Electric vehicle startups are building innovative, beautifully designed machines, yet many still rely on outdated parts support tools like PDFs, spreadsheets, and email chains. The result? Frustrated customers, lost revenue, and teams wasting time on manual processes.
To compete in a fast-moving market, EV startups are rethinking their spare parts experience from the ground up and turning to modern platforms that are fast, visual, scalable, and customer-ready.
The Hidden Costs of Outdated Parts Catalogues
Static diagrams and legacy spreadsheets might have worked early on, but they can’t keep up with scaling production or growing user bases. The cost of sticking with outdated tools shows up everywhere:
- Poor UX leads to incorrect part orders and costly returns
- Customers struggle to self-serve and flood your support team with repeat queries
- Product and engineering teams spend hours clarifying what should be obvious
Manual Support Processes Drain Resources
When your parts support system is manual, so is your growth ceiling. Teams burn time answering the same questions over and over, just because the catalog isn’t intuitive or searchable.
- Engineers get pulled away from product development
- Aftermarket teams become internal help desks
- Scaling becomes harder without a digital foundation
A recent case study from Wizr.ai found that one large OEM spent over $2M/year on manual catalog maintenance, a cost startups can’t afford to absorb.
Why E-Commerce Integration Is No Longer Optional
EV customers, particularly younger, tech-savvy buyers, expect to be able to click, order, and receive with minimal effort.
According to Shopify, the online automotive aftermarket was worth $119.6 billion in 2022 and is forecast to hit $349.7 billion by 2030. And 57% of millennials have already bought parts online.
If your customers have to email support or wait for a callback, they’ll look elsewhere.
High UX Expectations Start at the Product
You’ve invested in sleek UX for your vehicle, the same should apply to your aftersales experience.
Startups like Maeving didn’t just need a functional parts system. They needed something that matched the design quality and user expectations of their electric motorcycle.
“The functionality of the platform, while also being light enough to load quickly, is what made Partful stand out.”
— Graeme Gilbert, Head of Product, Maeving
An interactive, mobile-optimised 3D parts catalog reflects the brand and enhances the user experience.
The Rise of 3D Visualisation in EV Aftersales
3D exploded views built from CAD data are replacing outdated parts diagrams across the industry. They make identification faster, training easier, and ordering more accurate, with fewer returns.
- Customers can visually explore parts before ordering
- Technicians can reduce errors with better clarity
- Engineers can update catalogs with minimal effort
What Smart EV Startups Are Doing Differently
Forward-thinking EV startups like Maeving are leading the way by adopting modern 3D parts platforms built for e-mobility OEMs delivering a better user experience while scaling their aftersales.
- Launching a fully branded 3D parts portal
- Giving customers mobile-friendly self-service tools
- Reducing load on support and engineering teams
- Deploying fast, with minimal internal dev time
“Partful will save the product team and the engineers a bucket load of work.”
— Graeme Gilbert, Head of Product, Maeving
Is It Time to Rethink Your Spare Parts Experience?
Run a quick self-check:
- Is your parts catalog static or interactive?
- Do customers need help to place an order?
- Are your engineers fielding support queries?
- Does your current solution reflect your brand?
If you answered yes to any of the above — it’s time to rethink how you deliver spare parts support.
Partful
