EV Charging for Construction and Trades

Charging Strategy

Home charging overnight is the default. Charge to 80% on normal nights and 100% before long or heavy days. Opportunistic trickle charging on site is a useful bonus but not something to depend on. DC fast charging is the emergency backup for days that go longer or further than planned.

Practical Tips

• Charge at home overnight on a 7-11 kW wallbox. A full charge takes 7-10 hours for a large van like an E-Transit or eSprinter, giving you 200-300 km of range depending on payload.
• Heavy payloads reduce range by 10-20%. If you carry 500 kg or more of tools and materials regularly, factor that into your daily range expectations rather than relying on the manufacturer's quoted range.
• If a job site has a standard 230V outlet, you can trickle charge during the day. Even a slow 2-3 kW charge over 6 hours on site adds roughly 40-60 km of range, which can be the difference on a long day.
• Plan your week, not just your day. If Friday's job is 100 km away with a heavy load, charge to 100% on Thursday night instead of the usual 80%.
• In winter, expect 15-25% less range. Combined with a heavy payload, this means your worst-case day might use 40-50% more energy than your best-case day. Know your margins.
• Keep one reliable DC fast charger bookmarked near your most distant regular job sites. A 20-minute stop at 50 kW adds roughly 80-100 km, enough to get home comfortably.

Common Concerns

• Reduced range when carrying heavy tools, materials, or equipment
• Limited public charging infrastructure near rural or suburban job sites
• Uncertainty about whether daily range covers variable job site locations
• Finding chargers compatible with the vehicle after a long drive to a remote site
• Cold weather compounding range loss on top of heavy payload

Quick Readiness Check

Answer these questions to get a quick picture of how ready your construction and trades operation is for electric vehicles.

Recommended Vehicles

These vehicles are commonly used in construction and trades and can cover the typical 80 km daily requirement on a single charge.

Saving on Charging Costs

• Home overnight charging at 0.15-0.30 EUR/kWh replaces diesel at 1.50-2.00 EUR per litre. For a trades van covering 80 km per day, this saves roughly 2,000-3,500 EUR per vehicle per year in fuel costs alone.
• If you charge at home, install a separate electricity meter for the charger. This makes expense tracking and tax deductions straightforward.
• Avoid habitual DC fast charging. One unnecessary DC session per week at 0.50-0.75 EUR/kWh adds 500-700 EUR per year per vehicle compared to home charging.
• Electric vans have significantly lower maintenance costs. No oil changes, fewer brake replacements due to regenerative braking, and fewer moving parts overall. Factor this into your total cost comparison.

Making the Switch

Start with the vehicle that covers the shortest, most predictable daily route. A plumber doing local callouts within 50 km of home is a perfect first EV candidate. The driver builds confidence quickly, and the fuel savings are immediately visible. Save the long-distance, heavy-load assignments for later when your team has more experience with range management.