Electric Vehicle & Special Equipment Installation Guidelines

This guideline document details the required installation procedures for Motive hardware installation, including Vehicle Gateways (VG), AIDC+, and Asset Gateways (AG) across various electric vehicle (EV) types and electric equipment. Always use OEM-approved power and grounding points.

Note: Requests for engine-off recording are subject to review on a case-by-case basis and must strictly comply with relevant manufacturer guidelines.

Standard Electric Vehicles (EVs) 

When installing hardware in standard electric passenger or commercial vehicles, follow this decision approach and wiring guidelines:

Mandatory Configuration & Pre-Checks

1. Primary Diagnostic Check: Attempt connection to a dedicated diagnostic port first and verify if Motive receives telematics data.
2. Zero Telematics Mode: If Motive is unable to gather telematics data for the specific EV model, place the device in Zero Telematics Mode (ZTM) before beginning installation. ZTM does not apply to Asset Gateway installations.

Power & Wiring Guidelines

• Secondary Hardwiring Approach: If the EV lacks a diagnostic port, hardwiring to an auxiliary or spare circuit is required to preserve Battery Management System (BMS) oversight.
• DO NOT Connect to Battery Posts: Never connect directly to the 12V battery positive and ground posts, as bypassing the BMS interferes with low-voltage battery maintenance.
• Expected Alert Behavior: When hardwired to an auxiliary circuit, expect a Gateway Disconnected alert on the dashboard whenever the EV shuts down low-voltage circuits in deep sleep mode.

Electric Forklifts

All electric forklift installations require hardwiring and specific voltage considerations prior to mounting hardware.

Mandatory Configuration & Pre-Checks

1. Zero Telematics Mode: Place the Motive device in ZTM before beginning installation. ZTM does not apply to Asset Gateway installations.
2. Operational Voltage Validation: Measure and validate the operational voltage of the forklift. Most electric forklifts operate between 12V and 72V.

Power & Wiring Guidelines

• Voltage 36V and Above: Requires an external DC-to-DC step-down converter to lower the voltage to acceptable operating limits for Motive hardware (12-24V).
• Sourcing: The DC-to-DC step-down converter is not a Motive-owned product and must be sourced via a third party. 
• Chassis Grounding: Do not ground or connect any device to the vehicle chassis. Electric forklifts use an isolated floating ground to avoid electrocution, reduce fire risk, and to prevent corrosion. All splices must connect to the main ground bus or a wire traceable back to the battery-negative main contact block/distribution panel.  

Electric Golf Carts

Electric golf carts are typically powered by a bank of 12V batteries wired in series and require specific hardwiring procedures.

Note: Do not connect to auxiliary batteries. Never connect directly to low amp-hour auxiliary 12V batteries, as they can drain quickly and cause operational failures.

Mandatory Configuration & Pre-Checks

1. Zero Telematics Mode: Configure the Motive device in Zero Telematics Mode (ZTM) prior to installation. ZTM does not apply to Asset Gateway installations.
2. Power Circuit Check: Determine whether power will be sourced via a switched ignition circuit or the main battery bank with a step-down converter.

Power & Wiring Guidelines

• Option 1 (Switched Ignition): Connect to a switched ignition circuit only if the power at the IGN is 12V or 24V. Hardware is powered only when the key is "ON"; when "OFF", the device will lose power. 
  • Expected Alert Behavior: When hardwired to an IGN circuit, expect a Gateway Disconnected alert on the dashboard whenever the EV shuts down.
• Option 2 (Main Battery Bank with DC-to-DC Converter): Connect to the main series battery bank using a third-party DC-to-DC converter to ensure stable voltage without unevenly draining individual batteries. 
  Sourcing: The DC-to-DC step-down converter is not a Motive-owned product and must be sourced via a third party. See DC-to-DC Voltage Converters below.

Quick Reference Decision Summary

Cables

Cable selection is dependent on the device, connector type, vehicle/equipment voltage, and installation objective. Verify the final bill of materials before dispatching or beginning the installation.

Diagnostic-port installations

• Vehicle-specific diagnostic cable selected by connector type / VIN

Hardwired installations

• Vehicle Gateway: Cable 4020 
• AIDC+: VCBL-D-HW3W
• Asset Gateway: CABLE-AG31.2-3WR

DC-to-DC Voltage Converters

As noted earlier, DC-to-DC step-down converters are not a Motive-owned product and must be sourced via a third party.

4-Wire Converters

• Configuration: Typically features a positive input (power in), negative input (ground in), positive output (12V out), and negative output (12V ground).
• Operation: Always powered on as long as it is connected directly to the source battery pack.
• Drawback: Can cause a small parasitic battery drain over long-term storage. unless you manually install an external physical toggle switch.

5-Wire Converters

• Configuration: Includes the standard 4 power/ground wires plus a 5th control/trigger wire designed to connect to your ignition or key switch.
• Operation: Acts as a keyed converter, it senses when the key is turned on to activate output power and shuts completely off when the key is turned off.
• Advantage: Eliminates standby parasitic drain on your battery pack when the vehicle or golf cart is parked and turned off. 

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