Fleet EV Charging
for Melbourne Depots
Fleet electrification isn't just buying chargers — it's understanding how much energy your fleet actually needs and when. Supply Solar audits your depot, models your fleet's real usage pattern, and designs charging infrastructure that scales as your fleet grows.
Free Depot Assessment
Fleet audit · Load calculation · Staged rollout plan
No obligation · We call within 2 business hours
Do You Actually Need DC Fast Charging?
Long dwell time → AC
Vehicles parked overnight or for most of the day — pool cars, delivery vans returning to base, most passenger fleets — are well served by 7-22kW AC charging.
Short dwell time → DC
Vehicles with high daily energy use, limited overnight time, or that need opportunity charging during shift changes or loading breaks need faster DC charging.
Why it matters financially
Installing more DC capacity than required increases capital cost, grid connection requirements and demand charges — faster is not automatically better for fleet economics.
Most urban and suburban fleet vehicles travel well under 150km per day. Supply Solar sizes your charger mix around actual vehicle usage — kilometres travelled, dwell time, and energy consumption — not a generic assumption.
Depot, Home, or Public — Where Should Your Fleet Charge?
Most fleets end up using a mix. The right balance depends on vehicle type, driver behaviour, and how centralised your operations are.
| Model | How it works | Best fit | Consideration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depot chargingCentral base | All vehicles return to a central depot each night and charge from installed infrastructure | Fleets with a fixed base of operations — the simplest model to manage | Requires depot electrical capacity to match fleet size and growth |
| Home chargingTake-home vehicles | Drivers charge take-home vehicles overnight at their own property, tracked via fleet card or reimbursement | Take-home fleet vehicles, councils, distributed teams | Zero depot downtime and lowest operational risk — often the strongest foundation |
| Public chargingBackup/extended trips | Vehicles top up at public network chargers when away from base or on longer trips | Regional trips, emergency use, or fleets without full depot capacity yet | Should support the plan, not replace proper fleet energy planning |
Most fleets combine depot charging as the primary model with home charging for take-home vehicles and public charging as a genuine backup — not a substitute for planning.
Why 10+ Chargers Needs Load Management Software
A single charger is simple. A depot with a growing fleet is a different problem entirely — one that hardware alone doesn't solve.
| Function | How it works | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic load balancing | Distributes available power across all connected chargers in real time, based on total site capacity | Prevents switchboard overload without needing a full electrical upgrade for every vehicle |
| Priority charging | Prioritises vehicles that need to leave soonest, or have the least charge remaining | Ensures every vehicle is ready for its shift, even with shared capacity |
| Demand charge avoidance | Caps total site draw to stay under demand charge thresholds during simultaneous charging | Prevents an electricity bill spike from your own fleet charging pattern |
| Fleet reporting | Logs energy use per vehicle, per driver, and per session for cost allocation and reporting | Feeds into fleet cost management, tax reporting, and sustainability disclosures |
Choose OCPP-compliant chargers with load management and fleet reporting built in — this keeps your options open for future software and network changes.
What a Mid-Sized Fleet Rollout Looks Like — Melbourne
A 15-vehicle van fleet returning to depot each evening is a common starting point — well within AC charging range, and the point where load management starts to matter.
Actual results vary by vehicle type, usage pattern and depot electrical capacity. Supply Solar models your specific fleet in every assessment.
Get My Free Depot AssessmentSix Reasons It Makes Sense in 2026
EV price parity has arrived
Total cost of ownership advantages are now driving fleet buyers toward EVs — lower fuel and maintenance costs compound over a fleet's operating life.
Most fleets don't need expensive DC hardware
Understanding your fleet's real dwell time and usage pattern often reveals that lower-cost, slower AC charging is more than sufficient.
FBT exemption improves the business case
Eligible electric vehicles can access Fringe Benefits Tax exemptions, and charging infrastructure may qualify for depreciation or write-off treatment.
Grid constraints no longer block electrification
Battery-buffered charging systems let depots without full grid capacity electrify now, rather than waiting years for a network upgrade.
Staged rollout protects your capital
Modular infrastructure lets you start with a small number of chargers and expand as your fleet electrifies — no costly early retrofits.
Pair with solar for the strongest economics
Depot solar can offset a meaningful share of fleet charging costs, especially where vehicles are on-site during daylight hours.
How a Fleet Charging Project Works
Fleet & depot audit
We map vehicle usage — kilometres travelled, dwell time, energy needs — and assess your depot's electrical capacity and switchboard headroom.
Peak load calculation
We calculate your maximum simultaneous demand — what happens if every vehicle plugs in at once — the number that drives your entire infrastructure design.
Charger mix & load management design
You receive a proposal specifying AC/DC charger mix, load management software, and a staged rollout plan for your 5-10 year fleet growth.
Installation & commissioning
Our CEC-accredited team installs OCPP-compliant hardware, configures load management, and hands over a depot ready for daily fleet operations.
Accredited, Award-Winning & Fully In-House
Usage-first, not hardware-first
We start with your actual fleet data, not a charger catalogue. If simple AC charging solves the problem, we'll tell you that honestly.
2023 CEC Award & 2024 EUPD Award
Independent industry recognition of installation quality and customer experience — the benchmarks that matter for a fleet-scale investment.
Built for growth, not just today's fleet
Every depot design accounts for your 5-10 year electrification plan — avoiding the retrofits that catch fleets sizing only for current vehicle count.
CEC-accredited, compliance-first
Every installation meets current electrical standards, completed by our own accredited team — no subcontractor handoffs on a depot-scale project.
Fleet Charging Near Your Depot
Supply Solar designs and installs fleet EV charging infrastructure across greater Melbourne and regional Victoria.
What Melbourne Fleet Managers Say
"We assumed we needed fast DC chargers for our 12 vans. Supply Solar looked at our actual dwell time overnight and talked us into a much cheaper AC setup instead — saved us a fortune on the electrical works."
"They designed the depot for where our fleet's heading in five years, not just the 8 vehicles we have now. Glad we didn't cheap out — the load management setup means we can just keep adding chargers as we grow."
"Our depot's grid connection wasn't going to support charging the whole fleet at once. Supply Solar suggested load management software instead of a full network upgrade — saved months of waiting."
Fleet Charging FAQs
Do I need DC fast chargers, or is AC enough?
When do I need load management software?
How do I calculate how much infrastructure I need?
What if my depot doesn't have enough grid capacity?
What tax incentives apply to fleet EV charging?
Should I plan for fleet growth now?
Can fleet vehicles charge at home instead of the depot?
Related Commercial Services
Commercial EV Charging Pages
Other Commercial Services
Ready to Electrify Your Fleet?
Book a free, no-obligation depot assessment. Supply Solar audits your fleet's real usage, calculates your peak load, and designs charging infrastructure that scales with you — not just for today's vehicle count.
No obligation · Fleet audit & load calculation · CEC-accredited · Melbourne & Regional Victoria