EV charging management is increasingly taking up huge amounts of time for fleet managers, fast becoming the most onerous day-to-day managerial task.

“Charging is becoming the new maintenance in terms of the huge amount of attention it demands”, according to the AFP

The Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) said work to maximise EV operational efficiency and minimise costs was becoming increasingly burdensome to members and requiring a concentrated focus – taking over from maintenance as the most time-consuming duty.

Chair Paul Hollick elaborated: “In the last few years, maintenance has been the main everyday issue facing fleet managers. The fleet car and van parcs have been ageing at a fairly rapid pace while workshop capacity has been stretched and parts availability has been patchy.

“However, we now seem to be in a position where charging is taking over and there’s a wide variety of reasons for this. It’s not an exaggeration to say that charging is becoming the new maintenance in terms of the huge amount of attention it demands.”

Fleets were seeing a wide range of issues, he added, often with no easy answer and leading to temporary solutions being employed.

The biggest problems occur when drivers have no home or depot charging and are reliant on the public infrastructure, which currently presents a whole series of difficulties.

“The first of these is simply accessibility. That means finding chargers where they are needed, hopefully not having to queue and also ensuring that the bays are large enough to take electric vans. Ticking these three boxes on a day-to-day basis is proving demanding for many of our members at this point in time.

“Of course, there is also a desire to minimise the cost of charging which, especially on motorways, can be prohibitive, but that is the fourth factor on the list for most fleets. The important thing is to keep EVs moving.”

Hollick added that while the charging infrastructure is expanding, the AFP doesn’t “necessarily see life getting much easier for fleets and their drivers in the medium term”.

And while things are simpler for EV users with access to home charging, this brings other problems.

“For example, reimbursement is proving an issue, especially with the Advisory Electric Rate remaining too low for the majority of EVs and the actual cost alternative being quite difficult to calculate.”

This has led businesses having to find their own, “fairer” solutions – although there are a growing number of products on the market that can help too.

There is also the question of who should pay for installation of home chargers.

But Hollick added that at a recent AFP conference, “credible figures were quoted showing that the cost can be recouped by employers in a matter of a few months through the savings in charging costs, so that decision should be relatively easy”.

The AFP is still actively working to support its members through these difficulties, including sharing best practice ideas to temporary solutions. It’s also working on an updated version of its postcode charging map, which will be unveiled soon.

“Our members are working together closely on charging and it is very much an area that shows the practical value of being part of the AFP,” Hollick summed up.