Idle EV Chargers = Missed Revenue: Why Shared Depot Charging Is the Smart Move
Across the UK and Europe, the rollout of EV infrastructure is ramping up, but there’s a quiet problem that’s often overlooked.
Depot-based EV chargers are sitting idle for large parts of the day.
This isn’t because of lack of demand, it’s because those chargers are locked behind gates, reserved exclusively for their own fleets, even during long off-peak windows when no charging is happening.
But that’s starting to change.
First Bus: A Model for Shared Charging
First Bus is showing what smart utilisation looks like.
By opening up their depot chargers to other fleets during off-peak hours, they’re:
Unlocking new revenue streams
Improving return on infrastructure investment
Supporting regional electrification goals, without disrupting their own operations
And they’re not doing this alone.
They’ve tapped into Department for Transport (DfT) funding, which is increasingly geared toward shared infrastructure models that help maximise public investment in EV charging.
If You Run a Depot, This Is an Opportunity
Whether you’ve already installed chargers or are planning an EV upgrade, here’s the reality:
You don’t have to go it alone.
By modelling your site for shared access, with the right visibility, control, and safeguards, you could:
Offer access to local delivery fleets, taxi cooperatives, or council vehicles
Monetise underutilised assets
Build a case for grant funding
Position yourself as a key player in your region’s zero-emission transition
How ZeroMission Helps
At ZeroMission, we work with fleet operators to turn depot charging into intelligent infrastructure.
That means:
Real-time charger scheduling and usage data
Automated off-peak sharing rules
Billing, permissions, and access control built into the FleetOps Advisory Hub
Integrations with energy management tools to avoid peak tariffs and overloads
Let’s Make It Happen
Whether you’re in early planning stages or have chargers installed today, we can help you model and operationalise a shared charging model that works.
Let’s talk about what’s possible at your depot.
Drop us a message, we’ll walk you through how to make this real, fast.
