TL;DR
Charging time, not electricity price, is the biggest operational risk in fleet electrification. Fleets that design around time protect productivity and avoid costly mistakes.
Why does EV charging time matter more than cost for commercial fleets?
Charging time matters for electric vehicle fleets because time away from the job quickly costs more than the electricity itself. Unlike petrol or diesel, EV charging takes longer and directly impacts vehicle utilisation, driver productivity and service levels. Fleets that ignore charging time often see their EV business cases eroded, even when energy costs are low.
Why EV charging time is different from refuelling
With petrol or diesel, refuelling takes minutes and fits neatly into the working day. Electric vehicle charging is governed by physics. Energy equals power multiplied by time. Until power can be delivered faster, charging will always take longer than refuelling.
For fleets, this changes the operational model. Charging time must be planned, not absorbed. Time spent charging is time a vehicle is unavailable for work. Paua helps makes charging time easier for fleets.
Why time matters more than cost for commercial fleets
Commercial fleets are highly time sensitive. Vans and trucks operate on tight schedules with high utilisation. Even small delays can disrupt routes, missed jobs or extended shifts.
Electricity price is visible and easy to compare. Time cost is often hidden but far more significant. For most fleets, driver time and vehicle downtime outweigh the savings from cheaper electricity. Paua has been optimised for commercial fleets.
A simple example: time versus cheap electricity
Assume a commercial driver costs the business £15 per hour fully loaded. That is 25p per minute.
A one mile detour or delay typically takes 2 to 3 minutes, costing 50 to 75p in driver time alone.
A typical commercial vehicle uses around 0.4 kWh per mile. To offset a 50 to 75p time cost, electricity would need to be £1.25 to £1.88 per kWh cheaper.
That saving does not exist in the real world.
Common mistakes fleets make early
Fleets often chase the cheapest electricity price without accounting for time. This leads to detours, waiting, overstays and poor utilisation.
The result is higher operational cost, not lower. Paua supports fleets with charging costs insights and ways to ensure optimal fleet performance.
How successful fleets plan around time
Successful electric fleets design charging around operations. They plan charging into the working day, prioritise locations that minimise disruption and focus on keeping vehicles moving.
They optimise for time first and cost second. Paua provides data and dashboard to support this optimisation.
Frequently asked questions
Does charging time really cost more than electricity?
Yes. For commercial fleets, even a few minutes of extra charging or detour time often costs more in driver wages and lost productivity than the electricity itself.
Is this only a problem for vans and trucks?
No, but commercial vehicles feel the impact first due to higher utilisation and tighter schedules.
Can fast chargers solve the time problem?
Fast charging helps, but it does not remove the need for planning. Poorly placed fast charging can still waste time.
How Paua helps
Paua helps fleets prioritise time efficient charging. By simplifying how drivers find, charge and pay, and by providing visibility into dwell time and charging behaviour, fleets can reduce wasted time and protect EV business cases as they scale.
Related reading
- Why EV refuelling now happens in three locations
- Charge where you park or park where you charge
- Why time is worth more than cheap electricity
- How idle time quietly destroys EV business cases
For electric fleets, charging time is the real cost driver. Electricity price is secondary.
Paua is a UK EV charging payment platform for fleets. We help businesses pay for electric vehicle charging across public networks, home charging and shared depots, giving fleet managers control over time, cost and data as they electrify.
