, including during extended periods such as public holidays. Combined with the reduced 12V battery capacity found in some electric vans, this was contributing to battery-related reliability issues.
Forty vehicles have already been retrofitted with the Genie Insights solution while solar is also being incorporated into newly procured vehicles during conversion before they enter service.
Customer: Calisen
Application: Electric service vans
Fleet: Around 350 vans, approximately one-third fully electric
Challenge: 12V battery discharge, telematics loads and vehicle downtime
Solution: Genie Insights 50W high-voltage solar battery maintenance solution
The Challenge
Calisen operates a fleet of around 350 service vans used by a nationwide field force of approximately 1,100 engineers and technicians.
Its vehicles are fitted with telematics which continue to draw power from the 12V electrical system when the vans are parked. During longer periods of inactivity, such as public holidays, this ongoing electrical load had contributed to discharged batteries, breakdowns and avoidable vehicle downtime.
The transition to electric vans introduced another consideration. Some manufacturers are reducing the capacity of 12V batteries at the same time as telematics and other auxiliary electrical loads continue to place demands on them.
For Calisen, this combination was compromising vehicle reliability and creating an operational problem for a field workforce that depends on its vans every day.
The Solution
Calisen selected Genie Insights’ 50W high-voltage solar battery maintenance solution to provide an autonomous source of supplementary charge to the 12V battery.
The roof-mounted CIGS solar panel which is manufactured in the UK by MIPV, generates energy whenever sufficient daylight is available and feeds it into the vehicle’s 12V electrical system. This counteracts ongoing electrical loads such as telematics and reduces the risk of the battery becoming discharged while the vehicle is standing.
The system operates automatically without requiring drivers to connect an external charger or change how they use the vehicle.
Retrofit & New Vehicle Integration
Calisen is using two installation routes as it introduces solar across its electric van fleet.
Forty existing vehicles have already had the technology retrofitted. Solar is also being incorporated into newly procured vehicles, which are converted to Calisen’s bespoke specification before entering service.
This allows Calisen to address battery maintenance on electric vans already in operation while incorporating the same solution into new vehicles before deployment.
The approach also reflects Genie Insights’ wider installation model, where existing vehicles can be retrofitted and new-build installations can be completed during the vehicle conversion process.
The Outcome
Calisen reports that the installation strategy is already improving vehicle reliability and reducing avoidable downtime and it is expected to reduce avoidable down time by up to 50%.
Briony Morgan-Wilcox, Fleet Sustainability and Efficiency Manager at Calisen, said:
“Our engineers and technicians depend on their vehicles every day to deliver essential services to customers across the UK. We had to find a swift resolution to our battery problems and were introduced to Genie through a major fleet operator which had already rolled out solar panel technology to resolve a similar problem.
“The solar panels are already improving vehicle reliability, reducing avoidable downtime and ensuring our field staff can stay productive. The solar technology delivers a passive but always-on solution to a real operational headache while also supporting our wider sustainability objectives.”
With around one-third of Calisen’s 350-vehicle fleet now fully electric, solar battery maintenance is being incorporated as part of the company’s approach to operating its electric vans.
Most of Calisen’s electric vans travel around 100 miles each day and are primarily charged at drivers’ homes or through the public charging network, while the addition of solar charging provides an extra layer of resilience to the 12V battery to help maintain its charge between journeys.
Experiencing similar issues with your electric van fleet? Explore our 12-volt battery maintenance solution.
About Calisen
Calisen Group Holdings Limited (“Calisen”) has been operating in the modernisation of metering systems for over a decade, originating in Manchester and Wigan in the UK. Calisen has grown substantially in this time and is now the leading owner and operator of essential energy infrastructure assets, with around 16m meters, including around 40% of all smart energy meters in UK homes. Calisen’s purpose is to contribute to the transition of the country’s energy and water systems from analogue to intelligent technology, making them more efficient, more resilient and giving people the power to connect to market innovations like flexible tariffs and home generation like solar.
Calisen employs approximately 1,500 people from its offices in Manchester, Market Harborough, London, Wigan and Portsmouth. Calisen also announced the launch of its first international business in Germany in November 2025.
