Electrifying a business fleet starts with vehicle duty cycles, not charger brochures. Here is how NSW businesses can work out overnight depot charging, check site capacity, stage the rollout and use solar and batteries well. The right place to start with fleet EV charging is your vehicles' duty cycles: how far each vehicle travels, when it returns to base and how long it stays parked. Most light fleet vehicles that return to a depot overnight can be charged on AC chargers during that dwell time, which keeps equipment and electricity costs well below what fast charging requires. The next step is a capacity check of the depot's electricity supply, followed by a staged rollout that grows with the fleet. This guide sets out that sequence for NSW businesses.
Step 1: map the duty cycles
Gather a few months of trip records or telematics for each vehicle, or for representative groups of similar vehicles. For each group, note:
- typical and longest daily distance;
- when vehicles leave and return, and whether any run double shifts;
- payload, towing and air-conditioning use, which all raise energy consumption;
- whether vehicles stay at the depot overnight or go home with staff;
- any opportunities to charge during the day.
Vehicles with predictable routes and overnight depot parking are usually the easiest to electrify first. Vehicles with long, irregular trips or double shifts may need faster charging, or may suit a later stage.
Step 2: work out overnight depot charging
The key calculation is the energy each vehicle needs compared with the energy a charger can deliver while it is parked. Manufacturer consumption figures for your actual vehicles are best. As a rough illustration, passenger EVs commonly use around 15-20 kWh per 100 km, and vans use more, especially when loaded.
| Duty cycle | Energy per day (rough) | Hours parked | Likely charging approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pool car, 80 km a day | 12-16 kWh | 12 or more overnight | 7 kW AC, easily shared |
| Service car, 200 km a day | 30-40 kWh | 10-12 overnight | 7 kW AC per vehicle |
| Delivery van, long route | Use the van's own figures | 8-10 overnight | 7-22 kW AC, depending on the van's onboard charger |
| Double-shift vehicle | High | Short gaps only | DC fast charging may be justified |
A 7 kW charger running for ten hours delivers around 70 kWh, more than many light vehicles use in a day. That margin is what allows load management to share capacity across many chargers overnight.
Step 3: check depot capacity
A depot charging twenty vehicles at 7 kW each without controls could add 140 kW of load, often more than a site's spare capacity. Before ordering chargers, measure the site's actual maximum demand over a representative period, check the main switchboard and supply rating, and model how charging would stack on top of existing loads. Our EV Fleet Transition Study covers duty cycles, charging schedules, depot capacity, charger count, solar and battery options and staging, so the business sees the full picture before spending on hardware.
Load management usually shows that fewer kilowatts are needed than the simple total suggests, because not every vehicle needs a full charge every night and charging can be spread across the whole overnight period. Where the numbers still exceed the supply, the options are a network supply upgrade, which takes time and needs network approval, or on-site storage.
Step 4: stage the rollout
- Design for the end state: plan switchboard capacity, cable routes and bay layout for the fleet you expect once conversion is complete.
- Install infrastructure in blocks: run conduit and cabling for several stages at once where trenching or concrete work is involved.
- Add chargers as vehicles arrive: align charger purchases with vehicle lease renewals.
- Review with real data: once the first vehicles have run for a few months, compare actual energy use with the plan before the next stage.
Bring drivers along at each stage. A short briefing on plugging in at the end of every shift, what the charger status lights mean and how to report a fault helps prevent avoidable early problems, such as vehicles left unplugged overnight and faults that go unreported for days.
Tariffs and charging schedules
How and when vehicles charge can matter as much as how many chargers you install. If every driver plugs in at 5 pm, charging lands on top of the depot's late-afternoon load and, on many business tariffs, inside the most expensive period. On a demand tariff, that single daily spike can also set a higher demand charge for the whole month.
A managed schedule avoids both problems. Charging can start after the peak window ends, be staggered so vehicles do not all begin at once, and prioritise the vehicles leaving first the next morning. Review your network tariff with your retailer before the first vehicles arrive, because a tariff that suited the depot before electrification may not suit it afterwards. Also allow for seasonal changes: air-conditioning in summer and heating in winter both increase vehicle energy use, so plan charging capacity around the harder months rather than the average.
Where solar and batteries fit
Overnight depot charging happens when solar is not producing, so a rooftop array does not directly charge most fleet vehicles. It still helps. It offsets the depot's daytime loads, and it can charge vehicles parked during the day, such as pool cars or vehicles on alternating shifts. A battery can store daytime solar for evening charging or reduce peaks where a site has limited supply or high demand charges, but its value depends on the tariff and load profile, so it should be modelled rather than assumed. NSW business battery incentives apply to eligible business batteries from 1 September 2026, and we check eligibility as part of the assessment.
What it costs
On our energy market, an EV Fleet Transition Study starts from $2,490 per fleet depot, Fleet EV Charging starts from $19,900 for a depot starter system installed, and a DC Fast Charger starts from $34,900 per charger installed. These prices are indicative and confirmed after a site assessment that checks supply capacity, cable runs, civil works and network requirements.
Next steps
Pull trip data for your first group of vehicles and gather 12 months of depot electricity bills. Read how we approach charger design on our EV chargers page, and model solar for the depot roof with our commercial ROI calculator. When you are ready, request a quote and our team will visit the depot to assess the switchboard, supply and parking layout.
Frequently asked questions
What about vehicles that staff take home overnight?
Take-home vehicles usually charge at the driver's home, which needs a suitable charger installed by a licensed electrician and a fair way to reimburse the electricity used. Chargers that record energy per session make reimbursement straightforward instead of relying on estimates. Agree a written policy covering installation, ownership of the charger, reimbursement rates and what happens if the employee leaves, and ask your accountant about any tax implications.
Do fleet chargers need a management platform?
For more than a handful of vehicles, it is strongly recommended. A networked platform schedules charging, applies load management, reports energy use per vehicle or driver, and alerts the fleet manager when a charger faults or a vehicle has not been plugged in. Choose chargers that use open communication protocols, so the business can change software providers later without replacing the charging hardware.
How long does a depot charging project take?
Timelines depend mainly on the site. A small installation within existing capacity can move quickly once the design is approved, while projects needing a switchboard replacement, trenching or a network supply upgrade take longer because of approvals and equipment lead times. Starting the capacity study well before vehicles are delivered avoids new EVs sitting at a depot with nowhere suitable to charge.
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