Councils collaborate with business on depot and charge sharing
Two councils are collaborating with fleets, industry bodies and software firms on making depot sharing and EV charging a reality on a commercial scale for business fleets.
Paua, Cenex, Oxfordshire County Council and Suffolk County Council are working with the fleets and bodies on the scheme.
It comes as The Association of Fleet Professionals has called for sharing EV charging infrastructure with other organisations, as 62% of fleets would consider these co-operative agreements.
To enable this collaboration, a lightweight payment’s ecosystem is required. The four parties have agreed to demonstrate this solution to decarbonising business vehicles.
The project seeks to demonstrate the sharing of depots with other fleets, and the two County Councils will provide depot locations to share with others and/or, vehicles to charge at shared sites.
Cenex will engage with fleets and other stakeholders to explore the barriers to, and opportunities presented by, this approach.
A key outcome is the ability to generate increased revenue from the chargers that businesses have already installed.
Paua will enable drivers to find, charge, and pay at the shared depot locations.
The project has recruited a group of advisors to support with both depot access and fleet requirements. This includes the Association of Fleet Professionals, the Police 7F Commercial Services Programme, East Lothian Council, Nottingham City Council, First Bus, DAF Trucks, SSE Networks, the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA), National Grid, DPD, Royal Mail and depot software specialists EO Charging, Spirii, Hangar 19 and Fuuse.
Mike Biddle, Executive Director Net Zero at Innovate UK said:
“By looking at decarbonisation through a place-based lens it is hoped that these projects will bring wider benefits above and beyond transport decarbonisation such as the improved health of residents through better access to active travel modes, a greater sense of community created by schemes or a decrease in congestion levels due to fewer private vehicles on the road. We’re looking forward to the project completion next year and seeing the impact.”
Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua stated:
“Paua seeks to innovate to enable businesses to simplify their transition to electric. Having led the aggregation of UK public charging, developed technology to reimburse home charging, we now see this sharing of depots as the next natural step to meeting the needs of fleet professionals”.
The project originates from experiences on the Greenfleet Rally 2023 (pictured) where Paua and Cenex first experienced depot sharing with multiple vehicles and locations.
First Bus Glasgow was one of the sites utilised and First Bus are one of the advisory panel with the first charging session having taken place at their sites already.
Image courtesy of Paua