Start with the transport task
Charging design starts with the work each vehicle must complete, not with a charger catalogue. Record daily distance, payload, route, dwell time, return-to-base pattern and operational reserve for every vehicle group.
- Group vehicles by duty cycle and return time.
- Estimate daily energy from measured operations where possible.
- Keep a contingency for weather, detours and battery ageing.
Turn dwell time into a charging schedule
A depot rarely needs every vehicle to charge at maximum power at once. A managed schedule can prioritise the next departures, spread demand across the available window and reduce unnecessary peak capacity.
Assess the complete site energy system
Confirm the site connection, transformer, switchboard, cable routes, parking geometry and future fleet growth. Where the grid cannot support the required peak, solar, battery storage and staged charging may form part of the solution, subject to engineering and commercial assessment.
- Baseline: existing load profile and maximum demand.
- Stage 1: vehicles and chargers required for the first operating phase.
- Future state: reserved space, conduits, switchboard capacity and controls.
Create an investment decision, not just a layout
A decision-ready plan should connect infrastructure scope to fleet availability, energy cost, delivery risk and expansion triggers. Use scenario ranges rather than a single-point promise until vehicle, tariff and site data are verified.