As fleets transition from traditional petrol/diesel vehicles to electric, depots must evolve from vehicle storage facilities into networked energy hubs that balance power, space and operations. To navigate this complexity, many fleet operators turn to an EV charging partner to help design an EV charging solution. Before drawing up a bespoke plan for your infrastructure, that partner will examine the depot based on these three core principles that must be adhered to: power, layout and scalability.
Power
The foundation of any EV depot is access to sufficient and reliable energy. The ultimate question of power availability dictates everything from budgets to vehicle and hardware selection. For instance, you might not have sufficient power on-site or lack the budget for upgrading your grid connection. An expert charging partner might apply for a new connection or turn to smart charging and load balancing technologies to mitigate this.
Layout
EV depot charging solutions are about more than just installing chargers. It is about creating a space where vehicles and staff can move safely and efficiently. Charger placement must account for vehicle size, manoeuvring space and daily routines. Your partner will install the chargers in accordance with these needs to minimise disruption.
Scalability
EV adoption is accelerating, and depots need to be designed with growth in mind. Building in spare capacity and including multiple different types of chargers allows for flexibility. Instead of a static solution, EV charging infrastructure must be able to grow naturally alongside the needs of the business and its fleet.
Overall, designing an EV charging solution that can integrate with an existing depot is about balancing the needs of the present, with the potential growth requirements of the future.
An EV charging partner such as Mer can help you build a robust solution to power your EV fleet for decades to come. At Mer, we have over 9 years of experience working with more than 700 business customers including IKEA and DX Delivery.
If you want to discover more about the principles of EV charging for depots, download our latest e-guide.
