Grow Your Electrical Contractor Business With EV Fleet Charging Jobs

Key takeaways:

• 87% of fleet managers plan on getting at least one EV over the next five years.
• Electric fleets need chargers in a central or at-home charging hub for drivers.
• Electrical contractors should look into this growing market.

Your local bakery, home care nurse, and taxi service have one thing in common: They could all be driving electric cars very soon.

Businesses are going electric, and it’s not just the major corporations. Fleets of all sizes save money with EVs and contribute to cleaner communities.

EV fleet charging opportunities are here, and electrical contractors should consider how to enter this market.

The EV Fleet Market

How big is the fleet electrification market exactly? Currently, 14% of fleets have at least one EV, but this number could grow fast. As many as 87% of fleet owners think they’ll add one or more EVs in the next five years.

Those who already have EVs are highly likely to add more and are highly satisfied with these fleet vehicles (due to clear benefits, like reduced operational costs and easier maintenance).

EV fleet adoption is creating opportunities across several markets:

• Local businesses are going electric. Food delivery businesses, home services, and taxi companies are great candidates.
• Major corporations are embracing electrification. At the local level, businesses like your neighborhood’s Amazon distribution center are going electric.
• Public fleets are another growing market. Your municipality and local school district likely have an interest in electric vehicles, and over 5,000 electric buses are already on the roads across the U.S.
• As EV technology evolves, you'll find electrification jobs in the freight industry with charging for electric semi-trucks.

Fleet Charging Needs Differ From Residential Charging

Fleet charging is much more complex than EV charging for individuals. At the residential level, EV charging consists of installing a Level 2 charger that EV drivers will use overnight a couple of times a week.

On the other hand, an electric fleet needs several chargers to accommodate multiple electric vehicles and an electrical infrastructure that can handle the simultaneous load. Charging location also matters: Fleet managers must pick strategic spots to optimize the routes and limit vehicle downtime linked to charging.

Public EV charging is indeed growing. However, availability, wait times, and uptimes are issues for commercial applications, so most fleets develop their charging infrastructures.

There are two ways of doing it:

• Some fleets build a centralized charging hub with multiple chargers. This can require major electrical upgrades to charge several EVs at once and an energy storage or backup power solution.
• The other solution is to roll out at-home charging for the fleet drivers. It’s similar to basic at-home charging with Level 2 chargers, but the fleet manager needs to coordinate installation and ensure all chargers meet the same quality standards.

EV Fleet Charging Opportunities for Electrical Contractors

Whether a central charging hub or at-home charging for fleet drivers, EV fleet charging has an upfront cost, and deploying a fleet charging solution requires careful planning.

This is where electrical contractors like you can help. Offering expertise and quality EV charger installations is a first step, but you can go further with long-term fleet charging strategies.

Most fleets are gradually going electric, which opens doors for more charger installations in the future and repeat work. Speaking of repeat work, any charger installation project can lead to an electrical maintenance contract with services like cleaning, software updates, remote monitoring, and guaranteed uptime for reliable charging.

• Charging hubs also require electrical upgrades and a long-term energy management plan.
• For fleets relying on at-home charging, you can make a difference by offering trustworthy installation services and a great experience for the drivers in whose homes you work.

What Makes Raiven the Right Procurement Partner for the EV Fleet Charging Market?

To pursue opportunities in the fleet electrification market, consider getting your EVITP certification and building experience with small EV charging projects first. Then, you can contact local businesses to learn more about their electrification plans.

Part of helping fleets develop a charging strategy is picking the right chargers, which means updating your procurement process to buy quality electrification supplies.

Raiven’s Electrification Store is a game-changer for electrical contractors interested in electrification. With pre-negotiated discounts and quality products from leading electrification manufacturers, you’ll have everything you need to build a strong procurement process for EV charging projects.

You can even go further with your e-store, a fully custom eCommerce platform designed to power your business by selling certified residential EV chargers and accessories directly from your website:

• Stand out with a store that matches your branding, generate valuable installation leads with every sale, and boost your revenue by earning 50% of the profits made from sales on your store.
• Separate yourself from the competition with an EV Charger Store that matches your website's unique branding.
• Promote your installation services in your store with every sale made.
• Increase revenue by earning 50% of the profits made from sales within your store.
• Enjoy a premium, white-glove service where Raiven manages all Store operations, including customer support, sales tax, payments, orders, shipping, and returns!

Raiven offers many additional benefits for electrical contractors.

Raiven is on a mission to transform buying for the trades. Our innovative platform connects contractors, enterprises, and suppliers into a digital supply chain network.

The goal is to simplify sourcing, reduce costs, and unlock operational efficiency. New business opportunities become available, and you can scale faster.

Stop wasting time and money on inefficient procurement! As a Raiven member, you’ll get access to:

• Our procurement platform. Manage vendors and accounts with one convenient digital tool.
• Price tracking. Always find the best prices on the supplies you need.
• Exclusive cost savings. Raiven pre-negotiates prices, cutting your costs by 10 to 15%.
• A thriving community. Join a fast-growing group of 2,500+ contractors ready to innovate.

Visit Raiven for more information on building a procurement process ready for electrification.