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FLEET MANAGEMENT
Electrifying vehicle fleets dramatically reduces carbon emissions, and industrial manufacturers and plant owners are increasingly looking to electric-powered fleets to meet their net-zero commitments. Using EVs for last-mile deliveries, for example, can help remove between 20 to 30 per cent of a city’s emissions. The approaching end of sales of petrol and diesel cars and vans in the UK is also focusing fleet managers’ attention on electrifying their vehicles. Commercial vehicle fleets have predictable
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lifecycles. Commercial vans are replaced on average every four to five years. This means that practically all of the commercial vehicles on the UK’s roads today are in line to be replaced by the end of the decade. By 2030, around 4.3 million light commercial vehicles, about 25,000 medium commercial vehicles, and close to 100,000 heavy commercial vehicles will be replaced. 2030 also sees the incoming ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars and vans. By 2035, all new cars and vans will need to be zero emissions at the tailpipe. Within just a dozen years, millions of commercial vehicles will run on electricity, and they all have to be powered somehow. Most fleet managers at factories and processing plants will be looking at installing a charging infrastructure on their own premises. While the deadline may seem some way off
yet, there is more to meeting the charging requirements of a factory’s commercial fleet of EVs than simply installing some chargers and plugging the vehicles in. It can involve provisioning tens of megawatts of power and considerable engineering work to access grid connections. It also involves looking ahead at the factory’s EV charging needs in the future. For a factory’s fleet manager charged with meeting sustainability targets, getting power from the grid and into their commercial vehicles is a massive transition from their current practices.
IT IS ABOUT MORE THAN POWER One of the biggest challenges that a fleet manager will face is the availability of power in certain locations, both today and to meet future requirements. But power is not the only constraint, a bigger issue is the process that the business and its distribution network operator (DNO) will have to undergo to upgrade infrastructure and bring in new connections. Calculating power availability and understanding solutions to overcoming grid limitations is complex. Essentially, the UK’s local grid infrastructure was not built with EV depot charging in mind. Many fleet operators are surprised at the low capacity that is available from their local grid which can force them to re-evaluate their electrification strategies. Delays in getting grid access can cause frustrations among fleets that are ready to begin their journey to a sustainable future, especially as installation projects can take months or even years.
he corporate objectives of businesses across all sectors and of all sizes include important Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) goals.
PLANNING YOUR FLEET’S
TRANSITION TO EV As industrial businesses come under pressure to decarbonise their operations, fleet managers are having to face up to the challenges of electrifying commercial fleets. Natasha Fry, head of sales at Mer UK Fleet and Workplace Charging, offers some pragmatic solutions for the practical challenges that fleet managers will face.
Understanding all the challenges is itself a major undertaking. Which is why transitioning a commercial fleet calls for a strategic approach. It requires an in-depth understanding of where you are now and where you want to be before you can work out how to get there.
BENEFITS OF YOUR OWN EV CHARGING INFRASTRUCTURE Despite the challenges, transitioning to EV commercial fleets returns significant benefits to a manufacturing operation. For example, installing and maintaining your own EV charging networks on your premises gives you more control over electricity usage and costs. Electrifying a commercial fleet actively encourages better energy management, something that is rapidly rising up the agenda for many businesses. Balancing charging loads using smart chargers helps to integrate EV charging with your factory’s operational energy requirements. By optimising EV charging schedules to avoid peak demand periods, a manufacturer can avoid overloading the local grid and reduce energy costs.
IT IS A JOURNEY NOT A DESTINATION Unless your factory is a greenfield site, transitioning to an EV fleet is a journey. The
business will usually be looking for incremental wins to show progress against its decarbonisation targets. It makes sense for a fleet manager to start with achievable objectives, learn from key lessons and move towards the 100 per cent electrification goal over time. This will also help address the current lack of EV versions of some types of heavier vehicles. No two commercial fleets are the same,
so every EV fleet transition will be different. While there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ solution, there are companies with experience of helping businesses overcome key charging infrastructure challenges and avoid the pitfalls that are easy to fall into.
PRACTICAL GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT FROM EXPERTS With all of that complexity in mind, Mer has created a free guide that covers the main elements of meeting a factory’s fleet electrification targets. Visit the company’s website:
uk.mer.eco/ev-charging-last-mile/
Mer UK Fleet
uk.mer.eco
16 SEPTEMBER 2023 | FACTORY&HANDLINGSOLUTIONS
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