As housebuilding is about to be turbocharged, Natasha Fry, Head of Sales, Mer UK – Fleet & Workplace, looks at the drivers and challenges behind electrifying the construction sector and why now is the time for companies to start electrifying their fleets.
The construction industry is a vital element of the UK economy. In 2022, it accounted for 6.2% of GDP. Since the election, the new Labour government has set out mandatory housing targets, pledging to build 1.5 million homes in five years to address the housing shortage.
Already a major emitter of greenhouse gases and carbon, 13% of annual global emissions are generated through construction and demolition processes, according to The Carbon Trust. Turbocharging house building in the UK will have a big impact on greenhouse gases and carbon emissions. When you add in the roads, utilities, telecoms and other infrastructure needed to support the new housing, the impact is multiplied.
Construction is already highly regulated, with embodied carbon regulations and whole life carbon assessments to meet targets for net zero. Throughout the built environment lifecycle – from raw material extraction and production, construction, operation and ultimately to end-of-life demolition – building processes and materials have to be low carbon to achieve net zero. This includes transportation and construction vehicles.
The benefits are clear
Converting fleets from internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to electric vehicles (EVs) is a significant way to reduce carbon within the sector. The arguments for electrifying construction vehicles are every bit as compelling as transport in general: reduced emissions, cleaner air, less reliance on fossil fuels.
For construction vehicles, there are extra benefits. Less noise on construction sites creates a safer working environment. Less nuisance for neighbours could potentially extend operating hours on site, increasing productivity. Also, EVs have fewer transmission parts than their ICE counterparts, and so are more reliable and cheaper to run and maintain.
… as are the challenges
All in all, the argument for electric construction vehicles is strong, but it isn’t without challenges. The primary one is the lack of EV models for key construction processes. There are some, of course. Forklifts, the workhorses of the sector, have long been electrified and illustrate the value of electric vehicles in the workplace. But for the most part, there aren’t that many available options for EVs over 3.5 tonnes, or specific construction vehicles like tippers, drop side tail lift vehicles and cherry pickers. It’s the same story as commercial HGV models, where manufacturers are continually working on developing workable and affordable solutions.
Get a head start
Fleet managers across the construction sector know that at some point in the future, their vehicles will need to run on electricity, and they will need to be ready to power these vehicles. Installing a fleet-ready EV charging infrastructure now will help prevent delays and power provision challenges down the line.
Charging construction vehicles – especially those with large payloads – is more complex than installing a handful of chargers and plugging in a vehicle when it is back at the depot or charging at a public charge point on route. Some larger vehicles are restricted to the construction site and will charge at the compound. On a greenfield site and some brownfield sites, connecting the compound to the grid will be a priority. Installing a charging infrastructure for a construction fleet involves complexity and disruption. There will be challenges around land rights and wayleaves to get sufficient power to the right location for charging construction vehicles.
A charging infrastructure sufficient for construction vehicles can involve provisioning tens of megawatts of power. Permissions and engineering work to secure multi-megawatt grid connections from the grid can take months or even years. The processes that businesses and distribution network operators (DNOs) need to go through to upgrade supply and bring in new connections are complex and involve many variables. For most, it’s a real step into the unknown and it is advisable to start early, to get a sense of what is needed now and in the future, and build it into the overall development plans.
Many construction companies are already gearing up for the transition. Rather than waiting for construction EV models, they are electrifying fleets that do have EV models now. These could range from 3.5 tonne drop sides used on a construction site to vans and cars used by mobile technical service engineers. Such companies have looked at the kinds of vehicles they use now, and are installing the charging infrastructure while discovering what they will need in the future.
Like other construction companies and contractors, Costain has pledged to switch its fleet to EVs in order to be net zero by 2035. The company opted to future-proof its charging requirements, getting the EV network in place ahead of its competition. It has installed EV charging infrastructure to power a 3,000-strong EV fleet. Working with Mer enabled Costain to install charge points at its offices across the UK, together with groundworks for more charge points to be added in the future in keeping with its ‘dig once’ policy.
Navigating the complexities
The challenge for the EV charging industry is how to make the total cost and convenience of transitioning to electric construction fleets attractive for the sector’s fleet managers. EV charging companies have been exploring these challenges.
There is no ‘one-size fits all’ solution to site-specific challenges. Each one has to match unique circumstances of the construction business and individual site’s needs; the vehicles they operate and the site where the charging infrastructure is needed. The solutions they offer aren’t limited to the physical infrastructure of cables and charge points. They can include ownership models where the construction business builds, owns and operates its own on-site charging infrastructure, or the charge point operator (CPO) manages a ‘charging as a service’ scenario, or completely outsources both infrastructure and energy, to an experienced CPO to optimise and control changing.
A good place to start
The starting point of any solution, especially the right solution, is a comprehensive analysis of what the business needs, and what it currently has. This includes a full site-by-site investigation and analysis of where the business is looking to go in the future to allow for growth and accommodate advances in construction EV models as they come online.
This is where strong partnerships with experienced experts is important. Running a construction business or a commercial fleet is hard enough without having to become an expert in electrical infrastructure.
On a construction site, transport might be a critical element, but it is just a part of the broader picture. There are safety, commercial and financial targets to meet, vehicles to maintain and environmental legislation to comply with.
A CPO partner that understands the challenges and also has the agility to adapt to the challenges that inevitably occur will help a construction business, contractor or utilities provider optimise the electrification of their fleet.
Electrifying construction vehicles, especially those with heavier payloads, will involve buying new vehicles when they are available, and provisioning a completely different way to fuel them without disrupting existing operations. A CPO partner will have the solutions to ensure this works for you. It all starts with a conversation.
