A call for fleet data is being issued by the Association of Fleet Professionals (AFP) to fleet professionals as it continues a project to construct a national map showing street-by-street demand for electric vehicle kerbside charging. It is asking all fleet operators to provide information showing locations of their current and expected demand for kerbside charging facilities.

All fleet data provided will be anonymised by the AFP so as not to breach GDPR regulations, which the organisation believes should effectively make the process accessible to all.

“By drawing from within the AFP and some other recognised sources, we can collate geographical information on around 160,000 potential and existing drivers to construct the initial draft of the map. However, it makes sense to open the process up to all fleet operators who are embarking on the process of electrification and we’d now like to hear from as many organisations as possible, whether they run a dozen vehicles or thousands,” said Paul Hollick, AFP chair,

“If you tell us where you need charging, we can share the information with national and local government, as well as charging and electricity providers, to see where kerbside chargers are most urgently needed. This should help to guide future provision.”

Paul added that the AFP expected to have the first version of the map ready by the end of Q1 and that the whole subject had created more interest than any other subject or campaign with which the AFP had been involved.

“Every day we are hearing from fleets, especially van fleets, that want to speed up the electrification of their operations but are being hampered by the problem of charging for drivers who do not have off-road parking or any other access to a charger.

“This is generally thought to be about 40% of drivers across all fleets but, when it comes to light commercial vehicles, we believe the figure to be nearer 70%. That means good availability of kerbside charging is essential if van electrification is going to be a success.”