How Robust Are Your Vehicle Protection Protocols for COVID-19?
JULY 21, 2020 // JEFF VARICK
When you’re getting in and out of government vehicles all over the country, it’s natural for SmartCities to be concerned about COVID-19 contamination in their fleets. Whether it’s the coronavirus crisis or flu season, Brandmotion Solutions is on top of it. In fact, we’re leading the connected vehicle environment to ensure fleet and personal vehicles are protected from coronavirus contamination. Here’s how we’re doing it.
SmartCities Shut Down Amid Coronavirus Confusion
At the beginning of the coronavirus period, SmartCities didn’t know what the risks were. There was a lot of confusion about protective measures and appropriate restrictions. Brandmotion Solutions was engaged in three connected vehicle projects that involved fleet and private participant vehicles, and each project immediately shut everything down until they could assess the risks adequately. The shutdown froze our activities just before launching installation sequencing. We took that time to study more about vehicle protection methods that could be deployed in a practical way. The effort took more than 100 hours of research, documentation, and review. To our surprise, the CDC had very little information related to vehicles, but OSHA was a helpful resource. We also compared notes with car repair shops and other partners in the field to validate what they had learned. After investigating several potential methodologies, we determined the most practical and effective approach: a rigorous hands-on process that involved sanitizing with hand wipes, wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), and using protective coverings on the vehicle.
The Brandmotion Solutions Clean Vehicle Process
The Brandmotion Solutions Clean Vehicle Process places the right protection on the car, and in the right order. The method addresses:
- PPE and handwashing
- Wipedown of the vehicle’s contact surfaces
- Applying seat covers, steering wheel covers, and floor mats
- Key transfer
After developing the Clean Vehicle Process, we submitted the procedure to each City for review and comment. It then went through a couple iterations to finalize a robust and thorough sanitization procedure that all parties were confident in using. Developing the protocol helped open up the path to relaunching the installation sequence at our three project sites, and we have been performing installations since May. This has been an industry-leading effort within the connected vehicle environment. As far as we know, no other organization in this field has built out a vehicle safety procedure that is as inclusive and thorough as Brandmotion Solutions’ protocol. That’s why we’re sharing the procedure freely with automotive companies and SmartCities — and any other organization that’s interested. A major Tier-1 automotive supplier adopted the Brandmotion Solutions protocol for use with a state DOT project that’s intended to be used for thousands of vehicles. The Clean Vehicle Process follows a simple but rigorous protocol. At a high level, the procedure includes:
- Health check each day
- No more than 10 persons in the service bay area at a time.
- Clean hands, sanitize keys
- Go to the vehicle, wipe down the seats with antibacterial.
- Wipe down all of the contact surfaces you would encounter as you enter the vehicle.
- Put protection on the seats, floor, and steering wheel.
- Sit inside and drive the vehicle in for installation.
- Hand off to installer.
- After installation, sanitize the car again.
- Remove and discard any of the PPE that we put on the vehicle.
In essence, we’re protecting vehicles before, during and after we install onboard units. Of course, the devil’s in the details, and our safety protocol is rigorous in its approach. You can get all the details by downloading the protocol for your own use. We’ve already distributed the procedure to other companies, including competitors — because everyone’s safety is everyone’s business. Download the Brandmotion Solutions Clean Vehicle Process
Our Pledge to Protect
At Brandmotion Solutions, our top concern is the safety of our customers and the industry as a whole. We want to see the vehicle safety industry continue to advance and make new contributions, even during the coronavirus period. Whether you’re a SmartCity or a solutions provider, let’s continue the conversation about advancing vehicle protections during COVID-19, and beyond. We want you to be assured and comfortable that your project is safe — for your organization, for your people, and for us all.
