The scale of the problem
Britain’s commercial fleet sector operates roughly 4.5 million vehicles. The Zero Emission Vehicle mandate requires 80% of new car sales and 70% of new van sales to be electric by 2030. For most fleet operators, that means replacing the majority of their vehicle base within six years — and the charging infrastructure question is the one most organisations are currently unable to answer.
The charging gap is structural, not technical. The technology to charge a hundred commercial vehicles overnight already exists. The problem is that most fleet depots were designed around the assumption that energy is delivered and stored in fuel. Closing the gap requires a different infrastructure model, not just more charge points.
Why the grid won’t save you
The standard response to fleet electrification is to apply for an increased electricity supply, install a bank of charge points and connect them to upgraded mains. This works — eventually. DNO connections for large commercial users typically take eighteen months to three years. For fleet operators under ZEV mandate pressure in 2026, that wait is not an option.
The self-generation alternative
A solar canopy over an existing car park generates 19 to 22 kWp per unit. Combined with a battery storage system sized to the overnight charging load, a single HALO FastHub can handle the full charging demand for twelve vehicles without drawing from the grid during charging cycles — and it installs behind the existing meter. No DNO notification. No grid reinforcement. One operational day from delivery to live charging.
The numbers that matter to procurement
The business case rests on five figures every procurement team needs to compare:
- Lease cost per month — hardware, software, maintenance and monitoring included.
- Revenue per bay per month — from staff, visitors or public users.
- Building offset per month — value of solar generation redirected to the building when not charging.
- Grid cost avoidance per month — saving from not drawing peak-rate grid power during charging windows.
- Carbon credit value — increasingly relevant as corporate reporting obligations tighten.
For most fleet sites with more than fifty vehicles, the net monthly cost of a HALO FastHub is below the monthly fuel saving on the first twelve EVs converted.
Closing the gap
The two-to-three year window before ZEV mandate targets become binding is the lead time required to survey, specify, plan and install the infrastructure needed before the first wave of replacement vehicles arrives. Fleet operators who act in 2026 will have operational hubs by 2027. Those who wait will be competing for installation capacity in a market that cannot absorb the demand. A site survey takes less than a day and carries no obligation.