The first phase of the project focused on upgrading five Tesco sites – two in Scotland and three in England, with the capacity to service over 200 electric vehicles in total.

A crucial first step in any fleet electrification project is to conduct a smart fleet consultation to understand the charging infrastructure required at each site. The assessment also deciphers whether a fleet can be electrified based on current operations, and whether there is sufficient power at the site(s) to accommodate the new infrastructure.

To support the smart fleet consultation, Tesco provided EO with existing vehicle telematics data over a three-month period and half hourly consumption data from the previous year. EO also conducted its own modelling to get a full picture of each site.

The insights gathered during this analysis revealed:

• Tesco's delivery fleet commonly perform more than one trip (or wave) per day.

• The operational range of the electric vehicle in use was sufficient to cover single trip distances across all the sites.

• At three sites the operational range of the electric vehicle was also sufficient for the maximum daily distance of each vehicle.

• However, at the remaining two sites the operational range of the electric vehicle was not sufficient for the maximum daily distance of most vehicles, so would require opportunity charging between delivery waves.

There is no 'one size fits all' approach to EV fleet charging solutions. Following the smart fleet consultation, EO made recommendations based on each site's specific requirements and set-up. Central to this was the need for the infrastructure to serve both day-to-day charging requirements, as well as rapid charging for emergency cover.  

As part of its turnkey service, EO also provides Tesco with ongoing support and maintenance. All chargers have a bespoke fleet service package with a four-hour onsite Service Level Agreement, meaning EO engineers are guaranteed to be on-site within four hours if any technical issues arise. 

This is supported by EO’s hardware-agnostic cloud-based management software, the EO Cloud. As well as charging management, site load management and vehicle telematics, this software monitors the performance of all chargers and provides remote diagnostics, ensuring any issues can be identified and addressed as soon as they arise.

Six months into phase one of Tesco’s electrification project and the majority of the first five sites have now been completed.

Key to the success of the project so far has been the ability to work in partnership from the outset. The modelling and analysis conducted upfront in the smart fleet consultation is vital. As well as revealing the optimal pathway for electrification and helping a business prevent unnecessary infrastructure investments, it allows the partner to get under the skin of how the fleet operates and to understand all its unique requirements.

There is no silver bullet for electrification, but the right charging partner will walk a business through every step of the process, ensuring current needs are met, as well as how to best prepare for the demands of the future.