Depot charging checklist for electric fleets

Part 1

Vehicles and routes

Start from how the fleet is used today, not from the chargers.

List every vehicle with its daily distance on a normal day and on the longest day of the week.
Note when each vehicle leaves and comes back, and how long it stays parked at the depot.
Mark which vehicles always return to the same site and which park at home or on the road.
Pick the first group to switch: vehicles with planned, predictable routes are the easiest.
Check the payload and range of the electric models you are looking at against your heaviest days.

Part 2

The connection decides how many vehicles can charge at once.

Find the maximum power of your grid connection (from the contract, the grid operator or your electrician).
Get your site’s electricity use over a day from the meter data, including the evening peak.
Work out the spare capacity left for charging when the site is busiest.
Run the numbers through the grid check to see whether the vehicles can charge overnight, with and without load management.
Talk to your grid operator early: chargers on the low-voltage grid must be notified, and above 12 kVA in total they need consent.
If a bigger connection is needed, ask for the timeline and any construction cost contribution before you order vehicles.

Part 3

Choose hardware on price and service, not on the software it comes with.

Decide AC or DC per group of vehicles: AC wallboxes are usually enough for vehicles parked overnight.
Choose chargers that support OCPP, so you can change the software later without replacing hardware.
Plan cables, ducts and the distribution board for the number of chargers you expect later, not just for the first phase.
If drivers or customers are billed per kWh, check whether the chargers need to meet Eichrecht (calibration law).
Agree with your installer who notifies the grid operator and who commissions the chargers.

Part 4

What you pay depends on when and how fast vehicles charge, not only on the price per kWh.

Check whether your site is billed with a demand charge (Leistungspreis) and how high your current peak is.
Ask your supplier whether a time-of-use or dynamic tariff is available for the site.
Check whether §14a EnWG applies: controllable chargers on the low-voltage grid can get reduced grid fees.
Plan how home charging of company cars is reimbursed, if drivers charge at home.
Register fully electric vehicles for the THG quota every year before your provider’s deadline.

Part 5

Some rules depend on the size of the car park and on who can use the chargers.

Check whether the GEIG requires charging points or ducting for your building and car park.
If chargers are open to the public, check the AFIR rules for payment and pricing.
Keep the registration certificates of electric vehicles together for THG claims.

Part 6

Most problems show up after go-live, so plan who looks after charging.

Decide who sees a failed charger or charging session and who acts on it, before the first shift.
Set a charging plan around shift times, so vehicles are full when they leave.
Tell drivers what to do when a charger does not work, and who to call.
Agree on a monthly report: energy, cost and CO₂ per site and per vehicle.
Review after the first months and decide whether the next group of vehicles or the next site is ready.