Solutions not Boxes – why there is no one blueprint for EV charging

Posted 3rd May 2023

As the electric vehicle (EV) market continues to grow, and the 2030 ban on the production of new combustion engine cars in the UK approaches, more and more fleets are looking to go electric. However, there is no ‘one-size fits all’ approach. Loyd Davies, Service Development Director at ElectrAssure, outlines why and the key considerations you need to take before going electric.

Over the past nine years, ElectrAssure has established a reputation for delivering EV charging solutions that provide reliable, scalable support for our clients’ business. We have won contracts for clients including Volkswagen UK, Keolis Amey, National Grid, British Car Auctions and Uber. From this experience, we’ve recognised that each EV Charging installation is different. What that means is, to provide successful, resilient, reliable EV Charging, you have to adapt the solution to the customers’ needs. No one customer or fleet is the same, so there’s no one blueprint. Ultimately, we consider our clients’ bespoke requirements, be those budgetary, power availability, the type of vehicles they’re running, or their down time. A considered approach is essential, to provide a reliable and resilient solution that works for the customer team.

Before considering an EV charging installation, there are several checks we can help you to make. Firstly, how many vehicles will you need to charge? How many vehicles are on fleet today, tomorrow and next year? Then, driving behavior – how many vehicles need to be charged, how long are they going to sit at the depot, including overnight? Are the vehicles double-shifted and do they need a quick turnaround?

Once you have this information, you know which type of charger you need and for how many vehicles. You should consider the driver mileage and behavior. What level of discharge will their vehicles’ batteries have when they arrive back at the depot? From this, you’ll be able to identify how many chargers you need, the charging power required, and whether you need chargers in more than one location. The next consideration is power. Do you have the power on each site for your charging needs? Finally, your budget constraints. Can you implement now? Do you need to consider a pilot scheme or full roll-out?