Charging Infrastructure: Depot, Public, and Home Solutions (Continued)
Techniques like load balancing (distributing available power across vehicles) and scheduling (staggering charging times or prioritizing vehicles that need to depart first) become important to optimize limited power supply. In the near term, many fleets start with a pilot of a few depot chargers
plans to add tens of thousands more in the next few years. However, coverage can still be uneven. Fleets operating in remote or rural areas report gaps in fast-charger availability along their routes. Even in urban areas, finding an available rapid charger when needed is not guaranteed during peak times. Fleet managers worry about reliability and uptime of public chargers as well. Early experiences have been mixed: it’s not uncommon to encounter units that are out-of-order or occupied. Research with UK fleets found concerns that public charge points “may not be in working order” or may have queues, directly impacting fleet productivity. The government recognizes this and has signaled plans to enforce 99% uptime requirements on major charging networks, which should dramatically improve reliability in the coming years. In the interim, some fleets mitigate risk by using apps and telematics that show real-time charger status and by always having contingency plans (e.g. an alternate charging site or a buffer of extra range).
to gain experience. Over the mid-term, scaling that up to cover entire fleets will require careful electrical engineering and significant capital investment. According to one industry survey, 71% of UK van fleets were planning to invest in depot charge points in 2023 , underscoring that most organizations see on-site charging as essential [37] . At the same time, 29% had no such plans, often due to barriers like lack of site ownership, high cost, or uncertainty, these fleets will need alternative strategies or risk falling behind [38] . Public On-Route Charging: No matter how much depot infrastructure is built, most fleets will also rely on the public charging network to some degree. Field service vehicles may need a daytime top-up to complete all their calls, parcel couriers might exceed their depot-charge range on busy days, and fleets without a fixed base (or those whose drivers take vehicles home) might depend heavily on public chargers. The UK’s public charging network is rapidly growing, as of mid-2025 there were over 85,000 public charge points across the country [13] , with government and industry
Fleet Inten ti ons for Depot Charging (%) Fleet Intentions for Depot Charging (%)
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
71 %
29%
Planning depot c h arging
No current plans
9
Electrifying UK Fleet Operations: Challenges, Strategies, and the 2035 Deadline
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