For commercial fleets, the cost of charging is not only the electricity. It is also the time vehicles spend parked when they could be earning. The best fleet charging plans are built around shift schedules, not the other way round.
Map the operating day
Start by recording, for each vehicle or vehicle group: when shifts start and end, how far vehicles travel per shift, when breaks happen and where, and how long vehicles are parked between shifts. This shows the charging windows that already exist.
Fit charging into existing windows
- Overnight or between shifts: the main charge for most fleets, at the depot.
- Driver breaks: top-ups during meal and rest breaks at hubs or depots.
- Loading and unloading: charging at warehouses and customer sites while goods are handled.
Schedule with software, not by hand
Smart charging software can schedule each vehicle by departure time, required state of charge and energy price. Vehicles leaving first charge first; others charge later, when energy is cheaper, without exceeding the site's grid limit.
Tell the charging system when each vehicle leaves and how much energy it needs. The software can then do what a manager with a spreadsheet cannot: optimise every vehicle at once.
Plan for the unexpected
- Keep a buffer of charge for delays, detours and traffic.
- Have spare charging capacity so one faulty charger does not stop a vehicle.
- Use alerts for vehicles not plugged in or not charging as planned.
- Agree access to public or partner chargers as a backup.
Measure downtime
Track how long vehicles spend waiting to charge, and how often a vehicle starts a shift below the planned charge. These two numbers show whether the plan is working.
How PxT can help
PxT Energies sets up fleet charging with smart scheduling, alerts and reporting, so vehicles are ready when shifts start.