Building Your Power Hub
A Strategic Approach to Depot Charging
Electrifying a commercial fleet means swapping public fuel stations for your own private charging infrastructure. Far from a hurdle, this is a strategic upgrade: a depot “fuel station” you control – cost-effective, resilient, and tailored to your operation. Use this playbook to turn charging from a perceived obstacle into a core competitive asset.
The Depot as a Strategic Asset
Why depot charging wins
- Overnight charging = zero disruption: Vehicles recover energy during natural downtime and start every shift full.
- Lower energy costs: Access off-peak tariffs instead of paying public-network premiums.
- No dead miles: Eliminate time/cost sending vehicles to public chargers.
- Resilience & sustainability: Integrate on-site solar PV and battery energy storage (BESS) to cut grid exposure, tame price volatility, and lower carbon intensity.
A Blueprint for Your eDepot
Step 1: Site Feasibility & Fleet Analysis
- Map duty cycles, daily mileage, dwell times, and parking patterns.
- Calculate total daily energy (kWh/day) and peak power needs (kW).
- Define the charging mix: overnight AC for most vehicles; daytime DC for quick turnarounds.
Step 2: Grid Connection & Power Upgrades
- Audit existing electrical capacity; engage the DNO early. Connection queues can be lengthy, so proactive planning is essential.
- Mitigation options: phased rollouts, smart load management, BESS, and behind-the-meter renewables.
- Proven approach: At a central London depot, UPS avoided costly reinforcement by combining active network management with on-site storage – tripling its EV fleet within the existing grid capacity.
Step 3: Hardware Selection & Scalability
- AC (up to 22 kW): Cost-effective for overnight charging.
- DC fast charging: Essential for rapid turnarounds. RT75 supports up to 100 kW, RB6 and RB9 up to 150 kW – enabling 20–80% top-ups in under an hour.
- Design for growth: Spare switchgear capacity, modular LV boards, pre-laid ducts/conduits, and OCPP-compliant chargers for vendor flexibility.
Future-Proofing: Smart Charging & V2G
Smart Charging & Load Management
Since 2022, new UK workplace chargers must include smart functionality. Make it the brain of your eDepot:
- Tariff-aware scheduling for off-peak charging
- Dynamic load balancing to stay within site limits and avoid demand charges
- Role-based access, reporting, and seamless integration with fleet telematics
Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G): Turn Fleets into Grid Assets
Bidirectional charging can export stored energy during peak demand, creating new revenue streams (e.g., demand response) and strengthening the business case. Aggregated across a fleet, this represents significant flexible capacity – while supporting a cleaner, more stable grid.
