DC fast charging for fleets

Most fleets are not asking “Which charger looks best on a brochure?”.They are asking “Will my vehicles be ready to go when they need to leave?”.   As more pool cars, sales cars, service vans and delivery vehicles go electric, it is tempting to jump straight to high-power DC fast charging. In practice, the right answer is almost always a mix of charging levels, matched to how your vehicles actually work day to day.   If you need a quick refresher on the basics, this overview of EV charging levels explains what Level 1, Level 2 and DC fast charging mean before we apply them to real fleet duty cycles.   Charging levels and where fleets actually charge From a fleet point of view, charging levels behave like this: Level 1 Uses low-power outlets. Can work for very low-mileage pool cars that sit for long periods. Becomes a bottleneck as soon as daily mileage climbs.   Level 2 The main workhorse for most light-duty fleets. Fits vehicles that come back to a depot or workplace and sit for 8–10 hours. Scales well across many parking bays.   DC fast charging Supports high-mileage, time-critical vehicles, buses and heavy trucks. Useful for quick top-ups between shifts or on long routes. Heavier impact on grid capacity and project cost.     Where fleets actually connect matters just as much as the power level. Depot charging Many fleets have a yard or depot where vehicles park overnight. This is often the primary energy hub and a natural place to deploy rows of Level 2 points, plus a few DC stations for fast turnarounds.   Home charging for take-home vehicles Some pool cars and sales cars sleep at the driver’s home. In these cases, a home Level 2 charger can cover most daily energy, with depot or public DC as backup for heavy days.   For drivers who mainly care about their own driveway setup, our Level 1 vs Level 2 home charging guide explains the trade-offs in more detail.   Public and corridor DC Long-distance routes, cross-country trips and irregular schedules often rely on public DC along highways and at hubs. Depot planning still matters, but the charging plan must include these external sites.   Mobile or temporary charging When a new depot has not yet been fully connected, or when operations are seasonal, mobile charging can fill gaps for a time.   Three variables that drive the charging mix Three simple variables drive most fleet charging decisions: Daily and weekly mileage per vehicle Typical daily distance, plus the highest days in a normal week. Differences between vehicles: some will run long, some short. Dwell time and where vehicles sleep How long vehicles are parked at depots, homes or customer sites. Whether there is a reliable overnight window or only short gaps.   Vehicle type and duty cycle Light-duty cars and vans versus heavy trucks and buses. Single-shift use versus multi-shift use with more than one driver per vehicle.   Energy needed per day, multiplied by how many hours you have to recharge, tells you how much power you really need. Many light-duty fleets that can rely on 8–10 hours of parking each night can do most of their work on Level 2. When dwell windows are short and energy demand is high, DC becomes important.     Fleet scenarios: from light-duty to heavy-duty Scenario 1: light-duty pool cars and sales fleets These are passenger cars and small SUVs doing maybe 80–160 km per day, usually on a single shift. Vehicles often leave in the morning and return in the late afternoon or evening.   For this pattern: Depot Level 2 can act as the primary charging method. A few hours at 7 kW or similar power is enough to replace a day’s driving. Take-home vehicles can use home Level 2, with cost reimbursement or company tariffs. Level 1 may still work for very low-mileage pool cars, but any growth in miles or extra trips will quickly expose its limits.   Scenario 2: service vans and last-mile delivery Service vans and last-mile delivery vehicles often run fixed or semi-fixed routes, with higher daily mileage and tighter schedules.   For this pattern: Night-time depot Level 2 provides the bulk of energy. Vehicles arrive after a long day, plug in, and are ready again by morning. A small number of DC fast chargers at a depot or hub can support mid-day top-ups during lunch breaks or between routes. Planning starts with data: when vehicles return, how long they stay, and which ones consistently run harder.   Scenario 3: buses, heavy-duty trucks and multi-shift operations City buses, airport shuttles, regional trucks and multi-shift vans can run several hundred kilometres per day, with short layovers and shared vehicles. Battery packs are larger and energy demand is high.   For this pattern: Level 2 alone usually cannot keep up. There are not enough hours in the day to push enough energy at that power level. High-power depot DC is often needed to recover large amounts of energy in limited windows, especially between runs or between shifts. Level 2 still has a role for staging, low-utilisation vehicles and long parking periods, but it is no longer the main tool.     Fleet charging matrix: use case vs recommended mix The patterns above can be summarised in a simple matrix: Light-duty pool cars and sales cars Primary: Level 2 at depot or workplace Secondary: home Level 2 or occasional public DC Service vans and last-mile delivery Primary: depot Level 2 overnight Secondary: a few depot or hub DC chargers for mid-day recovery Buses and heavy-duty trucks Primary: depot DC charging Secondary: Level 2 for staging and long idle periods   Many fleets start with a “Level 2 first” mindset. They cover most vehicles and most energy with AC charging, then add DC only for the highest-utilisation vehicles that cannot stay on schedule without it. Infrastructure, power, ratios and cost Site power and parking layout   The best technical plan can fail if the site cannot support it. Key questions include: How much power can the site connection and transformer provide? How many vehicles can park close enough to a practical cable run? Is it easier to install rows of pedestals or wall-mounted units?   Charger-to-vehicle ratio and utilisation A one-to-one ratio is rarely necessary for light-duty fleets with single shifts. When vehicles are parked for long stretches, a single Level 2 point can serve more than one vehicle through simple scheduling and rotation.   For example, if most cars park for 10 hours but only need 4 hours of charging, one charger can serve two cars in sequence. Multi-shift operations or very high daily mileage may need more chargers per vehicle, or dedicated DC for certain groups.   Cost and right-sizing your mix Level 2 hardware and installation are generally much less expensive than high-power DC stations. DC adds more cost on the hardware side and can also raise demand charges if used at the wrong times.     For most light-duty and medium-duty fleets, a sensible strategy is: Use Level 2 to deliver most of the annual energy, across as many parking bays as needed. Reserve DC for the small group of vehicles whose routes or shifts truly require fast turnarounds. Smart load management and phased rollout Software that shares power between chargers based on departure times and state of charge can reduce peak loads and make better use of limited capacity.   Many fleets roll out in phases: Phase 1: install a first wave of Level 2 chargers on part of the fleet and collect data. Phase 2: expand Level 2 where utilisation and dwell patterns support it. Phase 3: add DC for specific use cases that clearly need it, based on evidence rather than guesswork.     How to choose for your fleet A short checklist can frame the decision: Are most vehicles single-shift or multi-shift? What is the typical and peak daily mileage per vehicle? How many hours do vehicles reliably spend parked at depots each night? What share of vehicles sleep at home versus at depots or yards? On which days and at what times do routes peak?   If most vehicles are single-shift, daily mileage is moderate, and depots can offer 8–10 hours of parking, a Level 2-heavy strategy is often enough.   If many vehicles are multi-shift, daily mileage is high and layovers are short, DC will likely be part of the plan, at least for a well-defined group of vehicles.     Workersbee perspective and common questions Once the charging mix is clear, it needs to be turned into real hardware: connectors, cables and enclosures that match the chosen levels and local standards.   For technical teams comparing connector options, our AC vs DC EV charging design overview goes deeper into how power level, pin layout and cooling shape the hardware.   For fleets building or expanding depots and workplace charging, Workersbee supports AC wallboxes and AC charging posts for fleet depots and employee parking. For high-utilisation routes and depot fast charging, Workersbee also supplies DC fast charging connectors and cables for private depots and public sites.     Fleet managers often ask similar questions: Can we start with Level 2 only and add DC later?Yes. Many fleets do exactly this. Level 2 lets you electrify a large share of vehicles at lower upfront cost. DC can then be added for specific vehicles whose duty cycles clearly justify it.   Does Level 1 have any role in a fleet?Sometimes, for very low-mileage pool cars or special cases where vehicles sit for very long periods. For most operational vehicles, Level 1 is too slow to be a main tool.   How many chargers do we need per vehicle?It depends on dwell time and mileage. Single-shift, depot-based fleets often work well with fewer chargers than vehicles. Multi-shift fleets and heavy-duty operations usually need higher ratios and some dedicated DC.   Do take-home vehicles need home chargers?If daily mileage is modest and drivers can park at depots often, home charging may be optional. For high-mileage take-home vehicles, home Level 2 often makes operations smoother and reduces reliance on public DC.