Right-Sizing EV Charging for Fleet Success
- gracewills9
- Jun 29
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 10
As public agencies and fleet operators accelerate vehicle electrification, one of the most common — and costly — misconceptions is that every electric vehicle needs its own dedicated charger.
In our recent webinar, "From Overbuilt to Optimized: Aligning EV Charging Infrastructure with Fleet Operations," Optony joined Peninsula Clean Energy (PCE), Paired Power, and The Mobility House to show how data-driven charging strategies can reduce infrastructure costs while maintaining reliable fleet operations.
From Overbuilt to Optimized Webinar Slides (download below)
Why Many Fleet Charging Projects Cost More Than They Should
Many organizations begin EV planning with a simple rule: one charger per vehicle. While easy to understand, this approach often leads to oversized depots, underused equipment, and unnecessary electrical upgrades.
In our webinar, we shared research showing that charging infrastructure can often be reduced by about 50% from initial assumptions without affecting fleet readiness.
Many municipal vehicles remain parked overnight for 12 hours or more, while using only a fraction of their battery capacity during the day. In many cases, vehicles use about 25% of battery capacity daily, which means overnight charging is often enough to meet operational needs. Because the charging window is usually much longer than the actual charging requirement, multiple vehicles can often share the same equipment through scheduled charging.
What Is EV Charging Rightsizing?
Rightsizing means designing charging infrastructure around actual fleet operations, not theoretical maximum demand.
Instead of assuming every vehicle needs a dedicated charger and a full battery every day, rightsizing looks at:
Daily energy use
Vehicle dwell times
Departure requirements
Minimum state-of-charge needs
Existing electrical capacity
Future fleet growth
This approach helps fleets install only the infrastructure needed to support daily operations reliably.
Technology Makes Higher Vehicle-to-Port Ratios Possible
Modern charging tools make rightsizing practical.
Networked chargers, charging management software, telematics integration, and automated scheduling allow fleets to prioritize critical vehicles and distribute power intelligently. These tools make 2:1 to 3:1 vehicle-to-port ratios realistic for many municipal fleets with predictable duty cycles.
A Data-Driven Methodology
At Optony, rightsizing starts with operational data, not assumptions.
We combine telematics, fleet inventories, schedules, electrical capacity, and replacement plans to understand how charging demand actually occurs. Even fleets without telematics can begin with fueling records, dispatch logs, and odometer readings.
Our process includes five steps:
Map vehicle duty cycles.
Identify available charging windows.
Model charger utilization.
Apply managed charging and load balancing.
Stress-test the design for growth and emergencies.
The goal is not to install the most equipment—it is to ensure every vehicle is ready when needed.
Case Study: City of San Carlos
The EV Fleet Series document highlights the City of San Carlos as a strong example of rightsizing in practice.
The City planned to expand from five electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickups to 17. Under a one-charger-per-vehicle model, it would have needed 12 additional chargers.
After analyzing duty cycles, parking patterns, and overnight dwell times, Optony and Peninsula Clean Energy determined the existing five chargers could support the full fleet, working out to about 3.4 vehicles per charging port.
By using existing infrastructure, San Carlos:
Avoided $300,000+ in capital costs
Deferred major electrical upgrades
Accelerated fleet deployment
Maintained reliable charging readiness
The webinar closed with a simple framework:
Rightsize first > then Manage > then Optimize.
Fleet electrification works best when infrastructure is designed around real operations, not worst-case assumptions.
By combining operational data, smart charging technology, and phased planning, organizations can reduce costs while improving reliability.
For the full webinar recording and related resources, please use the links below.
At Optony, we help organizations design charging systems that align with real-world operations—supporting long-term performance, scalability, and cost-effective fleet electrification.
