Episode 142: Liz Allan and Kirsty Pendleton - Fleet Electrification, Customer Care, and Data Insights at the AA

Episode 142: Liz Allan and Kirsty Pendleton - Fleet Electrification, Customer Care, and Data Insights at the AA.

Liz Allan chats with Kirsty Pendleton, Head of B2B Marketing at the AA, about how the iconic motoring organisation is evolving to meet the challenges of an electric future.

With 25 years at the AA under her belt, Kirsty shares how the business has continually adapted, from classic roadside recovery to pioneering support for EV charge point operators. Discover how the AA’s deep-rooted values of “courtesy and care” are being channelled into new services like EV customer support lines, second-line technician response for faulty chargers, and predictive vehicle maintenance powered by AI.

Liz and Kirsty delve into the power of storytelling in marketing, the public’s lingering misconceptions about EVs, and the importance of proactive, data-driven support for drivers and fleets. Kirsty also lifts the lid on the AA’s role in initiatives like the Greenfleet rallies and their support of Guinness World Record-breaking EV journeys.

Kirsty Pendleto Bio:
Kirsty Pendleton is Head of B2B Marketing at the AA, where she has worked for an incredible 25 years. With a background in brand, education, and theatre marketing, Kirsty is a passionate advocate for customer experience, innovation, and the human side of the EV transition. She plays a key role in shaping how the AA supports drivers, fleets, and Charge Point Operators as the automotive world embraces electrification. Kirsty is also a proud EV Champion Award recipient and a regular presence at industry events like Greenfleet and Everything Electric.

Quote of the Episode:
“There’s something so reassuring about seeing that yellow AA van come over the horizon, you just know you’re in safe hands.”
— Kirsty Pendleton

Kirsty Pendleton Links:
Website: https://www.theaa.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kirsty-pendleton-35818a60

The AA EV Viewpoint Report https://www.the

Transcript

Liz Allan [00:00:02]:

So today, I have with me a wonderful lady, Kirsty Pendleton. I've known her for a couple of years now. She's the head of B-to-B marketing at the AA. Kirsty, thank you ever so much for joining me, my darling.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:00:16]:

Thank you for having me.

Liz Allan [00:00:17]:

So she and she sat, and you, if you're listening, won't be able to see this, but she's sat in the AA studio, their little podcasting studio looking gorgeous. So

Kirsty Pendleton [00:00:26]:

The studio definitely looks gorgeous. It's our new office, and we've got this lovely studio. And I'm really lucky to be allowed to be in here today. I've got no technicians. It's just me. So if any four breaks, it's entirely my fault.

Liz Allan [00:00:40]:

We just don't want to touch anything now. We know it we know it's alright. We know it's ok. So next month, Kirsty, you are celebrating twenty-five years at the AA, and that just gobsmacked me when we were talking just before we started recording. Twenty-five years. I mean, that is a life sentence, but you've loved it. Tell us a little bit about what you've done while you've been there.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:01:06]:

You know? Yeah. It's weird. You know? Twenty-five years. And I say this to people, and it's still true even now that occasionally, there'll be a meeting that I'm in where I am still the new girl. Oh my god. So people who honestly have their whole careers at the AA, and I think that is a massive testament to the people here and the organisation, what we do, how important it is, and how beloved it is to many people out there. So, twenty-twenty-five years have flown, but it's never the same. That's why I'm still here. I've been in a two-ball that time.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:01:44]:

Mhmm. I spent a little three years as a brand guardian, which I did alongside the b two b because everybody at the AA has one or two or three extra jobs. But, yeah, it's all gonna be speed, but it's never, it never gets samey. Whenever things start to get stable, we pivot and do new things. And, you know, as the science says, we're always ahead, and we're always ahead. You know, I may have been here for twenty-five years, but the AA's been here for a hundred and twenty years this year. So AA is celebrating your big birthday this year. And, yeah, it's a constant evolution of what we do, working with amazing customers and partners and the people here who are the best.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:02:35]:

And I

Liz Allan [00:02:35]:

bet you've I was gonna say, I bet you've seen so many so many things change. You know, you said you're quite agile, aren't you? The way that you move around, but I bet I bet that the way that the kind of the AA as an organization has changed has been massive over those twenty-five years.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:02:55]:

Yeah. I mean, we obviously, at the core of what we do, are the things that that we're famous for. Right? We're we're obviously famous for breakdown cover. If you say the AA to people, then, you know, 90-something per cent of people will say breakdown cover. But more than that, I guess, at the core of the AA, And it's in our original crest from all those years ago. In other words, courtesy and care. And it's that sort of courtesy and care that runs through what we do, which is why, you know, we're so good at customer service and win prizes for custom service. And it's in, like, it's in the core of all the people that are here.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:03:36]:

And we use a phrase; we say you're yellow-blooded. Oh. If you come here and you kinda get the bug. So, yeah, that's that kind of yellow core. But, yeah, I mean, if you think about the things that we're now doing, the diversification, particularly in b two b, you know, it's not just service at the roadside. It's not just helping when things go wrong. It's that whole fleet life cycle, really. It's that whole life cycle of vehicles with, you know, whether it's working with OEMs or whether it's like with these cars or rental cars or and now, of course, diversifying into keeping people moving in their electric vehicles with the support that we're giving to CPOs behind the scenes on customer service.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:04:26]:

So, yeah, changing all the time, and that's why people stay here all the time, I think.

Liz Allan [00:04:31]:

And I was gonna say, I've known you now probably for a couple of years. It might even be a little bit longer, and I met you down at Fully Charged, didn't I, in Farm Bureau when it was when it was still cold before it was cold, everything electric, it was fully charged and we were kind of I remember meeting you down there and having a good chat. I think my son might have even been with me. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:04:50]:

I think he was. And my daughter, so, yeah, it's a really Yes. Family event for me. Yeah. No, we really like those events. There's always a big b two b focus usually on day one, and we go and meet partners and meet new people and get leads, but also then we actually get to meet the public if you like, you know, we get to meet people outside the industry. And although we're obviously focused on b two b commercially, it's so important to hear what drivers think and hear what you know; meeting your son was great. I think he was learning to drive, or he was

Liz Allan [00:05:23]:

Oh, yeah. I think he probably was. Yeah, that's a, no, he's not. No, that's another story. No no that's that's a complete other story. It was a really bad choice for the driving instructor. Yeah, but anyway, it's just just one of those things. So any, any, driving instructors out there who wanna no.

Liz Allan [00:05:44]:

I don't even know whether he'd entertain it. Well, he's at uni just at the moment anyway. So, yes, that was a real shame, but let's talk about when you got the marketing buzz. When was it? What was it that did it for you?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:06:03]:

It's an excellent question, actually, because I've never set out to be a marketer. And I think, actually, for many years in my career, I was still kind of thinking, you know, what am I gonna do when I grow up? You know? You still feel like you're kind of thinking and casting. No, I didn't; I don't have a degree in English. Okay. I guess communication. I guess communication is a thing. But I was really interested in drama. I did a bit of drama at school and at uni. My first job was actually in a theatre and art centre.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:07:23]:

Yes. So my first job was in a theatre and arts centre, and it happened to be Zoom marketing. And, yeah. And I think the sort of the bit that appeals to me is that communication. It's taking the message and turning it into something that resonates with people. Mhmm. From there, I worked in education marketing for a while, and then, and then, I did my marketing qualifications. And and so then you learn the science behind the art because I think marketing is a little bit of an art.

Liz Allan [00:07:55]:

Yes. There's

Kirsty Pendleton [00:07:56]:

A lot of science, right, because you get budget, you get money to spend, and so there's a science to making sure that you're investing the money in the right way and engaging people in the right way. And I think that engagement and communication are so important, particularly nowadays, where we're all on social media. You know, we expect a kind of conversation. You know, marketing, I guess, back in the past was very much being promoted at, but that's not how it works anymore. It's an engagement. It's a conversation. It's having something interesting to say and say a certain way. So, yeah, I accidentally became a marketer. Imagine that.

Liz Allan [00:08:38]:

Bless you. But it's storytelling, as we were saying before. It's it's that kind of storytelling. And I think it's it's a level you've got to be, authentic when you're telling stories, haven't you? It's not kind of all Ponzi or anything like that. It's about talking in a way in an article or a post that people, as you say, resonate with. They understand it, and they realize that you're not full of rubbish. You know?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:09:08]:

Yeah. I think that really is important, and it's having it's having the right tone. You know, we obviously, we're a big organisation. We have an incredible brand team who put together our, you know, visual identity, what we look like, our tone of voice, what we sound like, but it's done very carefully to represent who we are as the AA and what we do. So we're we're conscious of that, but as as people, as individuals, you know, we're we're passionate about what we do. So that that comes up. So I think that's really important.

Liz Allan [00:09:40]:

And I was gonna say it's about for you guys you like you say, you've been around for hundred and twenty five years and it's about that level of trust that everybody's had in the AA for such a long time. You know, I talked to Edmund because we had Edmund King on ages ago now, it seems. But and I remember my dad having an AA badge on his car. And, you know, it was, and we had to have them come to have the AA come out to us once. I remember I was probably about eleven. We set off to go to Cornwall at some ridiculous hour from Halifax. Probably probably about half past twelve, one o'clock. His dad knew the roads would be quiet there.

Liz Allan [00:10:21]:

And so, obviously, a long, long time ago. And we had a puncture. And I don't think he had all the right things. And I'm sure we had to get the AI out. You know, we had some kind of breakdown anyway. And, we had to get the AA out to sort us out. So, yeah, lots of that just popped into my head then. I hadn't thought about that for a long time.

Liz Allan [00:10:42]:

But when you're doing long journeys and stuff, that's what you need. You need the trust.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:10:46]:

You do. And particularly with with when you break down and if you're on your own and it's dark and you're on a country road, and there is something just such a reassurance of seeing that AA van come over the horizon and and someone gets out or and you know that they're gonna be you know you can trust them. You know they're gonna be capable. You know they're gonna be experts, and they're gonna put you first. You know, that's the thing. You make sure that the driver is okay. They just sort of be clear.

Liz Allan [00:11:16]:

Exactly. I was gonna say, I bet because the AA, your some of your patrol officers have been involved in the Guinness World Records that have kind of been going on with, Sarah Sleiman and Sam Clark on the motor, you know, on their electric motorbikes with kind of Kevin Booker when he's kind of yeah. And Kevin and Sam went better not I'd better not forget to add Sab in that bit. You know, when they've kind of done the sort of van stuff, and they've done the car.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:11:47]:

Car and motorbike.

Liz Allan [00:11:48]:

Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:11:49]:

Yeah. And our patrols of the year have been in support, you know, being there. They have done a little bit of troubleshooting on those occasions. And, again, just by being there, in case anything goes wrong, but also because Sam and Kevin and Sarah because, for these record attempts, you're doing something you wouldn't usually do. You're pushing. You're going to the edge and over, which, as an EV driver, you don't do. Right? You look very sensible, and you look at your flight, you think, oh, no. I've only got 20 miles. I'm not gonna be silly.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:12:28]:

But yeah. So and then so at the end of that, being there to to to scoop everyone up and and and get the vehicles back and make sure everyone's warm and safe. So, yeah, it's been it's been really good. Actually, we've really enjoyed supporting that. It's just something, again, like the the Guinness World Records are a British institution. Mhmm. Mhmm. It's been great for us to be involved.

Liz Allan [00:12:52]:

And I love how you've been involved in so many different things. So, you were saying before we started recording that you're at the Greenfleet Europa rally next year next week, aren't you? Not so, we're, yeah. We're recording the week of May 12, and you're going over to Europe next week. But then last year, you were at the Greenfleet rally, where I was a driver with Women Drive Electric. Yeah. And that was amazing.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:13:21]:

I popped into your pink car for one day actually for for half a day it was great.

Liz Allan [00:13:27]:

It's very interesting. Yeah. No. It was I I did it was it was funny because I kind of we were in that was the main the main car as you know, but I kind of skipped into, other vehicles as well. So I was in with National Grid for kind of half a day as well. So I think maybe you were in when I was in with National Grid.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:13:46]:

But Probably. That's what's great about the rally, though; it's completely about those partnerships and about that kind of interlock that's what we use a lot in the area at the moment; it is about that interlocking with other peers in the industry and other organisations, and that's when you have those conversations, and you find points of similarity or points of difference or best practice. Yeah, I think I hopped in with Richard Parker of Webfleet for a while as well because we both chose our favourite album to listen to. I don't think he expected to be listening to Kate Bush.

Liz Allan [00:14:23]:

Oh, good on you. Oh, I love that. I love that. It's funny because I never disconnected. This is a bit of a spicy tangent here, but I never disconnected my Spotify from the Tesla. I totally forgot. And I looked at my stats. I suddenly realised, probably about four weeks later, that I had been listening to Spotify. I was like, I haven't been listening to that.

Liz Allan [00:14:47]:

So how's that been happening? I don't listen to that kind of grind. I listen to indie pop.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:14:54]:

Well, and lots of other stuff. Someone's still listening.

Liz Allan [00:14:57]:

I disconnected it then when I realised. But the the whole Greenfleet experience is amazing. So tell me a little bit about so you'd said to me before we're recording about how you're getting to the rally next week and where you're where you're kinda going.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:15:13]:

Well, isn't it? So we've got two cars at the rally. We've got really exciting vehicles, actually, that we've been fortunate with with partners to get to. So we've got, the new Ford Capri, which will be great, and Oh—the BYD Sea Lion seven. So we're going, you know, Ford, who has been a long-standing partner of ours. Great. Brilliant. We've got a car, and then, be wise, you try something new.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:15:40]:

But so there are eight suits in the cars. I'm number nine. I'm hopping in, I think, with Ursula from Greenfleet once I get there, but I'm, yeah, I'm joining on day two because I'm gonna get on the Eurostar. I didn't want to get on a flight because, yeah, too much carbon, too much CO2.

Liz Allan [00:16:00]:

But you said, didn't you, that they that Eurostar gave you details of the carbon footprint that you had?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:16:05]:

And it was, it was yeah. I was really, really kind of pleasantly surprised. It felt like the right thing to do to get on the Eurostar, so we get a bit of a contrast. Everyone else, bless them, will be doing all those rallies, clocking up all those rally miles and all those checkpoints, and they'll be seeing a lot of exciting things, but I'll be in relative comfort. Well, that's fine. For that first day and then and then in in with the teams for days two and three.

Liz Allan [00:16:37]:

Excellent. That's going to be a really interesting journey, and I know there are a number of countries. So, remind me what country you're joining them in.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:16:49]:

So I'm gonna get to Amsterdam on a Tuesday evening, and then I think we end up on a Thursday evening. Nice. I'm sorry. I am very much, in terms of where we're going, a passenger in this. So my role there is to, it's that storytelling, as you're saying, Liz, is to get the stories from the journey. So we've got a real mixed team of people. We've got Edmund, who's

Liz Allan [00:17:21]:

Of course.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:17:22]:

Not quite a hundred and twenty years, but be aware of the many years. And Esther, who looks after our CPOs, and then we've got our Drive Tech team, Jen Morris, who's been on all the rallies so far, and Madeleine, who works with us with the Drive Tech, of course, Europe. We've got Ryan there, representing our ARC relationship, which is all the breakdown clubs across Europe that AA is a founding partner of. I'm forgetting now. And then we've got Alastair, who looks after our BYD relationship. So we've got a real, mixed group of people. So they're gonna be they're gonna have so many different angles to talk about as we move through Europe. So I've my job and Clive's job. I mustn't forget Clive; he's the mastermind behind our events.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:18:13]:

Our job is to knit all those experiences together in stories and talk about them.

Liz Allan [00:18:19]:

And that's always the thing. It's kind of building that momentum and that sort of information gathering and marketing to prove to people, you know, on social media the ability of electric vehicles anyway, you know. So

Kirsty Pendleton [00:18:40]:

It is. It's a little bit of everything. Yeah. Obviously, I think we've been involved in the Greenfleet rallies since the Scottish one that got you.

Liz Allan [00:18:54]:

Well, Eveross. That was Eveross. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:18:57]:

Eveross was the first one we did, and we've been involved since then. And I think even in that short time, just a few years, you've seen the evolution of the vehicles, the range on vehicles, and the comfort and convenience of the cars themselves, and you've seen the network improving certainly in The UK. So, it's exciting to contrast the infrastructure on the continent. So, in a sense, that first kind of when we were going around Scotland, I think at that point our patrols of the year were a prototype concept electric van. At that point we didn't have any electric vans on our fleet. We now have a good number and a growing number and a whole sort of test and scale strategy

Liz Allan [00:19:49]:

to get to

Kirsty Pendleton [00:19:50]:

know what to do with that, but it had a tiny range back then. It was about 120 miles or something.

Liz Allan [00:19:58]:

Gosh. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:19:59]:

So, you know the vehicles that we'll be using now. Yeah, so there's a there's a bit of that testing the cars and the infrastructure, but I think for us, it's very much about the opportunity that that journey gives us to look at what we do more widely across Europe and how we work with those other partners. So yeah, I'm really looking forward to it; I know there are some new partners in getting to know those guys. And we we all know that when you when you've done the rally, you come out at the end with Friends for Life.

Liz Allan [00:20:35]:

Oh, yeah. Absolutely. And you're usually shattered afterwards as well. No. I mean, last year was an amazing but tiring week, but, you know, it was just a fantastic experience. I'm really glad that, you know, I got the opportunity to be kind of involved. So, yeah, travelling across Europe would be fantastic doing this. So last year, we as a family, the Allans, travelled to Brittany in our EV, And this year, we're travelling into Spain and France, so we're getting the ferry from Portsmouth to Santander, which is through thirty-three and a half hours.

Liz Allan [00:21:20]:

But when we get oh, god.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:21:24]:

Oh, I

Liz Allan [00:21:24]:

Can't I just, yeah? I can't wait. But then we're driving into Spain, and then we're actually going to our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. So yes, that'll be good. And then we're driving back through Spain and France. So I've already kind of looked a little bit at the charging infrastructure, and it kind of looks okay. So we shall see.

Liz Allan [00:21:44]:

We'll see, and you'll see next week, won't you? You know, kind of how it is.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:21:48]:

And it'll be interesting. I mean, you've you've done it already. Right? But, I mean, we, the family and I have travelled through France in an ICE vehicle. We've not travelled for a couple of years. I speak French, but I still have that kind of nervousness about when I get to the Charge Face. Is it gonna be different? Will I understand? Will I will I be able to follow the instructions? So, yeah, I think we're all gonna be challenged in five different languages.

Liz Allan [00:22:16]:

Well, I do have a little suggestion for you. Download use the Octopus Electroverse app because it actually tells you when you're there whether you can so we've got because we have Octopus here anyway, and we've got an RFID card as as well. But it says to you on the app that you can either charge, you know, on the app or charge with the RFID card. We never had any problems, and we have a small range of EVs. You know? So we get, I'm saying, we get like about 200 miles in the summer, which was great because we, kind of, got, you know, we got that, and my husband managed to get, I think he managed to get seven miles per kilowatt hour, which I never even managed. I think I managed to get to about 6.8, but he always yeah. Alright. I think Kevin's managed to get even more on the Ionic anyway because it is really good, except in winter when it's a lot less.

Liz Allan [00:23:11]:

But actually, yeah. So, just going back, Electraverse was a really, really good option. For anybody who's going on holiday and hasn't been touring around Europe, get the Electraverse app. It's really easy to use, and you don't get those pre-auths either.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:23:29]:

Yeah. That is a bonus.

Liz Allan [00:23:31]:

And, you know, and also I mean, I'm not I can't remember whether we get got that in Europe, but we do you do get discounts at certain times in The UK On on the lecturer verse. So it does make a massive difference, and there is one specific charge charging CPO that I won't. I won't say, but my husband got three working at different times. I was like absolutely gobsmacked. So, I think he has the Midas touch. Well, yeah, he might; he'd probably be happy to fit in your boot or something. That's gonna tell me off now. But so going back to storytelling and actually, do you know what? I'm gonna jump on now we took because we're talking about charging anyway; let's talk about who you're working with when it comes to CPOs and what that story was for you to kind of go, you know, start working with ChargePoint operators.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:24:38]:

Oh, yeah. So it's an interesting story. In fact, it brings us back to Europe and to ARC ARC Europe, which is the network of breakdown clubs, if you like, across Europe, and it's got about 33 countries represented. But there's a smaller core of founding organisations, of which the AA is one. And I say way back. It was probably about six years ago. But it feels like, you know, it was the beginning of a new chapter. The ANWB, which is the AA equivalent in The Netherlands Mhmm.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:25:20]:

I had done something similar with branching, providing customer service support for CPOs. Mhmm. And, you know, it it it fits. Right? It's it's for us; it's a cutscene pair. It's that, Yeah. It's at the core of what we do. We've got that kind of customer service expertise. But also, it's looking to the future and keeping drivers going, you know, keep keeping you on the road if there's a problem, whatever that might be if it's a mechanical problem with your car or in this case, if something is preventing you from getting the charge you need at the time you need it.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:25:57]:

So we, unashamedly and you may remember Dean Hedger, who

Liz Allan [00:26:04]:

Yes. Yeah. I remember Dean. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:26:07]:

He's now at I 247. Yeah, Dean was the one who, went over on this fact finding mission to ANWB, stole all their items, and and we set this up. And, I mean, it has just gone from strength to strength. I think at the last count, of all the charged posts on the ground in the UK, we are providing customer service on the phone for about one in three, which is huge. Mhmm. It's probably something people don't realise that we do. And it's, so, yeah, part of that overall kind of cradle-to-grave support that we provide for vehicles. But also, what I like about it is that the people ultimately come back, right? So, customer service over the phone at the moment is what we're doing.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:27:04]:

It's incredibly successful, we have the information that we need from all the CPOs that we work with that allows us to resolve about 95% of issues over the phone. So it's that, and that's fantastic, and for the CPOs again that we work with where there is now a regulatory requirement to be reliable and to solve these problems, that's great, and we can provide all the reporting that backs that up. What we're looking to do and what we're trialling with with some of our CPOs is to actually have a second line support of people who are going to go out in vans. Those things that can't be fixed over the phone but need someone to go and open up a flap and press a button, you know, do whatever needs to be done. And what's really cool about that is that the people who are being trained to do that are, in many cases, people who currently help with misfuelling. So you put, petrol and diesel or vice versa.

Liz Allan [00:28:10]:

Yeah. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:28:12]:

We provide service and fuel assistance. It's been going for quite a few years now because, well, I think when we introduced it, we thought there might be a technical solution to this at some point, but people still managed to build the wrong fuel in. So there there's still this requirement. But over time, obviously, yeah, and the job that those guys do is amazing. They'll just come on onto a forecourt and suck out all the contaminated fuel so that you don't need to have a really costly visit to your main dealer and get people on their way. But those jobs will decline as we change our fuel type, and there are more EVs so that they can be skilled in resolving new fueling problems. Right? So it's a car.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:28:59]:

I really like that. I like how that's looking at that future need and looking to speak and say, you're valuable to us. So we'll skill you to do something different, but something that will enable us to provide that service. So yeah. It's very, it's a great service, and it's very much value, I think, by well, we've all been there right when you're at a charged place, and it's not working. It's frustrating. Yep. Been there.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:29:31]:

The number might be it might be us or it because

Liz Allan [00:29:37]:

and I was gonna know what I do. And I was gonna say that again, going back to that level of trust, you know, you you know that providing those add-ons for the charge point operators are it's to me it's twofold here. You are giving trust and that level of support, but you're also looking at your patrol officers, or whoever it is; you've got those transferable skills. You're providing them with transferable skills and people who are who talk about, you know, kind of missing there's there's misinformation. We've I talk about this a lot on the podcast out there, and people talk about skills and things like that. But if we look at some of the roles that are currently out there, you know, whether they're digital, IT, or whatever. Ten, twenty years ago when you first started, twenty-five years ago when you first started at the AA, they weren't around, were they? So what you're doing is you're upskilling your technicians for the future. And people need to recognise that, really, don't they? That that that's what that's what will happen in future.

Liz Allan [00:30:46]:

Yes. We're gonna be using less fossil fuel vehicles, but replacing it with with, you know, with skills in in just, you know, it's still it's still autumn it's still automotive, but, you know, going off in in a different digital electronic direction.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:31:03]:

And that skill, you know, making sure people have those skills is important for us. So all of our breakdown patrols are trained at IMI levels to ensure they can all deal with an electric vehicle. They might because, at the moment, obviously, we've got what, 7% of vehicles on the road being electric. They're not good. They might have a day where they don't deal with an electric vehicle at all, but when they do, they've got the skill set to sort that breakdown safely. And we've got further upskilling going on of patrols to high levels with a greater concentration of electric vehicles. And, yeah, the digital side of things, that's really interesting. We've we've just the AA's just appointed our first head of AI.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:31:54]:

So that's Oh. Yeah. That and and, again, you know, we had an off-site conference last week, a leadership conference. We were talking about these kinds of things, and these always had things that we need to be looking at for the future. And there is whenever there's anything new, there's a fear, I guess, of how that's going to change people's jobs and change people's roles, but there is so much that can be helped and made faster and made more efficient and taken away some of the, you know, less value add aspects of people's lives and allow them to really focus on where they're gonna add strategic values.

Liz Allan [00:32:36]:

So yeah. Yeah. I was going to say that they're human currently, I take it, the head of AI. Sorry. Sorry. I can, Arnold.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:32:46]:

I can vouch for that, having met him actually in the flesh. Either that, or he's a perfect hologram, but no. Definitely human. So

Liz Allan [00:32:55]:

But I think I think, actually and I'm a very, very big fan of AI. I really am because there are so many things that you can do with it. And I do understand the argument about offsetting carbon footprint. And I was reading something at the weekend about where some of the data centres are. And they're in very hot areas where there's hardly any water and need water to cool many of these kinds of data centres down. This is in The States. Not here, not here, funnily enough. But so I do understand carbon offsetting, and that is something we need to look at.

Liz Allan [00:33:34]:

But AI as a tool, it's not going away. You know, my son would like to think it was because he just has got he's totally for not for a 19-year-old, he's totally against levels of AI about kind of, his his his is more on the art side of things. He just doesn't, you know?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:33:52]:

No. I agree entirely. There was an Oh, I can't, I'm not. I'm gonna misquote it now because I won't be able to remember exactly. Still, it's basically something around you you don't want. You want someone who does the meaning of yourself so that you can focus on the art rather than someone doing your art so you can focus on the meaningless stuff. It's a much better car. It's writing that so badly. You wouldn't believe I work in communications. But it's that. And that's what we want. That's what we wish AI, machine learning, and robots to do.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:34:27]:

We want them to do things that we do not. What's that? I mean, fulfilling.

Liz Allan [00:34:34]:

Yeah. And as you say, there are many things that it can take on to make so, and then it makes those fulfilling aspects of people's roles more fulfilling. You know, it makes them able to do that. So rather than doing all the crappy admin side of stuff that not everybody likes, some people like it. I'm not a big fan. But, you know, I wanna try and make sure that's my continuous improvement background. I want to make changes to make my life and other people's lives easier. Yeah. You know?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:35:05]:

And I think the the other thing is, from a data point of view, the the AA is a we have millions of data points, hundreds of millions of data points. We're attending, you know, three and a half million breakdowns a year. We've got 16,000,000 drivers, members, people, and cars, and we're covering this from a breakdown point of view. We've got all of our insurance customers. We've got our driving school customer. You know? If you think all of those data points and particularly on the vehicle side of things from the, you know, the data that's coming from all of those breakdowns over a hundred and twenty years. It was to have a way to find patterns in that data and to translate that into making people's eyes easy. So, you know, we've already, we already have developed a brilliant, yeah, I guess, AI machine learning model that's looking at vehicle health and can predict when your vehicles will break down. You know, it can actually say before you've got a problem that you're going to have one, which just gives people so much more control.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:36:18]:

And from the b to B side of things, it gives fleets, in particular, just so much more ability to plan and to reduce the times they're off the road. And that's, again, coming back to your ways ahead, that's gonna be the future of breakdown is, I mean, controversially, you don't wanna break down. Break down. I mean, there are still you're people who will always need somebody to come to them inside

Liz Allan [00:36:43]:

Of course, they will. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:36:45]:

We know at the moment, that top two causes of breakdowns in both ice and electric vehicles are tyres and 12-volt batteries. And, you know, the vehicle health insights can predict some of that, where, where, and when that's gonna happen. Mhmm. But we'll still be we'll still be so

Liz Allan [00:37:07]:

Absolutely. And I was gonna say, do you know, thinking back to what you've said about the charge point operators, having that, that kind of understanding and learning machine learning about the various charge points. So because, you know, a lot of the CPOs currently have a varied number of, you know, pieces of hardware, and then you've got all the different bits and pieces that go inside it. So you've got the back office systems. You've got the connectivity to actually connect to kind of Wi-Fi or satellite or whatever you want, you know, and all of that. And then you've got the payment system as well, haven't you? So if you can monitor, I know, I know ChargePoint operators kind of monitor remotely, you know, a lot of their systems. But sometimes it's, and I've found this when working with a few organisations, that it's not necessarily proactive. It's more reactive.

Liz Allan [00:38:03]:

So, you're talking about implementing change to make it proactive to support the CPO, aren't you? Really?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:38:12]:

Yeah. Absolutely. And, obviously collecting lots and lots of data points on, the the cause that we get, you know, what what's what's caused the frustration, what what's gone wrong, what that impact has been, what time of day, what parts of the country, what so there's a lot there is a lot of data there as well. So, yeah, it's difficult, with you know, there's a richness and a value and a real potential in having lots and lots of data, but there's also a frustration and a, you know, that is there. It's just too much, but having that kind of systems and processes in place and, again, that we've already started to, you know, work in, but building on that and just being able to see those patterns, and yeah. Be proactive.

Liz Allan [00:39:09]:

Because you want to have reports for the right reasons, don't you? Because there were some companies that I knew of. And this is not anybody in this sector, but previously where they'll kind of reports are run for reports basis. And somebody will have it sat in their inbox for ages and not really look at it. You need to have insights to demonstrate whether that, you know, that report is worth running or whether you tweak it and organise something else. Because if people nobody's looking at it, then there's no point, is there?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:39:38]:

Yeah, that's very true. I was reminded of this again last week. We were talking about, you know, what stat? What was the most enormous PowerPoint deck that was presented in a meeting?

Liz Allan [00:39:53]:

Oh my god.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:39:53]:

I think I might sound; honestly, it was something like 80 slides.

Liz Allan [00:39:57]:

Oh my god.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:39:58]:

Well, I think obviously appendices, but then, yeah. And I I I remember inheriting some reports on MPS and customer satisfaction that I had to present to one of our customers on a quarterly basis and I inherited these reports that were they were about 30 pages long. And what used to happen was when it got to my turn, it was always when the sandwiches came out, and I liked the sandwiches. I'd I so they'd say, okay. So you carry on, and we'll just see the sandwiches.

Liz Allan [00:40:29]:

Oh, how rude.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:40:30]:

No. So that it did prompted me. The sandwich's unavailability prompted me to look at that report and see if you knew what. No one's really listening, probably because they're eating sandwiches. But no. We don't need the first twenty-five pages. What's essential is the bits that we discussed and the bits where the insight is in those last five pages. So let's just have those. That's

Liz Allan [00:40:55]:

1.  Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:40:55]:

We all need our sandwiches.

Liz Allan [00:40:57]:

Yeah. But Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:40:59]:

And it has more if you distil down like you're saying, what are those nuggets of information? What do we really need to focus on and report on? Yeah, that's a very good point.

Liz Allan [00:41:11]:

But it's hard, it's hard, and I'm gonna say that my white paper that we put together at Full Circle last year, called Plugging Into the Future, was long. That was about 40-odd pages. I know it was. And I can imagine that there would be many people who downloaded it. But it was it's it's really hard when you put something together. I'd never ever written a white paper before. And, actually, I wanted everything to be in it, you know. But you can't you if I did it a second, you know, do it a second time, which it probably at some point we will do, you know, it is about going, okay.

Liz Allan [00:41:46]:

Let's rationalise it. And it was rationalised, actually, funnily enough, down to those 40-odd pages. But it's it's not it's not easy. But yeah. It's over time, like you say, if you do the same thing and you're presenting, it's about pulling it back in, isn't it, a bit?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:42:02]:

Yeah. It is. And it's doing it by having the right level of detail for the right audience. I also think that's a communication. Right? So, if I'd been presenting to the head of customer satisfaction, they probably would have been really happy to go through the 30 pages. Still, I wasn't, and the people, the information, the insight that those people needed was distilled. And that's why I like, you know, some of the content work that we do. We can have a big, extended, detailed, chunky version that the technical experts or, you know, the real after-sales experts want to delve into. But then there's the, you know, the two minute version, and then there's the ten second sound bite.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:42:51]:

Right? So Yeah. You can make the most of that content. I I was using I was browsing link LinkedIn over the weekend, and there were a kind of top 10 tips for b to B marketers. And as you do, I will all know of these, obviously. A couple of them were eye-opening, but there was one in there that I agreed with, which was about content, which is the usual content. Your white paper has so much insight, so you can keep talking about it. Mhmm. I'm gonna chunk it into bits.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:43:28]:

You did. Yeah. Exactly. And particularly because there's a lot of investment that goes into content, whether it's time and focus and energy and goodwill or whether it's paying someone else to do research for you or Mhmm. Copyright for you or or put lovely images together. So, yeah, work it. Work it, baby. Work it.

Liz Allan [00:43:50]:

Work it, baby. And, you know, I actually and we didn't do this, and I should have done. But returning to AI, I can't remember what it's called now. Michelle who works with me would be able to tell me straight away, but there is a way that you can create an AI podcast by putting in a PDF of a document into this one system. And it'll do, like, a little interview of two AIs kinda going, oh, yes. And it's this bit and that bit and blah blah blah, which is so cool. You know? AI, Liz and Kirsty doing this. Imagine.

Liz Allan [00:44:24]:

We could be AI. But it, you know, is because people like to hear, I remember, talking to Kate Tyrrell. We had a January podcast going over the kind of white paper because Kate said, I'm not going to read 40-odd pages. So hopefully somebody will want to listen to this, you know. But, again, as I say, the little short podcast, oh, I think it was only about nine minutes that you could take a whole paper, and it's been summarised in a short-ish sound bite. Well, it'd have been better if it had been my voice, but that was why I didn't share it because it wasn't. But they don't. Who wants to hear me whining all the time? Oh, you lot do. You are listening and watching.

Liz Allan [00:45:12]:

Queen of podcasts. Oh, hey. That'd be cool. But so let's just go back to kind of events and things because you are at so many of them, including next week, of course. But when you go to a big event like everything electric, what are people's common misconceptions about EVs? I suppose everything electric is is different because there are a lot of people who are curious anyway, aren't they? But there's always that level of oh, because so, like, CarFest. You guys were at CarFest last year, weren't you? And I bet that was a very, very I mean, I kinda went to one of the days, but I can imagine what the AA would be kind of, you know, have have kind of all these misconceptions coming up against.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:45:57]:

Yeah. I mean, we've actually, we've all come up against them. Concerns about running out of charge, and it's not so much even range anxiety. I think people are worried that they're more likely to run out of charge in an electric vehicle than they are to run out of fuel in a nice vehicle. As you know, we keep a very close eye on stats from within our own breakdown set, and I think we're now down to if you take all the unique breakdowns that we attend, so fewer now than 2% of them are because someone's run out of charge. 11.85% is the very, precise number, but we expect that to very soon be down at 1%, which is the same percentage of ice breakdowns that are due to running out of fuel. And even in those, 1.85%, actually, the percentage of those, they haven't run out of charge, but people are scared that they're about to. You know, they can see there's only five miles.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:46:59]:

They know it's usually six miles to the nearest charge point and, you know, because something's gone wrong with the journey plans. So that's a big one. I think there's there's worry about costs and, actually, that is a very valid, you know, that is a very valid concern for lots of people. We did some research recently among our members, and the cost is obviously something that we need to worry about. Mhmm.

Liz Allan [00:47:26]:

For a

Kirsty Pendleton [00:47:26]:

lot of people, they don't buy brand new vehicles. They don't Use vehicles.

Liz Allan [00:47:31]:

Same with us.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:47:32]:

Yeah. It used to have a cost, you know there, there kind of levels that aren't there if you're buying a used vehicle but can find a cost-effective one, people worry about that. I think there are a lot there's been a lot changes in the used vehicle market and there are now really really good bi annual electric vehicles. So, talking to people about that and how they can ensure with the right AAV inspection, for example, that UCVLI is roadworthy. And, yeah, I I think the chart the charging piece and again, there are valid concerns for people, you know, 40% of our members, for example, have no access to a driveway to charge. So we know it's it's much more cost-effective to charge at home than it is to charge when you're out and about. You know, one of the things that Evan and the team still campaign for is to try and, make the VAT position a bit fairer for people who have to use charging out and about. So there are those worries.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:48:45]:

So, yeah, some of it's misconceptions, and and some of it, I think, is because it's a concern and a worry, it overshadows then the the the want to find out more. Mhmm. And, you know, again, looking at our our member base, about 50% of our members and, you know, the AA members, and they're not representative 100% of the country as a whole, but they're they're a pretty big data set. So, 50% of what we call EV potentials will likely be looking at an electric vehicle for their next vehicle in the next five years. Then you've got 20% who are doubters, so they're there to be convinced. And this is about you hear Edwin talk about the, hesitant but not hostile. So in doubters, they're really not sure. And again, they might be amongst the 40% if you can't charge at home, or they might be looking for a cheaper used vehicle.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:49:48]:

But then there's quite a big group, 22% who just at the moment say, I'm never gonna have one, and I don't care what

Liz Allan [00:49:57]:

I'm not being forced. They all see being forced to do something, don't they?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:50:02]:

Yeah. Exact exactly. So, there's, you know, that's a really big pool of people that we can help and reassure, and there is a real gap for a concerted public awareness campaign to, you know, to fight those misconceptions and mitigate? And what can we do to help? And what can we do to persuade government? And how can we work with partners? And, you know, on the b to B side of things, we have been, I think, our first EV perception survey of fleet managers was about ten years ago. It was really interesting then that the concerns and barriers to thinking about electric vehicles are so different. So, the top barrier would have been that I couldn't find a good selection of vehicles. Mhmm. But people say, well, okay. There there aren't many electric vehicles out there.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:51:06]:

Well, we don't have that issue now, and very few people are saying it's because there aren't good choices of cars. Like, there are other things now. So things change, and perception changes. So we've all got our part to play, and the AA is as much or more than most because we are there to represent drivers. We're there to create confidence for drivers; part of that confidence is not having those worries and anxieties about changing the future. Yeah. And I

Liz Allan [00:51:39]:

I was gonna say at some point, and I know that 22% is still a big chunk of people, isn't it that you were talking about, but I still think we're going to get to a tipping point, right? Where where, kind of, the the other the rest of them who may be being hesitant, you know, they weren't hostile. You've got the 22% hostile, But, at some point, you're gonna have enough people to get through that 22% come down at least a proportion because, you know, that tipping point is, do you know what? You're gonna know somebody out there who's got an EV and will be able to attest to the fact that that it's, it's not what you think it is, you know.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:52:23]:

I think you're right. Again, I'm looking down because I wrote some stats for this research. I just found it so interesting. And, Liz, I don't know if it's possible I can give you the link, and maybe we can. Of course, you can. People might be interested in it and probably go and download it themselves. But, yeah, of those 22% rejectors, only 8% of them have driven an EV. There's a surprise. Yeah.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:52:48]:

They have never given it a try. 73% of ICE drivers have never had any experience with an EV, but distilled into that group, that is absolutely happening. Yes, sir. We all know, we all know. I think my dad's a bit like one of those. If he listens to this podcast, I love you, Dad. But, yeah, he is convinced that EV's just never gonna be for him and, you know, maybe not. But

Liz Allan [00:53:18]:

It depends on the age as well, you know, and I'm not. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Kirsty's dad. I don't know how old you are, but it depends on the age, whether you know you can keep driving them if you've got a used vehicle if you've not, you know if you've got you can keep driving it for however long. It's just new cars that you can you, you know, new ICE vehicles you can't get, so keep driving it if you want to, but the more you're polluting it, the more you're polluting and that you're kicking that crap out of your exhaust pipe, the more people are breathing that in. That's you, you know, your kids, grandkids, nephews, nieces, etcetera.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:53:54]:

That's interesting. You said that because you assume that everybody understands what 2035 means, but no. There was a percentage. It was quite a low percentage. I think about 7% of people in the survey said that they felt that literally on I I, I don't know. 12/31/2020. They'll be

Liz Allan [00:54:19]:

They all put on tippers or something.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:54:21]:

Bonfire of vehicles or something. God. Maybe. But no. No. No. You're right. That's that's.

Liz Allan [00:54:29]:

So I'd like to get to that tipping point where people like your dad might, you know, might change his mind, but you're not gonna be able to change everybody's. He's been

Kirsty Pendleton [00:54:38]:

In mine. He's been in mine a few times.

Liz Allan [00:54:41]:

So there you go.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:54:42]:

Even quiet dad. A lovely job. We'll see. We'll see if we get it. But it's that, you know, we're we're all doing it right. We're all doing the EV Angelism, and, you know, I was privileged and gobsmacked last December to be given an EV Champions Award by

Liz Allan [00:55:04]:

Oh yes.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:55:05]:

So, I do feel that it is my duty. I've got the I've got the GLASS award on my bookcase, so I need to actually translate that into into championing. But, as I said, we all have to be. Particularly from an AA point of view, we do have to be conscious of people being fearful and helping, whether it's to bust those myths or whether it's just helping to make those hurdles less onerous and, yeah, try try and get to the point where we can dismiss everyone's concerns and say, well, no, that's not true, and that's fine. Because in some cases, we have to understand the people that it doesn't work for them in their particular setting.

Liz Allan [00:55:56]:

Exactly. So yeah. All

Kirsty Pendleton [00:55:58]:

help is a nightmare. Yeah.

Liz Allan [00:56:00]:

It is that united voice. So I'm gonna ask you one final question. So what is coming up next for the AA and Kirsty? Other than your green green fleet unless except other than the Europa, rally next week, what is what are kind of the next phases for the AA, or what would you like to see from the AA in future?

Kirsty Pendleton [00:56:22]:

So I think there's a two-point of view, a continuation of the work we've been doing over the last few years, to diversify, and we use a word: productise. It's a horrible word because it's not a wrong word. But to, take some of the things that we do already for our customers that are not breakdown cover, and and package them up to say to everybody, look, we we can do these other things. It's not just about breakdown cover. We are brilliant at other things related to how you manage or drive your vehicles. And, you know, we're we've got we've obviously got our DriveTech range of products and services, and, you know, we're investing in, again coming back to that AI, you know, really investing in using software to analyse driver behaviour and bring interventions forward through our Halo products and, like, really looking forward to pushing those and talking to customers about how they could use those. We've got accident management, which again is a kind of point of need service, but we again, we we're now able to report them to claims online and we've we've got an AI claims assistant, so it's all sort of zipping into the future. And then, SMR, so service maintenance repair, particular mobile mechanics.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:57:59]:

So we're working with our colleagues in the SML side of the business to talk about how we can bring the yellow van to your driveway or your place of work or your depot, and that there's a huge expansion in that service and of course the big health insights and that kind of data, you know, being able to use that one hundred and twenty years of breakdown experience to predict and prevent if it was going to break down. So that that's all kind I know, Liz. I know I'm just gonna forget something. I've gotta come out of the podcast, and someone's gonna say, oh, what you didn't mention? Okay. So there's all of that work that we're doing on the product side of things. And then from the marketing side and the communications, again, so we'll be carrying on with all the events and the partnerships and the sponsorships and working out what part we can play in the kind of public awareness around EVs in particular, but other aspects of motoring in the future. And we haven't even talked about self-driving vehicles.

Liz Allan [00:59:06]:

Oh my god. I'll get back to you for another one to talk about that. Seriously. Honestly, it's been so insightful, Kirsty. You've just been brilliant. I appreciate all of this.

Kirsty Pendleton [00:59:17]:

I hope it's been helpful. It's been lovely talking to you as well.

Liz Allan [00:59:21]:

Honestly, it's been amazing talking to you as well. And I'm sure everybody watching and listening will agree that Kirsty is down-to-earth, honest, and lovely. You know, I've got so much out of this conversation. And don't worry about it. If there are products you have forgotten to tell us about, you can always put them in the show notes if I've got enough room. But listen. So thank you, Kirsty. It's been an amazing conversation.

Liz Allan [00:59:51]:

I've really, really appreciated it. And to all of you who have been watching and listening, thank you. I always say this: Thank you for tuning in. If you've enjoyed it, please like it and subscribe to the podcast. Share it. Share it.

Liz Allan [01:00:03]:

We've got all of our episodes on YouTube and on different audio platforms. We also post on LinkedIn and have an Electric Evolution podcast page, so you can always keep an eye out for that one on LinkedIn. But thank you. And I just want to say thanks, Kirsty. And to everybody else watching and listening, I'll see you next time.

Liz Allan [01:00:23]:

Bye. Thanks, Liz. Bye.