Planning Electric HGV Charging at Your Depot: What to Know

What is the fleet electrification landscape of 2025?

The rate at which commercial fleets are electrifying is accelerating, in March of 2025 there was a 11.5% rise in the number of new fleet BEV registrations (1). When a fleet manager is planning the transition of commercial EVs, there are operational considerations that aren’t necessarily present with an EV car fleet.

Key Points

• Model availability – Is there a suitable variety of vehicle makes and models to support your needs?
• Spatial requirements – While it is obvious that eHGVs take up more space, what other factors does this impact?
• Public charging vs depots – How feasible is it to charge eHGVs on public charging points in comparison to vans?

Why have electric vans caught on so successfully?

Electrics vans have been around since 2011, with the Renault Kangoo ZE often being cited as the first full-production EV van. While it had a comparatively tiny 22kWh battery in comparison to modern models, it marked the start of the switch to electric for many businesses (2). Nowadays, most batteries for EV vans are double the size of the Kangoo ZE.

How much variety is there in terms of EV van models?

Due to the length of time that electric vans have been available, fleet managers have a great selection of models. Many of the most popular ICE vans such as Ford Transits have equivalent electric vehicle versions.

This allows for fleet managers to more easily switch and integrate electric vans into the existing fleets and processes. This means that there is a wide range of vehicles available depending on the needs of the business. Fleet operators have plenty of options, whether they are running a small-scale last mile delivery company or they operate a huge fleet of panel vans.

This popularity among fleet managers has led to more manufacturers entering the market with a range of increasingly competitively priced options and there has been a significant increase in performance among EV vans, not to mention the customisation options available.

How much room do EV vans take up in depots?

Obviously, vans take up far less space than HGVs, meaning that depots can host additional vehicles therefore you can have more of them charging concurrently. The size difference also means that they can utilise most publicly available chargers, allowing for far greater range outside of your own depots.

The smaller size of vans mean that city-based depots are more likely to utilise them over HGVs, due to the UK’s narrow streets. However, with the advent of low-emission zones (ULEZ) across many of the largest cities in the UK such as London, Birmingham and Oxford, EV vans are a must for businesses looking to avoid paying the fees.

Like their ICE counterparts, EV vans are a well-established option for fleet managers who are looking for flexibility.

Why has the adoption of Electric HGVs been slower?

The adoption of electric HGVs is slower than EV vans. Unlike vans, the first global manufacturer to start series production of HGVs was Volvo in 2019 (3). It would not be until 2022 that Tesco would begin converting its heavy-duty fleets to electric, with Amazon and other companies following suit. The gap between electric vans and HGVs has meant that there is a smaller range of available models, limiting the choices that fleet managers have.

Fleet managers are always looking to future proof their processes, while HGV manufacturers are ramping up the production of BEV lorries in both scale and variety of models. Meanwhile, the ZEV mandate for HGVs stretches to 2040, a full decade after the phasing out of ICE cars and vans (4). This has meant that fleet managers have felt less urgency for transitioning their HGVs. This will change rapidly over the next few years as the deadline looms ever closer.

Why is the price of electric HGVs higher?

Due to electric vehicles being relative newcomers to the market, they are proportionately more expensive than EV vans. This can be a significant investment in capital, especially when HGVs require more power, necessitating higher-capacity chargers. Furthermore, there are extremely few public electric truck charging stations on UK roads, meaning that they are almost entirely reliant on your depot charging infrastructure. This limits electric HGV ranges for routes.

For these reasons, those with large-scale HGV fleets who are looking to transition to EVs often look outside of the traditional RBO ownership models for their charging infrastructure. One such solution is the Charging as a Service (CaaS) model, where companies pay for the usage of the infrastructure rather than renting or purchasing the infrastructure itself. This allows for far more flexibility and scaling across multiple depots. The lack of public charging and significant upfront costs means that CaaS presents a highly attractive option for electric HGV fleet operators.