Cleevely Electric Vehicles

With almost one million electric vehicles cruising quietly and efficiently along UK roads, the transition from internal combustion engine (ICE) to battery power is well and truly underway. The government aims to decarbonise the transport sector – currently the largest emitting sector, responsible for 25% of greenhouse gas emissions (52% from cars) – as part of its net-zero by 2050 strategy.

To date, fantastic progress has been made with manufacturers producing innovative cars that are popular with drivers. EVs now account for around 24% of the auto market, up from around 17% last year. And the space is growing with the appealing lure of carbon emission-free driving and falling costs tempting many into new cars.

But beyond getting electric cars on the road, significant challenges remain if this part of the energy and environmental transition is to be successful, says Matt Cleevely, Owner of Cleevely Motors and Cleevely EV.

The Cheltenham, UK-based auto business has been active for more than six decades and three generations. John Cleevely founded the business in 1962, starting out by working on cars of friends and family, but his focus on quality and customer service saw the business boom. The next generation took over and accelerated faster. Today, the focus on quality remains, and the company accepts work from all over the country. When Matt Cleevely took the wheel, he was keen to expand and grow. He immediately saw a gap in the market for EV advice, servicing, repair, and even sales.

“I joined 24 years ago as a freshly qualified technician and I grew in the business, changing with the automotive industry,” he remembers. “We’ve always been quite progressive, moving from points and plugs in older cars to electronic ignition and fuel injection, I made sure the company was kept up to speed with the latest diagnostic equipment and training. It remained a small company and so we began looking at what could be the next step for the industry.

“I wanted to create somewhere that EV owners could go and gain info and have their cars maintained, in a trustworthy manner.”

NOT WILLING

He had previously walked into a main brand dealership to buy an EV but been met with resistance and lacking knowledge. After several visits to the same showroom, Cleevely left disappointed and surprised. “It frustrated me as it was what we wanted – emission free driving – but how could anyone buy one if the main dealers were not willing to sell them?”

Already active in the renewable energy industry, Cleevely had installed solar panels at his home and was keen to use the power to fuel his car. “The local dealers that we visited did not want to sell one. They had no idea how to operate it and they did not care,” he says.

Cleevely Motors was busy with a full range of auto services, from MOT testing and puncture repairs to complex electrical diagnostics and commercial vehicle repairs. The team was well-positioned, and the brand was in pole position in the local market. So Cleevely decided to embrace the positivity and start Cleevely EV, a division entirely focussed on the EV market but complemented by the history of the wider Cleevely business.

“We realised there needed to be an EV promotional business,” Cleevely says. “I could do it from a repair and maintenance point of view but there are more facets required including education, car sales, and more. A bigger business grew from that.”

The timing made sense as the industry was booming and Cleevely Motors needed more space and a new MOT bay so the business moved to a new premises, close to its original site, with the capacity for both businesses to thrive. Now, a car business, run by car people, with ICE and EV capability was involved across the entire spectrum of activity. For drivers, it was refreshing.

“We’ve attended a lot of trade and green energy shows, and we are inevitably the only garage there saying ‘not only do we run these things and understand them, but we can fix them, sell them, and educate people about them’. It has gone from strength to strength in the past five years,” explains Cleevely.

MYTH BUSTING

There are two key ingredients in the growth mix for Cleevely EV going forward: Continued uptake of EVs by the public and ongoing development of infrastructure and supply chains to ensure the countrywide fleet of cars can be effectively maintained.

Cleevely is keen to bust myths by fuelling drivers with proven facts about the industry, encouraging those on the fence to make the switch.

“The fallacy that everyone must charge every time they stop is just a myth that has somehow grown with the industry. The uneducated believe electric cars must be charged every day, and that is just not the case,” he confirms. “A lot of modern EVs have a range of more than 200 miles and that will suffice most car owners for a couple of weeks’ worth of driving. That need to reach charging infrastructure daily does not exist but if there was more charging infrastructure in places where people do spend hours – supermarkets, workplace car parks; even low-rate stuff like 3 or 7kw – there would be no need for banks of high-current charging everywhere you go. You should really only need that for 10-15 mins to get you to your destination anyway.”

By 2030, estimate suggest that there could be nine million EVs on Britain’s roads, and 300,000 public EV chargers. Currently, few rely on charging at home only, and the investment into convenient charging will be a game changer that will take time.

“If there was an immediate switch then there would not be enough infrastructure and grid capacity to cope. But the take up of EVs is pretty steep right now, as is the curve of installation of infrastructure to maintain those vehicles,” says Cleevely.

LEAP OF FAITH

Importantly, if the industry is to grow as most expect, there must be capacity in the aftermarket sector to keep cars moving. Without investment and forward-thinking from slow-moving main dealers, Cleevely and others will be able to carve out a strong position.

“The automotive industry has a lot of ageing technicians and garage owners who are just not interested in growing in this sector, or even wanting to understand it,” claims Cleevely. “They focus on engines and that will see their careers out. That leaves an opportunity for garages like us who are proactive and want to grow in this sector.

“We are servicing, repairing, and maintaining the cars of an EV industry, not necessarily the high voltage systems. We do high voltage work, and we have a lot of tasks with that right now, but day-to-day we are servicing the car part – steering, suspension, tyres, brakes, MOT etc. So, the leap isn’t too big but it’s a leap that not much of the industry is prepared to take. All of our techs are level four qualified and are very capable.”

And the benefits are clear and obvious. Better for the environment, lower running costs, reduced noise pollution, strong resale value, and supported by various grants and schemes, there is much to be excited about.

“Cost of ownership is lower. There are less moving parts, there is less cost to service – maintenance and repair is definitely cheaper,” confirms Cleevely. “They tend to be heavier and so have slightly higher tyre use but, ultimately, running costs are significantly reduced when compared to a petrol or diesel engine.”

CLEEVELY EV MOBILE

Because of the nature of growing business in a growing industry, customers from far and wide have asked Cleevely to expand. People drive from all corners of the UK to reach the garage because of the consistent delivery of quality service. But instead of opening new sites, introducing a risk to that quality service, Cleevely is going on the road, solving the most common EV problems on site.

“Cleevely EV Mobile is technicians out delivering repairs and servicing at people’s homes and workplaces.”

Typically cleaner, easier, and quicker – often without the need for oil changing – servicing in this way keeps more EVs moving without the need for driving into Cheltenham.  

“That business is the one we want to grow in the next few years. It’s already national, it could be franchised, we could have a Cleevely mobile technician in every county – it’s whatever we want it to be at this stage,” says Cleevely.

One element of the EV industry that will need to be enhanced is the supply of parts to the industry. While the Cleevely EV Mobile fleet has a range of common parts onboard, and the Cleevely site has a stockroom that few others could match, the supply chains remain focussed on ICE and must begin to balance their holding as EV ownership grows.

“The reason we have to hold so much stock is simply because you can’t buy it elsewhere,” details Cleevely. “Bigger components and high-end electronics – like an air conditioning compressor for a Renault Zoe (a very common EV) – you cannot buy in the aftermarket; you have to go genuine. Genuine suppliers don’t carry enough stock in the UK to support to EV industry, and that is a constant battle that we face.”

To continue growing, specifically in the EV space, Cleevely is keen to drive knowledge in the sector, dispelling the myths taking giving customers through the full journey from discussion to sale to maintenance and ongoing technical support.

“There is a lack of education and knowledge, and a lack of places where you can go for real information,” Cleevely bemoans. “We have a Tesla Model S that we rent out to anyone that wants to experience living with an EV. There is a lack of places where you can dip your toe. We know it’s a big jump – we’ve done it. It’s easy when you’ve done it, and the majority don’t go back.”

However, despite his optimism for the industry and his own business, Cleevely warns that the momentum must not be allowed to slow as the easy choice remains to avoid EVs. Until there is visible charging everywhere you go and until main dealers embrace the industry, he says, it won’t appear in enough people’s mindset while household budgets remain under pressure.

In the short term, Matt Cleevely will control what he can – the quality and excellence that has grown Cleevely to where it is today. That, he says, is non-negotiable. “It continues today from when my grandfather started the business. We are focussed on old fashioned customer values and customer service – it’s the most important thing for us. People come here and get treated as a human and not a number, and that keeps people coming back. Main dealers are constantly criticised for lacking service and poor communication, so we like to be the opposite to that alongside the whole of the independent aftermarket sector.”

With each day Cleevely Motors and Cleevely EV picks up new clients, and each year those clients come back. Building a sustainable business, in a sustainable industry, contributing to emissions reductions, and doing so with service excellence as the driver makes Cleevely smile.

“That is what we have achieved, and that is something I am proud of,” he concludes.