Shared charging platform for electric fleets close to launch

An online platform that allows fleets to share their electric vehicle charging facilities with other businesses is close to launching, the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) has reported.

The organisation said its shared charging committee, launched at the start of this year with members including the AA, National Grid and Royal Mail, had made rapid progress with its work, helped by strong enthusiasm from fleets.

Paul Hollick, chair at the AFP, picked up: “We’re now in a position where there is a two-pronged strategy being adopted.

“To kick things off, we’re looking to provide an online matchmaking service that will link fleets that have spare charging capacity at their premises with others who need charging in those areas. Once we’ve created an introduction, those businesses will make their own commercial arrangements, although we are here to offer advice if needed.”

The next step will be to commission an online platform that will enable a more structured approach.

“Fleets that have charging facilities to spare will register and then those that need charging will be able to search and book. It should also set prices and payment terms.”

Hollick said that there was general acceptance within the EV committee that charging needed to be priced at a maximum of 40 pence per kWh to make shared charging viable.

“We need the price to be low enough that it is attractive to fleet users and high enough that it provides a worthwhile margin for charging providers. Pricing is the crux to wider adoption of this idea and we believe that this is the sweet spot.”

He added: “If we can make the platform work, it should be quite a substantial boost for fleet EV charging. While it is not a universal solution – the provision of spare charging is probably not going to be evenly distributed across the country – it should provide a useful option for fleets beyond home charging, their own workplace charging, and pay-on-use public chargers.”

Discussions undertaken by the committee have extended beyond work to identify charging providers and customers and link them, and has also looked at how to gain access to charging sites, health and safety considerations, measuring charging use, and potential payment mechanisms.

“There are a whole host of issues to consider that need to be resolved for shared charging to work on individual sites. We need it to be safe and easy for van and car drivers to pop in, top up their charging, and continue their journey.”

Research undertaken by the AFP last October revealed almost six out of 10 van fleets (58%) would consider sharing their depot or public charging infrastructure with others to make electrification more practical.

Potential charging providers and users can contact the shared charging committee at [email protected].