4 Where are fleets’ vehicles charged?
Convenient and reliable charging is a cornerstone of a cost-efficient EV fleet, and drivers have more choice than ever. Almost two-thirds (62%) of operators charge their vehicles overnight, while others are factoring this into shift times (16%) or drivers’ breaks (12%).
Each option has some challenges. Unreliable (or unsuitable) public charging was named as a challenge by 38% of fleets, 34% said their drivers can’t charge at home, while 19% claim to have faced issues installing depot chargers – such as upgrade costs.
5 How are fleets supporting drivers with home charging?
According to the latest Zapmap Price Index, the average cost (per kilowatt-hour) of a DC rapid charger (76p) is almost 10 times higher than plugging in at home using an off-peak tariff (8p).
Not surprisingly, our data shows fleets using home charging were more likely to say EVs are cutting their operating costs (53%) than those who don’t (44%). Almost half (45%) said they will use home charging to support additional fleet electrification.
Employers can fully fund home chargers without this being taxed as a Benefit-in-Kind, and 42% of survey respondents do so. Half of that group offer this to any driver, while the rest restrict it to job-need users.
Convenient and reliable charging is a cornerstone of a cost-efficient EV fleet
6 What do fleets want from workplace charging?
Workplace charging can help fill gaps in the wider network, especially for vans.
It’s an important element, with a third (35%) of van fleet operators saying they’d struggled with a lack of suitable public charging, while a similar share (33%) added that drivers couldn’t plug in at home.
HOWEVER... this infrastructure needs to grow:
The benefits aren’t only internal. Of those who said they have their own chargers, 17% are sharing them with other fleets. Almost one in 10 (9%) fleets said using other operators’ chargers would be important future-proofing strategy.