Elizabeth Warren, Director of Public Charging at Mer, and Natasha Fry, Mer’s Head of Sales – Fleet Charging, explore how shifting customer behaviour is transforming both public and fleet charging.
Today’s EV charging landscape is very different from that of just a few years ago. The rise in electric vehicle numbers on our roads is powering a major change across the EV charging environment – for both business and private drivers.
For private EV drivers, the public charging experience is unrecognisable from just five years ago. Then, charge points tended to be installed wherever there was space and perceived demand. If any thought was given to the customer’s experience, it was as an afterthought to the prevailing anxiety about the range of vehicles and a lack of charge point coverage. Drivers were just expected to be grateful to find an available public charger to plug into.
Similarly, the market for EV fleets has matured over the past five years. Any fleet managers that were sitting back to see how the regulations and practicalities of installing EV fleet charging infrastructure would pan out, now need to act. Also, those fleet managers who were ahead of the game five years ago are probably now looking to upgrade their charging infrastructure.
Last year saw the milestone of one million fully electric cars on the UK’s roads. That’s going to grow significantly in 2025, so there will be a change in the provision of public EV charge points.
An increase in the models available for fleet and business users has prompted a similar change. There are more EV models, not just cars but vans and light goods vehicles, even some HGVs. The adoption of EV fleets by businesses has accelerated, especially those with ESG and net zero targets to achieve.
Enhancing the driver experience – for all drivers
The entire EV industry is now aware of the fact that the customer – whether private or fleet – has choice and agency over the vehicles they drive and the charging experience they want. It’s up to the charging infrastructure and charge point operators to simplify the overall charging experience.
Private EV drivers who need to recharge on a long journey are going to want to stop somewhere with amenities like a coffee shop, toilet facilities, wi-fi, somewhere for the children to let off steam, etc. After all, it’s a chance to recharge their own batteries as well as the EV’s. This is changing how and where people choose to recharge.
As EV driving becomes the ‘new normal’, the demographic make-up of EV drivers will shift. There is a much wider range of people that now own and drive EVs. Early adopters of electric vehicles were mainly technically inclined, able-bodied men. Now there’s much greater diversity and a commensurately different set of charging preferences being demanded by women, disabled and older drivers.
To accommodate people from a wider range of backgrounds switching to electric vehicles, charge points need to be accessible to everyone, including people with different needs such as disabled and older drivers.
There’s likely to be around 2.7 million disabled drivers and passengers in the UK by 2035. Many of these will be switching to EVs. Drivers with disabilities who use the Motability scheme can use their Motability allowance for EVs. PAS 1899 from the Energy Saving Trust sets out the standard for inclusive and accessible public EV charge points. It includes best practice for establishing an inclusive and safe environment. Key elements are lighting, security cameras and signage. These are all things that public charge point operators need to factor into the overall charging experience, whether that’s at retail parks or charging hubs.
Powering the changes in EV fleet charging
Fleet managers are also noticing the change in the scale and style of charging requirements and conversations about how to get the most out of the fleet charging infrastructure are becoming more frequent. This is both in the context of the wider energy usage across the business, and what the requirements might be for the future. As the market has matured, there is a stronger understanding of what EV fleet charging involves, and a growing realisation that it is more complex than people think.
EV fleet infrastructure experts have learnt first-hand about nuances and complexities of running electric fleets and optimising the charging infrastructure. Energising EV fleets is highly specialised and calls for a depth of knowledge and market intelligence that must be based on real world experiences.
The steady acceleration in fleet transitions is driving a greater awareness among fleet managers of the fleet’s electricity demands. For some that may require a power upgrade, with all the complexities and collaboration between parties that involves.
The key for EV fleets is utilisation. Charging systems need careful planning and design from the ground up. Configuring an EV charging infrastructure isn’t limited to the installation. It’s a continual process from the front-end to back-end; analysing routes, traffic and driver behaviour; designing and optimising the infrastructure; and planning for upgrades and hardware replacement as technology develops.
Technology is the biggest driver for change. Fleet managers are moving away from considering EV charging to be a standalone solution. Fleet managers will want their drivers to have a simple, seamless experience when driving that electric vehicle, including charging. Charging software also needs to be easy for the driver to navigate. The ISO 15118 standard that simplifies ‘plug and charge’ plays a big part in this and will make life a lot easier for fleet managers.
Charging will become integrated in the overall fleet management systems that drivers use day-to-day, from when they leave the depot to when they return. The driver will be directed to the bays that have got electric charging capability for optimal charging, possibly overnight when there’s off-peak energy available and integrate smart charging and dynamic load balancing.
Get ready for more change
Clearly the accelerating adoption of EVs is driving change across the EV industry – both for auto manufacturers and the charging infrastructure. Charge point operators are acutely aware of driver requirements and preferences that weren’t even on the horizon five years ago. No industry will be unaffected by the move to electrify transport, and we are bound to see even more innovation and change in the coming years.
