DPD’s recent announcement that it will spend £330m on seven new 60,000 square foot distribution facilities in Britain is a positive sign of growth in the UK logistics industry.
In line with wider requirements for the sector to reduce its carbon footprint, a key element of the project is a greater commitment to transitioning towards an electric fleet.
The new depots will be equipped with EV charging infrastructure, enabling the company to serve more routes with EVs, and so, in the words of their spokesperson Tim Jones, ‘move towards our Net Zero targets.’
The continued investment in infrastructure highlights the growing momentum behind fleet electrification.
According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), around 64,000 more electric vehicles were registered by businesses and fleets in 2024 than in the previous year.
With the UK Government ban on the sales of new petrol and diesel cars currently set to come into force in 2030, research also shows that almost one in five commercial operators are planning to switch all their vehicles to electric by that point. DPD is a case in point. As Jones says, ‘38% of our delivery van fleet [is] already electric’.
But getting from 38% to 100% electric is far from straightforward. Many companies struggle with limited infrastructure planning and don’t have the tools needed to effectively analyse which vehicles can transition, assess the financial and environmental impact, or determine infrastructure requirements such as charger type, location, and quantity.
Operators require a holistic plan and solution, not just the right hardware and software, but the insight to apply them effectively.
In short, for many businesses, whether large or small, the real challenge lies in understanding which vehicles are ready to transition, what infrastructure is needed to support them, and how to tackle complex fleet segments, as well as the low-hanging fruit.
It’s not just about having the right infrastructure and software. A successful EV transition requires a clear, data-driven roadmap. A holistic approach to modelling and managing the transition is key.
The three-step programme
With that in mind, operators need to consider three key steps on their journey transitioning to electric vehicles
Fleet analysis
Businesses need to begin the process with a rigorous, analytics-led assessment across their whole estate and fleet to ascertain which elements of their vehicles can transition and in what order.
For example, electrifying fleet sections serving shorter routes – such as in city centres – may present fewer complexities than those serving longer routes – in more remote rural areas, say – which are more likely to need in-journey charges.
There may also be some depots that can be more quickly adapted to provide EV charge points, depending on the real estate available and any existing infrastructure.
This bird’s eye view of the fleet, backed by data, will provide the foundation for decision making on the path to a fully electric operation, particularly around what infrastructure is needed to enable the shift.
There’s no way around the fact that an EV transition involves upfront costs in terms of both finance and work hours, so it’s crucial to have a clear view of the long-term benefits involved.
As regulatory requirements evolve and the vehicle market shifts towards electric, investment now is the savvy move – but that needs to be clearly mapped rather than taken for granted.
Site survey and installation
After laying out the roadmap for the transition, companies need to work with reliable partners to conduct the hardware selection process.
This will include support from site visits, through the purchase cycle, up to installation and beyond.
Throughout this process, it’s important to ensure that intelligent EV management technology is baked in, to enable the company to swiftly and simply handle the increased complexity of energy management entailed with EV’s.
Intelligent fleet management
With that in mind, once the infrastructure is in place, companies need to focus on using advanced software to manage the charge points, vehicles, and energy provision across their network.
This is particularly important when charging won’t just happen in company-owned depots but at drivers’ homes or service stations.
Let’s close out with a worked example of how this kind of advanced software can help companies get the most out of their EV fleets, using the use case of smart charging.
Ordinarily, a local delivery van would finish its round, go to the depot and plug in ready for the next day, even if it’s still on 70% charge.
That van may not need to be topped up to 100% if it’s only doing a small round the next day. Advanced fleet management software enables the company to manage this kind of charging requirement.
The system can retrieve the vehicle’s battery status from its telematics and connect it with the company’s job management platform. This platform approach can predict the next day’s milage.
Based on that insight, the software can determine whether no charging is needed, or if a small top-up can be scheduled during off-peak hours when energy is cheapest.
This kind of intelligent vehicle management can not only ensure all vehicles are ready when they’re needed; it also helps reduce inefficient and expensive over-charging.
If companies take a data-led approach to all three steps in the transition process, building a next-gen management system rather than just installing charge points, they’ll be well placed to take advantage of the opportunities EVs represent.
Russell Olive is director at charging management software company vaylens
