Electric van fleet charging checklist

1. Know your vans 2–4 weeks before anything else

• Log each van's daily kilometres for at least two weeks, including the longest day.Use the busiest week, not the average week.
• Note when each van returns and leaves, and how many hours it sits at the depot overnight.
• Note which vans go home with drivers: these could charge at the driver's home instead.
• Check any vans that work two shifts or have no long overnight stop: they may need a DC fast charger.
• Run the numbers in the free fleet charging calculator at evpick.com.au/electric-fleet-charging.html

2. Check your site get an electrician in early

• Electrician inspects the main switchboard and spare capacity (single-phase or three-phase, and how many amps).
• Mark where the vans park and measure cable runs from the switchboard to each bay.
• Ask whether the network needs to approve the extra load. A supply upgrade can take 3–6 months, a new transformer 6–12 months.
• Plan conduit and cabling for the full future fleet, not just the first vans. Trenching twice costs far more.
• If you lease the site, get the landlord's written approval for chargers and electrical work.
• Check lighting, bollards and wheel stops to protect chargers in the yard.

3. Choose chargers

• Start with AC chargers for vans parked overnight (7 kW single-phase or 22 kW three-phase).Roughly $1,500–$8,000 each installed. DC fast chargers ($30,000–$60,000) only if vans need daytime top-ups.
• Check each van's on-board AC charging limit. Many vans only take 11 kW, so a 22 kW charger won't charge them faster.
• Decide: one charger per van, or shared (someone swaps vans over at night).
• Choose OCPP-compatible chargers so you can change software providers later.
• From about 4 chargers, add load management so they share power and don't all start at once.
• Get at least two written quotes covering chargers, installation, switchboard work and any supply upgrade.

4. Sort out electricity costs

• Read your bill for a demand charge ($ per kVA or kW per month). If you have one, load management is a must.
• Ask your retailer for a business off-peak or EV tariff, and when off-peak starts and ends.
• Consider a separate meter for the chargers so you can track costs.
• If you have solar, check whether daytime charging of returning vans can use it.
• For vans charged at drivers' homes, agree in writing who pays for the charger and how electricity is reimbursed (check the ATO's current guidance).

5. Grants and money

• Check for open grants before ordering anything. Most won't pay for vans or chargers already bought.NSW EV Fleets Incentive: closes 30 November 2026 or when funds run out. Check your state energy department for others.
• Ask your accountant about depreciation, the instant asset write-off and FBT for vans and chargers.
• Budget for software subscriptions (about $1,000–$5,000 a year for small fleets) and charger maintenance.

6. Roll out

• Start with 2–3 vans on your most predictable routes.
• Track real-world kWh per 100 km for a month, in summer and winter if you can.
• Write a simple charging routine for drivers: plug in every night, who checks, what to do if a charger faults.
• Save a public fast-charger app on drivers' phones as a backup.
• Review, then add vans and chargers in stages.

Notes