Fleet charging

Fleet EV charging for Alberta businesses and municipalities: duty-cycle review, depot design, utility coordination, switchgear, chargers and charge management.

Start with how the fleet runs

Fleet charging is driven by duty cycles. How far does each vehicle go in a day, when does it return, and when must it leave again? A delivery van parked for twelve hours overnight needs a very different charger from a vehicle that returns for thirty minutes between shifts.

We work through that with your fleet team before designing anything. The answer often means fewer, smaller chargers than first expected, because long overnight dwell times let vehicles charge slowly and cheaply.

• Daily distance and energy use per vehicle, including winter losses
• Return and departure times
• Number of vehicles now and planned
• Space for chargers, cable reach and snow clearing
• Backup plans if a charger is down

Capacity and the utility

Fleet depots often need more power than the existing building service provides. Early conversations with the utility are essential, because new services and transformer upgrades take time. We prepare load information, coordinate with the utility and engineers, and plan switchgear and distribution so the depot can grow.

Charge management software keeps total demand under a set limit by spreading charging through the night. That often reduces the capacity needed, and with it the cost and lead time of the upgrade.

We also help you think about resilience. If the depot loses power before a morning shift, which vehicles must still leave? Options range from prioritizing certain chargers in the software to backup power for a few critical units. A standby generator sized for the whole depot is rarely practical, but a targeted plan often is.

Winter operations

Edmonton winters matter for fleets. Batteries lose range in the cold and charge more slowly when cold-soaked. Cabins need preheating before departure. All of that adds energy, and the plan must account for the coldest weeks, not the average.

Outdoor chargers need cold-rated equipment, protection from vehicles and plows, and cable management that keeps connectors off icy ground. Indoor depots need attention to ventilation, sprinklers and clear routes for vehicles.

Vehicles that sit outdoors overnight in deep cold may also benefit from scheduled charging that finishes just before departure, so the battery is warm when the driver leaves. Charge management software can do this automatically.

Build in phases

Most fleets transition gradually. We design the electrical backbone for the end state, then install chargers in phases as vehicles arrive. Conduit, pads and panel space are roughed in during the first phase so later phases avoid digging up the yard again.

Our team can also support the fleet after installation, with maintenance visits, fault response and reporting through our online job management system.

Data from the charge management system is valuable too. It shows how much energy each vehicle uses, which chargers are busiest and when the site peaks. That information makes the business case for the next phase much easier to build.

Training matters as much as hardware. Drivers need to know how to plug in properly, what to do when a charger shows a fault, and who to call. We walk your team through it at handover.

What drives cost

Main drivers are the number and type of chargers, available capacity and any utility service upgrade, distance and trenching across the yard, switchgear, civil work such as pads and bollards, and charge management software. A phased plan spreads these costs and lets you match spending to vehicle deliveries.

Ask for a budget that separates infrastructure from chargers. Infrastructure is built once and lasts for decades, while chargers may be replaced or upgraded as vehicles and technology change.

Questions we hear