Australian roadshow highlights charging access and site power limits
Australia’s EV fleet transition will depend on depot capacity, charging access, route planning and energy management as much as the vehicles themselves, Schneider Electric says.
Schneider Electric launched its On-the-Go Learning Centre to take practical training to electricians, contractors and customers across Australia. The mobile demonstration centre sits in a 2.5-tonne trailer and carries energy technologies usually shown at a fixed site.
In 2026, the company set out to tow that trailer around the country with a fully electric vehicle. By the end of the tour, the vehicle will have covered about 25,000 kilometres across cities, regional centres and country roads.
Along the route, the EV handled steep climbs, long highway stretches and charging sites that were not designed for a large trailer. As a result, Schneider Electric argues fleet electrification is not just a vehicle buying exercise.
Instead, the company frames it as an energy infrastructure project that changes how an organisation operates, uses energy and plans for growth. Route design, charging access and depot power all affect whether the change works in practice.
Charging access and depot limits
Some charging sites were hard to reach without unhitching the trailer. Meanwhile, chargers listed as available did not always work.
On one regional journey, a public charger failed repeatedly. The team then charged overnight from a standard outlet and continued the next morning.
Because Schneider Electric had a contingency, that delay was manageable. However, fleets working to delivery windows, patient appointments or public transport schedules could face bigger impacts.
Organisations should start with the work their vehicles need to perform, according to Schneider Electric. A nursing fleet on predictable metropolitan routes has different needs from regional service vehicles or heavy trucks travelling long distances.
Distance matters, but payload, operating hours, route predictability, driving conditions and parking time also shape the right setup. A pilot should test the full operating model, including charging, driver schedules, site capacity and disruptions.
Beyond the charger itself, fleet electrification also needs cabling, switchboard capacity, grid connection and digital systems to manage power demand. Without a longer-term plan, infrastructure built for a few vehicles can become costly or inadequate as the fleet grows.
Schneider Electric did not disclose a cost estimate for those upgrades. The company also warned that fleet electrification can fail in practice if depot capacity and energy management do not keep pace with vehicle rollout.
