Rightsizing EV Fleet Infrastructure

Kevin Christopher, co-founder and head of product at ZeroMission, highlights some factors to take into account when preparing for fleet electrification

Commercial fleets risk increasing capital expenditure by up to a third when transitioning to zero emission road transport by oversizing their electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. Currently there is a fear-factor, especially around vehicle range and charging availability, which is impairing effective decision-making around battery levels and fuelling redundancy.

Electrification is a complete shift in the paradigm of fuelling. A fleet is going from getting 100 per cent of a vehicle’s potential range in a matter of minutes with diesel – a very reliable and widely understood system – to relying on a new technology that requires hours of charging to provide a similar range.

Coupled with this, the battery of an EV certainly has more range sensitivity and variables that impact fuel efficiency from day-to-day, so the concerns within the marketplace are totally understandable.

For any commercial fleet manager, it is critical that they have the vehicles needed to complete their daily operational requirements, so high reliability and uptime is key. To mitigate the range anxiety, in particular, we are seeing examples of commercial fleets investing in 20 to 30 per cent more batteries than are needed. This in turn leads to a larger charging infrastructure and additional electrical service, which drives up the cost significantly.

There are many pitfalls and common mistakes associated with fleet electrification that will impact the ability to manage electric vehicles cost effectively and meet operational needs. As such, commercial fleets need to look at the data from their existing vehicle operation to determine what configuration is required.

This data-driven approach looks at vehicle spec and battery size alongside service requirements, range sensitivities, and the time available to charge, so any designed solution delivers a cost-effective “just-in-time, rather than just-in-case” programme.

Energy management is another major consideration as some costs often get overlooked in the planning stage when calculating total cost of ownership. Local grid operators can have complicated rate structures, resulting in a significant premium at certain times of the day, so you need a system that eliminates or vastly reduces charging during these periods to minimise expense on the fuelling side.

In many cases, fleets are also charged for having dedicated capacity available, on top of paying for the actual consumption of that energy, which means there is a huge financial incentive for rightsizing the charging infrastructure from the start.

When buying equipment, it is crucial for industry standard protocols to be supported. Frameworks such as the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) provide third-party hardware and software with the ability to communicate together in a meaningful, robust and reliable way. This will ensure that a commercial fleet has the right system and processes in place to effectively manage the operation, charging and energy, while understanding where inefficiencies exist to target continuous improvement and support future planning.

EVs, if managed correctly, can be the less expensive option for commercial fleet operations. However, the transition will be a major change for any organisation and there are significant risks and challenges to face. It is important to understand your objectives, establish what you don’t know, and then take a data-driven approach to develop an infrastructure that is rightsized and fit for purpose, with the capacity to grow and adapt.