Fleet electrification is accelerating across the UK. Delivery vans, field service vehicles, company cars, taxis, and increasingly HGVs are moving to electric. For fleet operators, the depot becomes the central charging hub, and getting the fleet depot charging infrastructure right is the key to making fleet EV actually work.
This guide covers the practical realities of fleet EV charging at depots, based on real UK installations.
The Fleet Charging Use Case
Fleet depot charging is defined by a predictable operational pattern.
Vehicles return to the depot at the end of shift (typically evening for day operations, morning for night operations).
Vehicles stay for 6-12 hours before starting the next shift.
All vehicles need to be charged and ready to go when shifts start.
Charging demand is concentrated in a few hours rather than spread through the day.
This pattern suits AC charging for most vehicles and grid planning for the peak demand window.
Van and Light Commercial Fleets
Electric vans (up to 3.5 tonnes) are the most common fleet EV category in 2026. Typical profile:
Vehicles have 60-80 kWh batteries.
Daily driving: 80-200 miles.
Overnight charging requirement: 30-80 kWh per vehicle per night.
For a fleet of 20 electric vans, overnight charging demand is typically 800-1,400 kWh per night.
Charger specification:
7kW or 22kW AC per vehicle. 7kW adds 25-30 miles per hour, which delivers a full charge overnight. 22kW is faster but requires three-phase supply and higher-capacity grid connection.
Load management to spread charging across the overnight window, reducing peak grid demand.
Dedicated charger per bay, not shared, so vehicles can plug in on arrival without waiting.
HGV Fleets
Electric HGVs (rigid trucks and tractor units) are emerging. Typical profile:
Battery sizes 200-600 kWh.
Daily driving 100-300 miles for urban distribution, 400+ miles for trunking.
Overnight charging demand 150-400 kWh per vehicle.
Charger specification differs materially from vans.
DC charging at 100-400 kW is often needed to charge overnight.
For fast-turnaround vehicles, 350kW+ DC is required for en-route top-ups.
Grid connection requirements are significant. A 10-truck electric HGV depot needs 1-3 MVA of charging capacity.
Grid Connection Sizing
For a typical 20-van fleet depot:
20 x 7kW chargers = 140 kVA nameplate.
With load management, peak demand can be 80-100 kVA.
This typically requires an LV supply upgrade but not a full HV connection.
For a 10-truck HGV fleet depot:
10 x 200kW chargers = 2,000 kVA nameplate.
With load management, peak demand 1,200-1,500 kVA.
This requires a full HV connection with customer substation, similar to a small retail park.
Load Management and Scheduling
Smart load management is essential for fleet depots. Key features:
Dynamic allocation of available power across active chargers.
Priority charging for vehicles that need to leave first.
Scheduling to avoid peak electricity tariffs.
Integration with fleet management systems for vehicle routing.
A well-implemented load management system can reduce the peak grid demand by 50 per cent or more compared to every vehicle charging at nameplate power simultaneously.
Integration with Fleet Management
Fleet operators benefit from integrating EV charging with their existing fleet management systems.
Real-time vehicle state of charge feeding into route planning.
Automatic vehicle assignment based on available range.
Charging session records integrated with mileage and fuel reporting.
Predictive maintenance based on battery health data.
Several specialist fleet EV platforms now offer this integration as a packaged product.
On-Site Generation and Storage
Many fleet depots are investigating on-site generation to support their charging demand.
Solar PV on depot roofs can provide 10-30 per cent of charging energy.
Battery storage can buffer charging demand against grid availability and peak tariffs.
Combined solar + storage systems can reduce grid demand significantly and protect against electricity price volatility.
For large HGV fleets serving industrial and logistics operations, on-site generation and storage becomes commercially attractive because of the scale of electricity demand.
Typical Depot Installation Costs
For a 20-van fleet depot with 7kW AC chargers:
Equipment: £18,000 to £30,000.
Installation and civils: £30,000 to £60,000.
LV supply upgrade: £15,000 to £50,000.
Load management and software: £5,000 to £15,000.
Total: £68,000 to £155,000.
For a 10-truck HGV fleet depot with 200kW DC chargers:
Equipment: £280,000 to £450,000.
Installation and civils: £120,000 to £250,000.
HV connection and substation: £200,000 to £500,000.
Load management and storage: £50,000 to £200,000.
Total: £650,000 to £1,400,000. For a full cost breakdown across installation types, see our EV charger installation cost guide.
Large HGV depots are major infrastructure projects, not retrofits.
Timeline
Van fleet depot (see the multi-charger planning roadmap for detail): 16-28 weeks from start to operational.
HGV fleet depot: 9-18 months, with grid connection as the critical path.
Operational Considerations
Several operational issues come up repeatedly.
Vehicle-to-bay assignment: ensuring every vehicle has a plug available on return. Solution: dedicated charger per bay for mission-critical fleets, or managed allocation for more flexible fleets.
Cable management: cables need to be protected from damage and kept out of walkways. Solution: overhead cable management or pedestal-mounted chargers.
Fault handling: a faulty charger means a vehicle can’t charge, which can mean a vehicle can’t operate. Solution: redundancy, rapid fault diagnosis, and spare chargers.
Driver training: drivers need to know how to plug in, how to check charge status, and what to do if something isn’t working.
Billing and reporting: for reimbursable charging (employee vehicles on business use), accurate per-session reporting is essential.
The Grid Pinch Point
The single biggest barrier to fleet electrification is grid capacity. Many existing depots do not have enough electrical supply for even a modest fleet EV conversion. The DNO upgrade can be the binding constraint on the whole project.
Early engagement with the DNO is essential. A 12-18 month programme for grid upgrade is not unusual on larger depots.
Some fleet operators are choosing sites for new depots partly based on grid capacity, looking for locations near existing HV infrastructure.
The Bottom Line
Fleet depot EV charging is a significant capital investment that delivers major operational benefits once it’s working. The key success factors are accurate sizing, adequate grid connection, smart load management, and integration with fleet management systems. Underestimating the grid connection requirement is the most common and most painful mistake. For fleet operators serious about electrification, starting the infrastructure planning 12-18 months before the first electric vehicle arrives is realistic, not conservative.