The complete guide to electric vehicle charging for fleets

Everything you need to know about installing workplace EV chargers

Transitioning your fleet from combustion to electric can be a minefield.

It’s not just the vehicles themselves you need to think about, but how your drivers will be able to charge their vehicles to carry out their day-to-day jobs.

While transitioning your fleet over will be worth it when you consider the future of fleets and the cost-savings to be had, the initial process can be time-consuming. Picking out which EVs will work for your fleet can be tricky enough, without adding in the additional work of sorting out the charging infrastructure.

We’ve pulled together the ultimate guide to EV fleet charging, to help you make the right decisions for your fleet.

And if you need help, our expert team are on hand to aid you with every step of the transition, from vehicle procurement right through to energy infrastructure. 

The future of fleets

With the 2030 ban on the sale of all new petrol and diesel cars looming, there is no doubt that an electric fleet is the future.

And getting ahead of the game now is only going to benefit your company in the long run, even if there’s a little upfront work required when implementing the switch.

Data shows that the sale of EVs has risen in the past year, driven in part by businesses up and down the country investing in electrifying their fleets. As it stands, electric cars are really built for the fleet market: reduced Benefit in Kind tax, incentives on workplace charging, sustainability targets and reduced running costs all combine to make electric vehicles an attractive choice.

Eventually, every fleet will have to be an electric one. 

However, all businesses are different, and will require a different approach when it comes to fleet electrification.

Electric fleet charging options

There are several options available when it comes to choosing your electric fleet charging solution.

Understanding which combination of these will suit your business is a key first step to implementing a fleet electrification strategy. 

Home

If your drivers take their vehicle home each night, or use it for personal as well as business use, then it might be worth thinking about installing EV chargers at their homes. 

It will make their lives – and subsequently your life – much easier if they can charge up their vehicle each evening and start the working day with a car that’s ready to go, no matter how far they need to drive. 

And you won’t have to worry about the logistics of how many drivers you have vs how many chargers you’ll need and when people can charge their EVs to ensure adequate range. 

However, it’s worth bearing in mind that your drivers will only be able to have an EV charger installed if they have access to private, off-street parking and they either own their own home or their landlord gives permission.

Workplace or depot

Installing workplace EV chargers is generally a good idea, no matter whether your fleet drivers take their vehicles home at the end of the day or keep them on site.

For those in company cars whose vehicles remain at the office for the majority of the day, workplace charging is ideal because it means they can plug in while they’re working, and drive off at the end of the day with a car that isn’t going to leave them stranded at the side of the road.

It’s especially useful for those employees who don’t have easy access to either a public charger or at-home charging, whether those cars are fleet owned or private.

And with the world switching to electric, it’s likely that you will have employees who aren’t fleet drivers who will also benefit from workplace EV charging, especially if you offer an electric car salary sacrifice scheme. It also means that any visitors with electric cars will be able to plug in while they’re on your premises, which can boost your business’ profile with customers and clients, giving off the right impression from the start.

If you have a depot housing your fleet overnight, then you’ll want to have a number of EV chargers here to make sure that your vehicles are always fully charged and ready to go.

Depending on how many charge points you install, this might take a little more logistics to ensure that every EV has a fair go on the chargers, but it works especially well for shift work, as vehicles can be charging while others are out on the road.

Public chargers

Your drivers are also likely to make use of a public charging point while they’re on the go.

These are publicly available chargers that anyone with an electric vehicle can use, and are commonly found in public carparks, in supermarkets, at service stations, and on the side of the road.

There are a varying number of different providers and different speeds of charging. You’ll find fast, rapid, and ultra-rapid charging in public spaces, and it often depends on where you are as to which kind of charger you’ll find.

Supermarkets will sometimes offer free EV charging, but this comes with a price – you’ll likely only be able to find 7kW or 22kW chargers here. But if your drivers stop off at the services, you’ll likely be able to find rapid and ultra-rapid chargers which, as the name says, charge the car much faster.

For a quick pitstop if your drivers are low on range and need to be able to get to their destination, rapid chargers will give them the boost they need. 

How can I implement EV charging for my fleet?

Implementing EV charging for your fleet will largely depend on when and how you’re switching your fleet cars to electric.

There is the argument to be made that you could get ahead of the game by installing the infrastructure needed to keep an electric fleet running before you even start to switch your fleet cars over, to make the transition smoother.

But ultimately, it’s likely that you’re going to be doing both at the same time.

One of the best ways to start transitioning your fleet over is simply to only buy or lease electric vehicles from now on, switching each vehicle when it comes to the end of its contract, and ensuring each time that you have adequate on-site or home charging for your fleet drivers to be able to carry out their jobs efficiently. 

What do I need to consider when deciding on an electric vehicle charging solution?

There are several factors you’ll need to bear in mind when you’re deciding on the charging solution for your electric fleet. These include: 

• What are your fleet’s needs?
• Where will your fleet vehicles stay?
• What are your costs?
• The EV charging infrastructure

At the end of the day, your fleet is unique to your business. It might be comprised entirely of cars, entirely of vans, or have a mix of both, as well as a mix of permanently on-site vehicles and those that are driven home at the end of the day.

There’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but it doesn’t have to be a nightmare.

The first consideration will be where you’ll need to install charge points – whether that’s at your fleet driver’s home, at your workplace, or at a depot. The second consideration? How many.

It’s also worth bearing in mind all the costs involved in EV charging. It’s not just the initial upfront cost. 

You’ll also have ongoing costs, including a rise in your electricity bill (but a reduction in your petrol one), any public charger usage, and the maintenance of your EV chargers.

What is the Workplace Charging Scheme?

To help with the upfront costs of installing workplace chargers, the Office for Zero Emissions (OZEV) have a Workplace Charging Scheme (WCS) available for businesses, which can help you save up to £14,000 on the cost of electric vehicle charge points and their installation.

Launched in 2016, it’s now one of the only electric vehicle incentives that still exists, so it’s worth jumping on it sooner rather than later.

If your business is eligible for the scheme, you can claim £350 per socket for up to forty sockets for EV chargers installed at your workplace. 

And if you don’t want to install forty sockets all at the same time, you can apply slowly for each phase of growth, whether you’re a small business looking to expand in the future, or a larger business slowly transitioning over to an electric fleet.

But with hefty savings to be had, this is a scheme that’s definitely worth looking into as part of the electric transition.

The benefits of an electric fleet

The benefits of transitioning to an electric fleet include:

• Reduced vehicle emissions and lower carbon footprint
• Reduced vehicle maintenance and upkeep costs
• Reduced fuel costs
• Improved employee wellbeing
• Helping your company to hit its sustainability targets

The challenges of an electric fleet

Like with everything in life, there are also downsides to electric fleets. 

Your business’s electricity bill will go up, and there might be a little more admin to consider, especially in the beginning while you’re still sorting out the charging infrastructure and the logistics, and getting the rest of the company on board with switching to electric.

You might also find that separating out the electricity costs for work use and personal use is tricky.

If your fleet drivers are charging their cars at their homes, they won’t want to be charged for electricity that is used for business miles, while you won’t want to be footing the entire bill if they’re also using the car for personal journeys.

However, the disadvantages and additional costs associated with electric fleets are far outweighed by the numerous benefits, and as electric technology improves at a rapid rate, these challenges will soon be a fear of the past. 

What about electric fuel cards?

To make life easier for you and your drivers, you could consider implementing electric fuel cards.

Like traditional fuel cards, these allow your drivers to charge their cars on the go with public chargers, and not have to faff around with keeping receipts and claiming the cost on expenses.

It means they’re not left out of pocket, your accounts team aren’t inundated with expense requests to get their money back, and you have oversight on all purchases made by your fleet drivers.

Many electric fuel cards also allow your drivers to pay for petrol or diesel with the same card, so if you’re in the middle of transitioning your fleet over, you can combine the costs of both the ICE cars and your EVs into one invoice.

Should my business install solar panels?

If the cost of electric vehicles is the main barrier to transition, then looking at installing solar panels at your workplace could be the answer.

Again, it is an upfront investment.

But it’s one that will enable you to harness the power of the sun to charge your electric cars, and potentially even your workplace itself, reducing your electricity bill and helping you on the way to becoming a sustainable, Net Zero business. 

If you produce enough energy, you could even sell some of it back to the National Grid – it almost pays for itself. 

Generating power through solar also gives your business a secure and reliable energy supply, less exposure to volatile wholesale prices, and a reduced carbon footprint.