Siemens’ home charging solution allows fleets to spread infrastructure
As more medium- and light-duty fleets invest in electric vehicles, Siemens has developed a way for fleets with take-home vehicles to reimburse EV drivers for home charging. After piloting Depot360 Home Charging Reimbursement with Siemens’ electric fleet, the company is ready to offer the technology to others.
“A lot of these companies have a depot or facility in which these vehicles are parked,” Alan White, global head of emerging transportation platforms at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, told FleetOwner during the Advanced Clean Transportation Expo in Anaheim, California, last week.
“We can look at how to manage the costs, reduce energy spend, and improve productivity within that physical space,” he continued. “And many of these companies also have van guys who are going home. Or they have school buses that go home to a church parking lot. We need to figure out a way to have them charge so they can be up and running at 6 a.m., 8 a.m.—apart from the depot.”
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Using advanced vehicle telematics data, Depot360 Home Charging Reimbursement measures home charging sessions based on the vehicle’s location, rather than measurements from the charger. This allows fleet operators to reimburse only company fleet vehicle charging, even if a worker uses the same charger for personal vehicles.
White said that Siemens works with telematics providers to access real-time vehicle data to provide insights into home charging sessions to enable fair and accurate reimbursement.
He explained that it can also help fleets spread out charging infrastructure so that not all EVs need to be charged on company property. “This is a game-changer for fleet operators looking to accelerate their electrification journey, enabling remote and home charging for fleets while minimizing capital investment and risk,” White explained.
Along with lower costs for depot charging infrastructure, White said Depot360 reimbursement benefits fleets by avoiding the need for networked chargers and dedicated meters. It also simplifies management through automated payroll integration.
System analytics also offer insights to measure the program’s effectiveness and can advise fleet managers when and where the best recharge is. Depot 360 is a managed service that includes 24/7 access to Siemens’ experts who support driver onboarding, manage driver queries, provide periodic analytics, and offer troubleshooting, freeing up fleet operators to focus on other valuable tasks.
Siemens Mobility Services, part of Siemens Corporation Supply Chain Management, was the first fleet to use the service. The fleet includes 11,000 U.S. vehicles, including cars, trucks, cargo vans, bucket trucks, and tractor-trailers. The company plans to electrify its entire light-duty fleet—and half of its larger vehicles—by 2030.
“Identifying the optimal solution internally underscores the depth of our in-house expertise,” Adam Orth, Siemens Mobility Services’ U.S. head of fleet, said. “We’re proud to be the first to adopt this innovative approach. This solution not only reduces upfront infrastructure costs and ongoing operational expenses but streamlines home charging reimbursement programs, enabling operators to scale their electrification plans with greater efficiency, flexibility, and confidence.”
