Switching to an electric vehicle fleet is a big step for your business, and one that’s becoming increasingly common across the UK, especially for businesses that are centred around city centres and have clean air initiatives such as taxi ride hailing fleets. The benefits of making this switch are well documented, such as lower running costs, reduced emissions, and a future-proof operation, but how do you actually keep your fleet charged and on the road?
Fleet charging requires careful planning around your depot setup, the types of vehicles you’re running, your routes, and how you manage energy across multiple vehicles at once.
To help you better understand fleet charging, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to charge your electric vehicle fleet effectively, from choosing the right chargers for your depot to managing charging on the road.
Understanding the Different Types of EV Chargers
Before you can put together a charging strategy, it’s important to understand what types of chargers are available and what each one is best suited for. This is because choosing the wrong charger for your operation can lead to unnecessary downtime or higher costs.
Slow Chargers
Slow chargers typically deliver between 3kW and 7kW and can take anywhere from 8 to 12 hours to fully charge an electric vehicle. While this may sound inconvenient, for fleets where vehicles return to the depot overnight and sit idle for several hours, slow charging can be a perfectly practical and cost-effective solution.
Fast Chargers
Fast chargers are the most common choice for commercial fleet depots. Delivering between 7kW and 22kW, they can charge most electric vehicles in 3 to 6 hours, making them well-suited to overnight or shift-based charging. They strike the right balance between speed, cost, and compatibility across most EV models.
Rapid and Ultra-Rapid Chargers
Rapid chargers deliver more wattage and can charge a compatible vehicle faster than slow or fast charger with ultra rapid charger being able to charge your vehicles even faster. These are ideal for fleets that operate long distances, have limited downtime between shifts, or need vehicles back on the road quickly. It’s worth noting that not all electric vehicles support rapid charging, so you’ll need to check compatibility before specifying these units.
Planning Your Depot Charging Infrastructure
Getting your depot and EV charging hubs set up correctly is the foundation of any successful fleet charging strategy. This is particularly important for haulage companies, who need to plan their routes carefully to ensure their trucks can reach suitable charging points before batteries run low. Here is what you need to consider when it comes to planning your EV charging infrastructure for your fleet
Assessing Your Electrical Capacity
The first step is to understand whether your premises can handle the electrical load of charging multiple vehicles at the same time. Adding several fast or rapid chargers to an existing supply can place significant demands on your infrastructure, so a qualified electrical contractor should carry out a full site assessment before any installation takes place.
Choosing the Right Number of Chargers
As a starting point, you’ll want enough chargers to power every vehicle in your fleet within your available downtime window, however it’s also worth planning ahead as well. If you’re expecting your fleet to grow over the next few years, installing additional charger points now, even if they’re not needed, will save you significant disruption and cost later.
Smart Charging and Load Management
Smart charging systems allow you to manage how and when energy is distributed across your chargers. Rather than every vehicle drawing maximum power at the same time, smart charging balances the load intelligently, reducing peak demand charges and making better use of your available supply. For larger fleets, this can result in meaningful cost savings on your energy bills.
Considering Renewable Energy
If you want to take your sustainability credentials a step further, powering your charge points with renewable energy is well worth considering. Whether that’s through on-site solar generation or switching to a green energy tariff, reducing the carbon associated with your charging activity is an increasingly attractive option for businesses with environmental commitments or reporting obligations.
Managing Fleet Charging on the Road
Even with the best depot setup, there will be times when your drivers need to charge while out on the road. Having a clear strategy for this is just as important as your depot infrastructure. So, make sure you have a look at the different EV charger networks around the UK.
Scheduling Breaks Around Charging Stops
Drivers will sometimes need to stop and charge during a shift. With rapid chargers now capable of delivering a meaningful top-up in under an hour, this can often be built into a driver’s natural break time without significantly impacting productivity. The key is planning routes in advance so that charging stops coincide with rest breaks rather than creating additional delays.
Briefing Fleet Drivers on Charging Procedures
Your drivers need to know exactly what to do when it comes to charging on the road. This includes understanding which charger types are compatible with their vehicle, how to use public charging networks, and what to do in the event of a charger being unavailable or out of service.
Maintaining Your Fleet EV Charging Equipment
Like any piece of equipment, your charge points need regular servicing and maintenance to keep them operating reliably.
Neglecting the maintenance of your charge points might not cause immediate problems, but over time the consequences can be significant. Dirty or damaged connectors can lead to unreliable connections, so vehicles don’t charge as expected overnight, resulting in longer charging times and more downtime for drivers. Unchecked wear and tear can cause charge points to fail altogether, taking vehicles out of rotation at short notice and disrupting your operation.
How VPG EV Solutions Can Help
Setting up a fleet charging infrastructure is a significant undertaking, and getting it right from the outset saves time, money, and disruption further down the line. At VPG EV Solutions, we work with businesses across a range of sectors to design, install, and maintain fleet charging infrastructure that’s built around the way you operate.
Whether you’re just starting to explore fleet electrification or you’re ready to install chargers at your depot, our team is here to help. Get in touch today to discuss your requirements.
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