World EV Day 2024: How managing an electric fleet of 1,600 can be easy!

Octopus Energy Services (OES) is at the forefront of transforming the energy industry with a commitment to sustainability and innovation.

Beyond the technology they install, OES has made a tangible impact on the environment by replacing diesel vans with electric ones, significantly reducing their carbon footprint. With each installation, OES isn't just helping customers save on energy bills but also contributing to a sustainable, low-carbon future, ensuring that the energy revolution reaches every doorstep.

But how exactly do you manage an electric fleet this size? Well, that's where Octopus Electroverse for Business comes in.

We sat down with Octopus Energy Services CEO, John Szymik, to find out more about OES and how Electroverse helps.

Let's get plugged in...

Octopus Energy Services plays a huge role at Octopus Energy - and with smart meters having an instrumental part in the past few years, how do you see smart meters contributing to a greener energy future?

Smart meters are a huge part of what we do! They enable customers to better understand their energy consumption and therefore enable Octopus to offer customers smart tariffs that better suit their needs. For example, if a customer wants to charge an EV at home, we can offer smart tariffs to ensure they get the cheapest and greenest electricity to charge their vehicles with.

They facilitate smart tariffs which encourage people to use energy at times of day when it’s cheaper, which also tends to correlate with when it’s greener (when there is more renewable energy on the grid). It also allows us to have further insight into how they use their energy - rewarding customers when they’re utilising green grid energy. Adapting demand, creating storage solutions and increasing the amount of renewable energy generation is what will lead to a net zero energy system.

Looking ahead, what are the biggest opportunities and challenges for OES in the next 5-10 years, especially considering the evolving energy landscape and regulatory changes?

Scale. The increase in scale when it comes to OES is one of our most exciting progressions, but it’s also one of our biggest challenges. Whilst OES grows rapidly, so does the want for smart meters and more on-the-ground, environmental tech! We need thousands of talented people to increase the rollout of smart green tech such as solar, battery storage, heat pumps, EV chargers and more. The main focus at the moment is on how we will recruit, train and continually develop these green-skilled octo-engineers.

Back in 2021, it was announced that the first 23 electric vans had already hit the streets - how many electric vans does OES have now?

OES now has 1,600 electric vans on the roads! Increasing by 1,577 vans in 3 years.

Were there any challenges to transitioning Octopus Energy Services’ fleet to electric?

The main challenge was that commercial vehicles tend to have a reasonable range for in-town work; where the travel distances are shorter, but were lacking in range for longer journeys. However, the public charging infrastructure is getting better all the time, so it’s perfectly feasible to run an electric van, even with slightly longer than usual travel distances, you just need to plan ahead when it comes to charging.

Other than this, the main challenge is the number of engineers who don’t have off-road parking for overnight charging. We are looking at solutions for that as it is a huge opportunity to be solved and innovative products such as Kerbo Charge could well be the answer.

How has Electroverse for Business helped with streamlining Octopus Energy Services’ public charging needs?

It gives our drivers a single card to use across a myriad of charging provider networks, hugely reducing the effort involved with having accounts for each of the providers. As a business, it enables us to see all our public charging in one place/on one dashboard, which makes management far easier.

What’s the most valuable feature in the Electroverse for Business platform for fleet admins?

I have two:

• The user interface - it's incredibly friendly and makes managing an electric vehicle fleet of 1,600 very easy. Every important piece of information is displayed on the dashboard & if I need more, it doesn't take much to find it.

• The reporting function - unlike similar products, after a driver completes a charging session, the data appears in the reporting function almost immediately. This means we have up-to-date data as and when we need it! 

How have OES fleet drivers found using Octopus Electroverse to charge on the public network?

Does what it says on the tin - one card that works across multiple platforms and a very useful app to help drivers locate chargers and plan their routes accordingly. 

Are you thinking about electrifying your fleet, or already have one?

Octopus Electroverse for Business might be able to help streamline your charging management. Check us out (or try us out!) here.

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