Nightly energy demand
Calculate how much energy each vehicle must recover from its routes, real consumption, target reserve and winter conditions.
Last-mile logistics · EV charging · BaseFit
Plan routes, vehicles and EV charging for last-mile logistics fleets
Determine which routes can go electric, how many EVs the depot can support and whether available power, chargers and overnight windows can keep daily service running. Then turn that decision into daily execution with charging, SOC, availability and incidents.
EV fleet charging is not solved by counting chargers
- Average distance is misleading: P90, stops, payload, traffic and actual return time matter.
- WLTP range does not guarantee that each van will complete its route with margin and be ready for the next morning.
- The depot can be more restrictive than the battery: available power, charger count, simultaneity and overnight window all matter.
- Cold weather, high payload, a late return or one failed charger can turn a normal-day green route into an operational risk.
How to plan EV charging for a last-mile logistics fleet
Charging infrastructure should be sized from the real operation. The goal is not to install one charger per vehicle, but to confirm that the fleet can recover the energy it needs before the next departure.
Actual charging window
Match return and departure times. A van that arrives late has less time to charge, even when charger power looks sufficient.
Available depot power
Account for other site loads and determine how much simultaneous power can be allocated to the fleet without exceeding operational limits.
Shared chargers
Identify when several vehicles can share infrastructure and when rotation creates too much risk or manual complexity.
Operational resilience
Test winter, higher payload, late returns, lower arrival SOC or one charger out of service.
Phased deployment
Start with the best-fitting routes and scale only when real data, depot capacity and charging discipline support the next phase.
How Autonality connects routes, vehicles and charging
BaseFit
Decide which routes to electrify, which vehicle fits and under what operating conditions.
Route Energy
Estimate route energy demand from kilometres, stops, payload, weather and speed.
Depot Fit
Check whether available power, chargers and real windows can recover the energy required every night.
Stress tests
Test adverse operating scenarios before buying vehicles or expanding infrastructure.
FleetFit
Recommend a first fleet phase that fits both the routes and the depot’s real charging capacity.
Fleet Control
Run the plan with SOC, charging, availability, documentation and incidents from one platform.
Example: 18 vans, 4 chargers and limited depot power
A realistic urban and peri-urban operation with 12 route families wants to introduce electric vans without compromising daily availability.
12 route families
Dense urban, pharmacy, HORECA, parcels, mixed routes and refrigerated delivery.
6 vehicle candidates
Small, mid-size and large vans, plus a refrigerated option.
A depot with real constraints
95 kW contracted power, 4 AC chargers and an overnight window limited by return and departure times.
What the operational analysis showed
✅ 10 out of 12 routes had a feasible electric fit
There was real potential, but switching the whole operation at once was not a robust decision.
⚠️ Recommended first phase: 6 electric vehicles
The combination of routes, depot power and chargers supported a limited and controlled first deployment.
📉 Under stress, some routes moved from green to yellow or red
An average-day assessment would have hidden relevant operational risks.
🔌 Available energy: 453.6 kWh versus 594.9 kWh required
The bottleneck was not only vehicle range. It was also the depot’s overnight charging capacity.
Frequently asked questions about last-mile fleet charging
The answer depends on each depot’s routes, schedules and infrastructure, but these are the variables that should be checked before investing.
How many chargers does an electric van fleet need?
There is no fixed one-charger-per-vehicle rule. Charger count depends on the energy that must be recovered every night, charger power, available hours, simultaneity and whether infrastructure can be shared without putting the next departure at risk.
Is overnight AC charging enough for a last-mile fleet?
It can be enough for many return-to-base operations, especially when routes are recurring and the overnight window is long. It should be validated against daily energy demand, actual connection time and available depot power.
How much depot power does an electric fleet require?
Required power is not calculated by adding the maximum rating of every charger. The model should consider simultaneous charging, total energy demand, vehicle schedules and the site’s other electrical loads.
Can several electric vans share one charger?
Yes, when schedules and required energy allow vehicles to rotate with enough margin. Manual rotation, late returns and incidents can reduce reliability, so charger sharing must be treated as an operational constraint.
Which last-mile routes should be electrified first?
Start with repeatable routes that have predictable distance and consumption, stable return-to-base times, sufficient energy margin and few critical dependencies. Long, variable or refrigerated routes usually require more validation.
A first electrification phase the operation can sustain
- Start with green, repeatable routes that retain enough operating margin.
- Size depot power and chargers from nightly energy demand and actual vehicle schedules.
- Measure real consumption, return times, payload and charging discipline from day one.
- Keep long or heavy refrigerated routes out until they are redesigned or more margin is available.
- Scale only when depot capacity, chargers and real data show that the next phase is operationally robust.