EV charging solution for business fleets firm, Paua, has partnered with bus operator First Bus.
The collaboration opens up a new chapter in the Paua services, enabling shared access to First Bus depots for third-party commercial electric vehicles (EVs).
First Bus operates more than 5500 buses across the UK, investing in depot electrification and sustainability. It is also opening up depot infrastructure to third-party fleet operators directly.
The partnership with Paua marks a further significant shift in the use of semi-private charging assets, enabling Paua to be one of the first to market with an aggregated shared depot proposition – linked to one EV charging and payments platform.
It will also allow Paua’s aggregated business fleet customers — including operators of larger commercial vehicles — to access an additional 11 depot locations equipped with high-powered EV chargers, ranging from 150 kW to 350 kW speeds all backed by renewable power.
These sites are strategically located across the UK to support operational flexibility and maximise vehicle uptime.
The new product, Paua Share, will enable a greater range of fleets to benefit from the First Bus charging infrastructure at a lower cost and with features designed for commercial vehicles.
Shared depot charging forms a key pillar in Paua’s expanding commercial vehicle and truck charging network, overcoming a hurdle to fleet electrification: access to suitable, high-powered, and secure charging infrastructure.
Paua Share was developed off the back of a Department for Transport funded Innovate UK project. During the project Paua worked with Cenex, Suffolk County Council and Oxfordshire County Council to develop the mechanisms for depot sharing successfully deploying this with a number of partners across sites in these regions. The partnership with First Bus is the first step in commercialising this solution.
Paua Share starts with matchmaking a fleet with a depot. Then, the fleet agrees any required sharing terms with the depot which includes issues like site health and safety, access hours or specific site rules. Drivers can then navigate to the site with dedicated information in the Paua App, arrive at the site, charge with their Paua Card or app. This charging is all recorded in the Paua fleet manager dashboard and costs are centralised for the fleet. Paua also provides billing services to its depot customers who always remain in control of their selected visitors with Paua.
Niall Riddell, CEO and Co-founder of Paua, said:
“We are delighted to be working with First Bus on this groundbreaking initiative. This partnership once again illustrates Paua’s leadership position. We envisage a European wide network of shared depots as we build Europe’s lowest cost commercial fleet charging network.”
Faizan Ahmad, Director of Decarbonisation at First Bus, said:
“Sharing depot infrastructure unlocks enormous potential for commercial fleets, accelerating the shift to zero-emission transport while making smarter use of existing assets. First Bus are proud to have been pioneers in this space and further innovation and collaboration, as showcased here by our partnership with Paua, are key to building a truly integrated, low-carbon transport network.”
First Bus will be talking about this scheme at the inaugural Transport + Energy Fleet Electrification Forum on 9 July at Warwick Conferences. Find out more about the event here.
