TL;DR
Idle time, not electricity cost, is one of the biggest threats to EV fleet business cases.
Why does idle time quietly destroy EV business cases for fleets?
Idle time destroys EV business cases because it erodes productivity faster than most fleets expect. Small delays while vehicles wait, charge or overstay quickly add up, undermining the cost savings assumed in fleet electrification.
Paua provides a range of digital tools to reduce fleet idle time.
What idle time actually looks like in electric fleets
Idle time rarely appears as a single obvious failure. It shows up in minutes. Waiting for chargers to become available. Charging at the wrong time of day. Staying plugged in longer than needed. Detouring to specific chargers.
Individually these moments seem insignificant. Across a fleet, they compound rapidly.
Why idle time matters more than energy cost
Most EV business cases are built on total cost of ownership. Lower fuel and maintenance costs are expected to offset higher vehicle prices. Idle time is often missing from these calculations.
For commercial fleets, vehicles are revenue generating assets. When they are stationary unnecessarily, value is lost. Even a few minutes per vehicle per day can outweigh expected energy savings.
Why commercial fleets feel idle time first
Vans and trucks operate under tighter schedules and higher utilisation. There is less slack in the system. Idle time directly impacts route completion, service levels and driver efficiency.
This is why fleets often struggle after early pilots scale up.
How successful fleets manage idle time
Well run fleets plan charging around operations, not convenience. They guide driver behaviour, minimise overstays and use data to identify inefficiencies early.
The goal is not to eliminate charging time, but to eliminate wasted charging time.
Frequently asked questions
What causes the most idle time in EV fleets?
Waiting for chargers, poor dwell time planning and overstays are common causes.
Is idle time unavoidable with EVs?
Some charging time is unavoidable. Wasted charging time is not.
Does this improve as fleets mature?
Yes, but only if idle time is actively measured and managed.
How Paua helps
Paua gives fleet managers visibility into dwell time, charging duration and behaviour across locations. This helps identify wasted time early and protect EV business cases as fleets scale.
Related reading
- Why EV charging time matters more than cost for commercial fleets
- Why time away from the job is rarely worth a cheaper EV charge
- Why shared depots unlock scale for electric fleets
- How EV charging data improves fleet performance
About Paua
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.
Learn more; contact us
