What It Takes to Manage an
EV Fleet
CONTENT
1. Getting Started
2. Planning for Electrification
3. Considering Electricity Use and
Costs
4. Evaluating Your Operational Needs
5. Factors Affecting Fleet Charging
Needs
6. Evaluating Your Power Needs
7. Anatomy of an EV Charging
Infrastructure
8. Looking to Smart Charging for
Success
9. The Changing Fleet Mindset
10. About ChargePoint
Without a holistic
approach to
electrification, it will
be nearly impossible
to provide the reliable
vehicle a fleet operation
depends on.
When implementing an electric vehicle strategy, fleets need to look beyond just
what vehicles will be the best fit and plan for their charging infrastructure to be part
of a unified electrification ecosystem.
No matter their type or function, fleets need vehicles that are reliable and ready
when they’re needed. With an increasing number of fleets planning to add large
numbers of electric vehicles (EVs) to their operational mix, the old formulas fleets
used to count on for ensuring reliability often don’t work.
In the past, under the typical way planning was approached with traditional diesel-
and gasoline-powered powertrains, the priority for most fleets was the vehicle.
While the vehicle remains an important component of the operation, the more
fundamental question for electric fleets is how they will be charged.
The decision to electrify your organization’s fleet can’t be made the same way you’d
switch from a gasoline to a diesel vehicle. Instead, planning has to be carried out in
a holistic way, treating electrification as part of a larger operational ecosystem that
takes into account:
Operational
needs
Vehicle Energy
choice requirements
Without a holistic approach to electrification, it will be nearly impossible to provide
the reliably charged vehicles a fleet operation depends on.
Getting Started
Gone are the early days when electrification was solved by bundling a vehicle
and charging station together with little, if any, thought given to the relationship
between the vehicle charging needs and the rest of the operation’s infrastructure.
And this was understandable in one-off pilots or at-home, personal-use models for
electrification. But with fleet use of EVs ramping up to ubiquity, the relationship
between EVs and their infrastructure is more crucial than ever.
1
 Today, even before an EV rolls into a fleet garage or depot, fleet personnel have
to evaluate their operational needs in the context of electrification. This involves
looking at every aspect of the operation and asking questions, including:
++ Is the vehicle operating all day?
++ Will it have a set or variable route?
++ How are vehicles assigned to drivers?
++ How are vehicles and drivers being managed?
++ How and where is maintenance performed?
++ How and where is the vehicle garaged?
++ If it’s garaged overnight, how long does it need to be charged before it’s needed
again?
++ What is the proposed EV adoption rate and replacement cycle?

Once these and other specific operational questions are answered, then key
stakeholders can make decisions about the best vehicle and charging solution for
ONLY the operation.

Even in the absence of infrastructure considerations, choosing the right vehicle is

becoming more complex. Today, there is a plethora of light-duty EVs to choose from,
as well as an increasing number of electric vans, medium-duty trucks, and over-the-
Charging starts at the road trucks. Along with these options, a growing variety of heavy transit vehicle are
giving fleets more flexibility to better match the vehicle with the operation.
depot, and it is where
planning should start. Planning for Electrification
Evaluating infrastructure No matter the vehicle, route, distance or any of the other considerations that need
to be considered, getting power is key. Charging starts at the depot, which is
needs shouldn’t be also where planning should start. Evaluating infrastructure needs shouldn’t be an
afterthought, but part of a larger strategic approach to EV evaluation.
made as an afterthought,
You need to determine how you’re going to charge the vehicle. Will you charge:
but as part of a larger ++ On route or in the garage or depot?
++ During operational hours or after hours?
EV evaluation.
++ At public charging spots as part of your mix or use the fleet’s charging
infrastructure only?

You also need to determine how charging will affect your existing operations. For
example, if you’re operating a transit fleet, how will electrification impact:
++ Routine maintenance? (Maintenance requirements are much lower for EVs.)
++ Washing and cleaning?
++ Overall personnel needs?

And, no matter the vehicle type—light-duty sedan or transit bus—you will need to
determine:
++ How will you tie into the existing power grid, or can you?
++ What space and equipment requirements will you need to assess?

2

Plan at least 5 to 10 years
ahead. If you don’t plan
for expansion when
you implement your
infrastructure, you could
be in a situation where
you’re spending the same
capital costs two or three
times over or each time
you need to expand your
EV infrastructure to
accommodate growth.
Considering Electricity Use and Costs
One of the most important infrastructure considerations is the cost of electric
power and, potentially, the need to enhance infrastructure if extra electrical power
is needed. Electricity—generally speaking—is significantly cheaper than traditional
fuels such as gasoline or diesel. However, not taking into account the amount of
power that will actually be needed for the mass charging of vehicles could result in
a substantial increase in the demand for power at a given time. Spikes in demand
bring the possibility of the utility charging the fleet more because of higher-than-
expected demand.
To counteract this possibility, considerations should be given to avoiding either
charging during peak times or creating an artificial peak by charging numerous
vehicles at their maximum rate simultaneously, also known as “stacking” the load.
Controlling the load and avoiding a peak or stacked power situation by creating
a rotation for charging or sharing power among multiple vehicles should be an
important part of any fleet’s energy management strategy. Any EV charging
solution that is implemented should utilize off-peak timing and/or load sharing
strategies to maximize your power use, and more efficiently and cost effectively
charge your vehicles.
Evaluating Your Operational Needs
This is the point where operational needs and energy demands intersect. If a
vehicle—such as an airport shuttle or a transit vehicle—operates around the clock,
the charging strategy/demand is going to be significantly different than for those
vehicles that are garaged and charged overnight. Other fleet operations experience
seasonal highs and lows in energy demands. For example, delivery fleets have
busy and non-busy seasons, which will require adjusting the charging strategy to
meet these changing demands. No matter the operational profile, it is crucial to
determine what those energy requirements are and how the infrastructure will be
designed to meet the energy demands.
And it’s not just energy demands per se. Geography and weather have to be
factored into the infrastructure equation. For example, will fleet vehicles be driving
in extremely hot weather and need to run the air-conditioning system regularly, or
will they be operating in extremely cold weather that could affect battery life as well
as require heating the vehicle? What is the relevant terrain like—flat or hilly, rural or
urban? Will fleet vehicles do mostly freeway driving or stop-and-go traffic? How will
all of these factors affect how far vehicles can go on a charge?
Distance traveled each day is another consideration when developing your
infrastructure and charging strategy. If the vehicle has a set route of 50 miles versus
an ever-fluctuating route that may vary from a few miles to over 100 miles per day,
will it be necessary to design for the fluctuation or for the set route?
Factors Affecting Fleet Charging Needs
Weather
++ Extreme weather can reduce range
++ Using climate control reduces range
Driving conditions
++ Uphill terrain can reduce range (downhill can provide regeneration)
++ Freeway driving uses more range than stop-and-go traffic
3
 Distance traveled
++ Fleet EVs with long routes may need to charge on route
++ Variability: unpredictable routes should explore on-route charging
++ EVs with short, predictable routes can likely count on depot charging

These supplemental
EV Best Practices
power grids also known There are several best practices fleets should follow as they’re developing
their EV strategy, including:
as distributed energy
++ Think about the infrastructure when choosing the EV. It can’t be repeated
resources (DERs) can enough: with large-scale charging implementation and a wider choice of
vehicle types, the days of bundling a vehicle with a simple charging cable
help the fleet are over. The vehicle and charging infrastructure (including hardware and
software) are part of a larger ecosystem that requires careful planning.
avoid overtaxing ++ Involve the right stakeholders—both inside and outside the organization
from the outset. It is virtually impossible to develop an EV ecosystem on
the existing power grid your own. You will need to include the charging station provider, OEM,
utility, facilities management, risk management, specialized fleet personnel,
during peak energy and more to develop a comprehensive strategy that will serve your fleet for
years to come.
demand periods related
++ Design the charging infrastructure to match the real-world needs of the
to time of day or weather fleet. Don’t assume, for example, that you always have to charge each of
your vehicles at their maximum rate. Intelligently distributing power to
conditions, and, more charge more vehicles more slowly may be more efficient. This is where
a comprehensive evaluation of the fleet’s operation pays off. A charging
importantly, help ecosystem is not a cookie-cutter solution—it must match the true needs of
the operation.
guarantee uptime ++ Plan at least 5 to 10 years ahead. If you don’t plan for expansion when you
implement your infrastructure, you could be in a situation where you’re
by avoiding any power spending the same capital costs two or three times over or each time you
need to expand your EV infrastructure to accommodate growth. This is
interruption due to disruptive and unnecessarily costly. Trying to save money with a short-term
expansion could cost you big in the long term.
excess demand on the
grid or planned (or
unplanned) power Evaluating Your Power Needs
interruptions. Once you’ve evaluated how all of these factors will affect your operation, you need
a charging solution provider who can meet your needs and work seamlessly with
your utility provider to determine if your facility’s power infrastructure will need to
be upgraded to adequately supply the additional power demand. Along with this
determination, find out how the utility and the charging station provider are going
to guarantee uptime.

Even if the existing infrastructure can support the fleet, you will have to evaluate
the necessity and feasibility of installing microgrids, such as solar power panels,
to support the fleet’s energy needs. While not required for every fleet, these
supplemental power grids, also known as distributed energy resources (DERs), can
help the fleet avoid overtaxing the existing power grid during peak energy demand
periods related to time of day or weather conditions. More importantly, DERs help
guarantee uptime by avoiding any interruption in charging due to excess demand

4
 on the grid or planned (or unplanned) power interruptions. DERs can also help
simplify infrastructure investment and upgrades by not having to tie directly into the
utility grid and control power costs related to charging at peak times.

Anatomy of an EV Charging Infrastructure

Once you’ve determined the power demands and feasibility of your charging
ecosystem, the next step is to implement the infrastructure.

First, you will need to determine where the charging stations will be located.
Typically, this will mean either updating an existing garage or property to
accommodate EV charging. Rarely will a fleet—particularly if it’s a transit or other
fleet operation located in a dense urban setting—need to purchase additional
property for its charging infrastructure. Because of this, implementing an optimized
charging infrastructure in an existing site will require thorough planning and
coordination between you, your EV charging provider and your utility.

To be intelligent, the
charging network and EV Charging Infrastructure
charging software needs
to be integrated into
other fleet management
+ +
Charging Charging Fleet
systems. network software management
systems

Preparing the site will likely be the most complicated aspect of installing the
charging infrastructure. Installation will have to be done in a way that’s the least
disruptive to current operations, since fleet vehicles will likely remain in operation
during the installation and will need ongoing access to the facility to park, be
cleaned, or be repaired. This may also mean making temporary operational changes.
For example, a transit fleet that is garaged may need a new parking scheme to
avoid vehicles being “trapped” by buses that are out of service or are waiting to
be charged.

The growing range and types of electric fleet vehicles available increase the need
for planning and optimization. When fleets only had a choice of light-duty vehicles,
the choice of charging stations and power demand was relatively straightforward.
Now that fleets have true choice in EVs, they also need to make new decisions about
charging infrastructure. With the availability and operational need of fleet vehicles
of different sizes, power needs and charging options (DC vs. AC), fleets may require
a mix of station types.

Particularly as fleets move from piloting EVs to introducing them at scale, there
is also a question of how many chargers you will need for the fleet to do its work.
Your charging solution provider can give you expert guidance to determine the right
number and type for your fleet.

5
Looking to Smart Charging for Success
Hardware is only part of the equation—electrification is as much a digital as it is an
analog infrastructure commitment—so software integration is another key aspect
of the implementation that you will need to consider. The process of “refueling” an
EV isn’t a question of just plugging in. Because of peak energy demand and/or the
inefficiency of stacking loads, charging at certain times may be much more than
expensive than is expected and there could be significant waste in the process.

This is why it is imperative to choose smart, networked charging hardware that

can be managed with software. However, a network alone isn’t enough to solve
the “refueling” problem efficiently. You also need to plan for the implementation
and integration of the software that can optimize the operation of your charging
infrastructure. The network and software optimize fueling intelligently to allow you
to have your vehicles available when they’re needed without incurring unnecessary
electricity costs.

To be intelligent, the charging network and charging software must be integrated

with other fleet management systems, including routing, hardware, electric meters
and fuel cards, as well as external services, such as weather or traffic management,
to create a complete, correlated picture of the entire charging context to improve
efficiency and have your vehicles available when they’re needed.

With all of its benefits, there is a downside to software integration. Every integration
or point of connection between systems may also be a potential entry point for
security breach. It is imperative during the planning stages and beyond that any
new connections be sufficiently secured to protect valuable information and
systems, particularly charging infrastructure, to guarantee long-term reliability. Any
vulnerability in the charging infrastructure, for example, could allow an external
party to shut down or impair charging optimization.Having the right software
solution, that has security as a primary feature, minimizes this risk.

While these security issues must be addressed prior to implementation and

integration, connecting the software controlling your charging ecosystem with other
fleet management systems is critical in managing charging schedules and energy
demand, particularly during peak and off-peak periods. The right connections will
increase charging efficiency and avoid demand “stacking” and costly charges by the
utility for excessive energy use.

Ultimately, integrated software is a required component to connect charging to the

larger fleet ecosystem.

The Changing Fleet Mindset

Fundamentally, to successfully electrify for the long term, fleet personnel will
need to shift their collective thinking beyond the idea that the vehicle is the most
important part of the EV equation. It is true that the EV is often the most expensive
part of an EV plan, but cost doesn’t necessarily equal importance.

In fact, the vehicle is only one part of what has become an entire electrification
ecosystem. The charging station, including its software—and its ability to integrate
with other fleet management and facilities’ systems—is the fulcrum around which
every part of the ecosystem revolves.

The key goal that fleets need to keep in mind when installing charging infrastructure
is making sure it is optimized for the fleet’s operation and energy demands from the
planning stage to the first day of operation and beyond.

6
 Making the Connections You Need—with Benefits
Electric fleets can benefit from connecting many systems into a full
electrification ecosystem. Here are a few examples and their benefits.
++ EV Charging System: Know each vehicle’s state of charge and intelligently
balance available power across vehicles
++ Telematics / Routing: Anticipate vehicles’ charging needs
++ Energy Management: Monitor overall energy use and avoid unnecessary
demand charges
++ Building Management: Balance EV charging with overall building energy use
++ Fuel Cards: Get insight into on-route EV charging costs
++ Traffic Management: Get alerts if vehicles are stuck in traffic and may need
a backup for the next route

About ChargePoint
ChargePoint is the leading electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the world, with
charging solutions in every category EV drivers charge, at home, work, around town
and on the road. With more than 57,000 independently owned public and semi-
public charging spots and thousands of customers (businesses, cities, agencies and
service providers), ChargePoint is the only charging technology company on the
market that designs, develops and manufactures hardware and software solutions
across every use case. Leading EV hardware makers and other partners rely on
the ChargePoint network to make charging station details available in mobile
apps, online and in navigation systems for popular EVs. ChargePoint drivers have
completed more than 39 million charging sessions, saving upwards of 39 million
gallons of gasoline and driving more than 939 million gas-free miles. For more
information, visit www.chargepoint.com

For More Information

Call +1.408.705.1992

Email info@chargepoint.com

Visit chargepoint.com

ChargePoint, Inc. Copyright © 2018 ChargePoint, Inc. All rights reserved. CHARGEPOINT is a U.S. registered trademark/service mark, and an EU
254 E Hacienda Avenue | Campbell, CA | 95008-6617 registered logo mark of ChargePoint, Inc. All other products or services mentioned are the trademarks, service marks, registered
+1.408.370.3802 or toll free 877.370.3802 trademarks or registered service marks of their respective owners. November 2018.
chargepoint.com