Before buying electric vans, start with your routes

Over the past few months, I’ve spoken to fleet operators at very different stages of electrification. Some are already running electric vans, others are considering their first purchases, and some simply don’t see a strong reason to change yet.

I’ve also come across a particularly frustrating situation: electric vehicles that have already been bought but aren’t being used as intended.

Sometimes the charging infrastructure isn’t ready. Sometimes the vehicle doesn’t suit the work. Sometimes the daily routine turns out to be harder to adapt than expected.

Those conversations keep bringing me back to the same question. Before choosing which electric van to buy, shouldn’t we work out which part of the existing operation could reliably run on electricity?

Start with a small fleet and its actual working day

Imagine a delivery business with twelve vans operating from one depot.

Some vehicles cover predictable routes and return by late afternoon. Others travel further, carry heavier loads or work to changing schedules.

A few routes may be straightforward candidates for electric vans. Others might only work with a particular vehicle, a longer charging window or more operational flexibility. Some should probably remain diesel for now.

There’s no reason to treat every route in the same way. Equally, a few difficult routes shouldn’t rule out electrifying the easier part of the fleet.

The first useful outcome is not an ambitious percentage. It’s knowing where to begin, what needs checking and what can wait.

Three checks worth making before spending money

1. Look beyond average mileage

A route averaging 80 km a day sounds easy enough. But does it always cover 80 km? How much does it vary on busy days? What’s the payload, and when does the van return?

Averages can hide the very days that create operational problems. Distance variation and the consequences of a missed departure matter at least as much as the headline figure.

We’ve covered this in more detail in our guide to assessing electric vehicle route suitability.

2. Choose vehicles with a sensible working margin

Published range is useful for comparing vans. It is not a promise that a particular delivery shift can be repeated every day.

Real consumption, usable battery capacity, payload, winter conditions and a sensible reserve at the end of the route all need to be considered.

A van that can complete its route with 2% remaining might be technically suitable. It isn’t necessarily a vehicle you’d want to rely on every morning.

3. Check whether the depot can get them ready for tomorrow

This is often where an apparently promising plan gets complicated.

The vehicles must not only complete their routes; they must recover enough energy before their next departure. Available site power, charger capacity, return times and overnight dwell windows determine how many can be supported reliably.

You might identify ten routes suitable for electric vans, only to discover that the existing depot can comfortably charge six of them. That’s not a failed assessment. It’s a more realistic first phase.

For the infrastructure side, see how many chargers a last-mile fleet really needs.

What if you don’t have detailed telematics data?

Not every smaller operator has connected vehicles and comprehensive datasets. Some have spreadsheets, route records, mileage estimates and a depot manager who knows exactly how the day works.

That information won’t replace proper measurement later on. But it can already support a useful first assessment, provided the assumptions and uncertainties are clear.

More detailed data, advanced simulation and measured consumption may be needed before making an investment decision. They don’t have to be prerequisites for the first conversation.

A free first check with Autonality

This is one of the reasons we’ve introduced a Free plan for Autonality.

It lets you assess one depot and up to 15 vehicles, enter data manually or via CSV, and explore the initial fit between routes, electric vehicles and depot charging capacity. One standard stress scenario is included.

There’s no hardware or telematics to install, and no payment card is required.

Free isn’t a full fleet simulator. Coordinated fleet simulations and advanced scenario comparisons sit in Planner. The free plan is for an earlier question: is there a credible first electrification opportunity worth investigating?

Not every route can go electric today. Knowing which ones should wait is useful information too.