Vehicles equipped with a telematics device may experience a slight reduction in the number of unutilized days before the starting battery is negatively impacted. This is normal. The telematics device remains on at all times but enters a low-power mode when the vehicle is not in use to conserve battery power. This feature is designed to reduce electrical draw, not eliminate it.

Many factors contribute to a battery’s ability to start an engine including age, climate, health, state of charge, or a combination of the four. For this reason, we have established several guidelines and resources to assist agency fleet managers in determining how to proceed when prompted with a dead battery.

While current policy outlines utilization requirements for executive branch vehicles, we recognize that a vehicle may go temporarily unused for a short period of time in some situations. To prevent damage to the battery and the potential cost of a jump-start, it is recommended vehicles equipped with telematics devices be driven for a minimum of 45 minutes every 14 days.

While vehicles equipped with telematics devices and additional fitting should be driven a minimum of 45 minutes every 10 days. This practice not only benefits the starting/charging system but helps prevent a host of other mechanical issues caused by inactivity.

Note: Trips less than 5 minutes do little to recharge a battery and can contribute to future starting problems.

The below decision tree should be used when determining whether to contact us with issues related to a recently installed device.
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Please reach out directly with any questions or for additional guidance if the above steps have been followed and a vehicle continues to experience starting issues.