Charging Infrastructure: Depot, Public, and Home Solutions (Continued)
the employee’s home, even if not at the home itself. For example, a company might partner with a local business or public car park that has chargers, allowing their staff to park and charge there overnight. Centrica (British Gas) reported using this approach for engineers who couldn’t install a home charger: they arranged for some to charge at local depots or even at supermarket parking lots outfitted with chargers . Similarly, an employee might use a nearby community charging hub , some towns are planning hubs in residential areas where multiple EV drivers (including fleet vehicles) can plug in overnight. The UK government is also seeding innovation here: in mid-2025, it announced a £25 million fund for technologies like curbside “cable gulley” systems that allow a charging cable to be safely run under the pavement to an on-street parked car. If widely deployed, such solutions could enable many more urban drivers to access home-rate charging even without a private driveway. Fleet operators should stay abreast of these pilots, as they could unlock home charging for more of their staff by the late 2020s. Another key aspect is reimbursing employees for home charging costs . When drivers charge a work vehicle at home, the company needs a fair and easy method to pay for the electricity used. Some fleets have addressed this by installing smart home charge points that can meter the energy used for the company vehicle separately, the company then pays that portion of the employee’s bill directly. Others use simple expense claims, e.g. paying a fixed pence-per-mile rate to cover charging (similar to how personal car mileage is reimbursed). There are also specialist services and apps that automate tracking of EV charging sessions and facilitate
reimbursement. Whichever method is chosen, it’s important to communicate clearly with employees and remove any perceived hassle of charging at home. Fleet managers report that if home charging is cumbersome or costs drivers money out-of-pocket, it undermines employee buy-in. On the flip side, when done right, home charging can save fleets a lot of money, as noted earlier, domestic off-peak electricity can yield a fuel cost equivalent of just 2 pence per mile [25] , a fraction of what petrol or even public charging costs. Thus, encouraging home charging (where feasible) aligns the interests of both the employer and the employee: the driver gets the convenience of starting each day with a “full tank” at home, and the fleet benefits from minimal energy costs. In summary, building a holistic charging strategy is mission- critical for fleet electrification. The optimal mix will vary: some fleets with central depots might satisfy 80% of charging needs on-site and use public chargers for occasional top-ups. Others with dispersed operations might rely heavily on public networks and home charging, with little depot infrastructure at all. There is no one-size-fits-all, so fleets should pilot multiple approaches. Importantly, early partnerships can ease the way, whether it’s co-investing in depot infrastructure with a leasing partner, signing agreements with charge point operators for discounted public charging, or working with local councils to access dedicated fleet charging bays . By developing redundancy (multiple charging options) and flexibility in charging methods, fleets can ensure that no matter where a vehicle is or when it needs power, there is an option available to keep it moving.
‘...building a holistic charging strategy is mission- critical for fleet electrification.’
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Electrifying UK Fleet Operations: Challenges, Strategies, and the 2035 Deadline
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