Stagecoach opens bus depot charging capacity to third-party fleets

Stagecoach is opening charging infrastructure at its electric bus depots to other commercial fleets, offering businesses an alternative to building dedicated charging capacity of their own.

Seven depots are now offering access through its Chargd service, with further locations planned across the group's estate. 

The proposition was initially announced back in May, with the first slate of depots including Inverness, Oxford, Cambridge, London Ash Grove, Stockton and Dover. The latest expansion moves the idea beyond an initial handful of sites and towards a broader shared-charging network built around Stagecoach's existing depot infrastructure.

That could offer a unique proposition for fleet operators who are on the fence about rolling out their own EV charging infrastructure. 

Depot electrification can require substantial investment in grid capacity, switchgear, chargers and controls. Those assets will not necessarily be fully utilised throughout the day – meaning expensive assets are sitting around idle. Allowing other fleets onto the same infrastructure creates an opportunity to make greater use of capacity that has already been secured and paid for.

You can think of it like the low-cost airline model. Aircraft is expensive, so why would you waste precious time leaving that aircraft idle? Instead, maximise turnaround time and minimise time on the ground. That’s a similar model here – instead, it’s EV charging infrastructure that is being underused and could potentially be utilised by other fleets. 

There are other benefits to the model outside of generating revenue during off-peak periods. Fleet operators who are dealing with grid connection constraints could share chargers with nearby sites, which would allow them to electrify vehicles without immediately developing its own high-capacity charging site or waiting for network reinforcement.

I can see one downside, however. That’s because sharing charging infrastructure makes operational discipline more important.

After all, Stagecoach may have great chargers, but it’s only useful to others if you’ve taken account of the company’s own charging schedules, vehicle requirements, site loads and charger availability. 

If Stagecoach’s own charging schedules conflict with the peak times others need to charge, then its infrastructure will likely still remain idle. That would also still require those fleets to invest in their own charging infrastructure. An example would be a delivery depot. Like Stagecoach, the majority of its vehicles will need to be on the road during the day and charging overnight – they can’t simply wait for Stagecoach to not need the chargers. 

There are others that are more flexible, however. For example, some Stagecoach locations can accommodate electric HGVs. Given their need for regular breaks throughout the day – they could be the perfect users for this kind of sharing agreement. 

There’s already proof that can work, as Stagecoach's Stockton facility supports electric HGV charging associated with PD Ports and the Port of Middlesbrough.