EV Charger Installation for a London Fibre Broadband Company

Project Summary

• •Location: London
• •Property: Commercial fleet depot
• •Chargers: Dual-socket commercial EV chargers
• •Vehicles: Engineer vans and company cars
• •Key feature: Load management across constrained supply

Fleet EV Charging for Broadband Engineers

Fibre broadband companies rely on their engineer fleets being on the road every day. Vans carry specialist equipment and need to cover wide geographic areas across London, often completing multiple jobs per day. Reliable overnight charging is essential — if a van isn't fully charged by morning, an engineer can't complete their route.

As more telecoms and utility companies transition to electric fleets to meet emissions targets and reduce running costs, the demand for depot-based charging infrastructure has grown significantly. The challenge is that many commercial depots have electrical supplies that were never designed for the additional load of multiple EV chargers running simultaneously.

Smart load management solves this by dynamically distributing available power across all connected chargers. Every vehicle gets charged overnight without exceeding the site's supply capacity — no expensive supply upgrades required.

The Problem

The company had begun introducing electric vans to their fleet but had no on-site charging. Engineers were relying on public chargers between jobs and at home — an arrangement that was unreliable, expensive and difficult to manage. Some engineers didn't have off-street parking at home, making overnight charging impossible.

The depot's existing electrical supply was already serving office equipment, lighting and workshop tools. Adding multiple high-power EV chargers without load management would have exceeded the available capacity, potentially requiring a costly supply upgrade from the DNO — a process that could take months.

The client needed a solution that could charge their current fleet overnight, scale as more vehicles were added, and work within the existing electrical supply — all without disrupting daily operations.

Our Solution

We carried out a full electrical survey of the depot, mapping the existing load profile and identifying how much spare capacity was available during overnight hours when the office and workshop were inactive. This revealed that overnight charging was feasible without a supply upgrade — provided smart load management was used.

We installed dual-socket commercial EV chargers on dedicated posts across the parking area, providing enough bays to charge the current fleet simultaneously. Each charger was connected to a central load management system that monitors the site's total power draw in real time and dynamically adjusts charging speeds across all connected vehicles.

During the day, when the office and workshop are drawing power, the chargers automatically reduce output. Overnight, when site demand drops, the chargers ramp up to full speed — ensuring every vehicle is fully charged by morning without ever exceeding the supply limit.

We also pre-installed ducting and cabling routes for additional charger positions, so the system can be expanded as the fleet grows without repeating groundwork or disrupting the car park.

The Outcome

The fleet now charges entirely on-site overnight. Engineers arrive each morning to fully charged vehicles, eliminating the need for public charging stops during the working day. This has improved route efficiency and reduced the time engineers spend away from customer jobs.

The load management system has performed reliably since installation — the site has not experienced any supply issues, even when all chargers are active simultaneously. The company estimates they are saving significantly compared to their previous mix of public charging and home charging reimbursements.

The pre-installed infrastructure means adding more chargers as the fleet expands will be straightforward and cost-effective. The electrical sub-board has spare capacity, and the ducting is already in place for additional positions.