For a delivery fleet going electric, what charging setup minimizes downtime and demand charges?

Switching a delivery fleet to electric is an exciting leap, but keeping trucks rolling without triggering brutal utility demand charges requires a smart, calculated charging architecture. To simultaneously minimize downtime and curtail peak demand charges , you need a multi-layered hardware and software strategy.

1. Smart Managed Charging (The Software Brain)

Unmanaged Level 2 or DC fast charging is a budget killer because vehicles plug in simultaneously and draw massive power all at once.

• Load Shedding & Peak Shaving: Software continuously monitors your facility’s total grid draw and throttles charging speeds dynamically so you never cross a pre-set demand threshold.
• Sequential & Priority Charging: Program the system to prioritize vehicles that need to hit the road earliest for morning shifts, while letting afternoon or backup vehicles sip power slowly overnight.
• Off-Peak Automation: Schedule high-draw charging strictly during the utility’s cheapest overnight windows (e.g., midnight to 6:00 AM).

2. On-Site Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)

If your local utility grid cannot support the high power output required for rapid DC fast charging—or if your utility charges high per-kilowatt (kW) demand fees—a stationary battery buffer is your best defense.

• How it works: The BESS charges slowly from the grid around the clock at a low, flat rate. When a fleet of delivery vans plugs in for a fast turnaround, the trucks draw power from the battery rather than a massive surge from the local utility wires.
• The payoff: It completely flattens your facility’s peak demand profile, often slashing utility demand charges by 40% to 70%.

3. Mixed-Power Hardware Architecture

Not every vehicle needs a 150 kW DC fast charger. Over-provisioning hardware wastes capital and spikes utility connection costs.

• Level 2 AC Charging ($$): Best for vehicles parked for 6 to 10 hours overnight. It draws minimal continuous power, completely avoids high demand spikes, and is gentler on battery health.
• DC Fast Charging ($$$): Reserve a small number of high-speed DC chargers (50 kW to 150 kW) exclusively for top-offs, mid-day route extensions, or multi-shift vehicles with tight turnaround times.

4. Right-Sized Depot Layout & Telematics Integration

• Telematics Sync: Connect your fleet management software with your charging software. If a delivery van returns with 60% battery remaining instead of the projected 20%, the system automatically slows its charging rate to save grid capacity.
• Future-Proofed Electrical Prep: Even if you start with Level 2 chargers, trench and size your conduits for future DC fast chargers and solar/BESS integration now. Retrofitting electrical infrastructure later is exceptionally expensive.

If you'd like, I can:

Break down the estimated cost differences between Level 2 and DC fast charging infrastructure Explain how vehicle-to-grid (V2G) or on-site solar can further reduce your utility bills Help calculate the ideal ratio of AC vs. DC chargers if you share the number and daily mileage of your fleet

For an electric delivery fleet, the charging setup that usually minimizes vehicle downtime + demand charges is:

A managed depot charging system built around mostly Level 2 charging, a limited amount of DC fast charging, and intelligent load control.

A good architecture looks like this:

1. Size charging around duty cycles, not “one charger per vehicle”

Avoid installing a high-power charger for every truck/van. Instead:

• Analyze each vehicle’s: - daily miles
• energy consumed
• arrival time
• departure deadline
• minimum required state of charge (SOC)
• Install enough connectors to handle operations, but use software to share power.

Many fleets can meet overnight needs with fewer chargers running at controlled power rather than every vehicle charging simultaneously.

Example:

• 100 delivery vans return at 6 PM
• Leave at 6 AM
• Each needs 50 kWh

Instead of:

• 100 × 19 kW chargers = 1.9 MW peak

A managed system might:

• use 60–80 AC Level 2 ports
• cap the depot at 500–800 kW
• automatically prioritize vehicles leaving earliest

2. Make Level 2 AC the default; reserve DC fast charging for exceptions

For predictable delivery routes:

Best fit

• Overnight return-to-base vans: Level 2 AC
• Medium-duty trucks with long routes: mix of Level 2 + some DC fast charging
• Emergency turnaround vehicles: DC fast charging

DC fast chargers are valuable but can create large demand spikes if multiple vehicles charge at once.

3. Add an energy management system (EMS)

This is the biggest demand-charge reducer.

The EMS should:

• enforce a site power limit (“never exceed 750 kW”)
• delay flexible charging
• slow chargers when the building load rises
• prioritize vehicles by departure time and SOC
• charge during cheaper utility periods

Managed charging reduces coincident peaks and can avoid unnecessary electrical upgrades.

4. Use battery storage only where the math works

A behind-the-meter battery can shave short, expensive peaks:

Example:

• Depot peak without controls: 1.5 MW
• Utility transformer limit: 1 MW
• Battery supplies the extra 500 kW during short spikes

Storage is most useful when:

• demand charges are high
• DC fast charging is required
• utility upgrades are expensive or delayed

It is usually not the first dollar spent; software-controlled charging often comes first.

5. Design around a “charging queue,” not a plug-in rush

The fleet should behave like an airport gate system:

1. Vehicle arrives
2. Telematics reports SOC and next departure
3. EMS assigns charging priority
4. Vehicle receives only the power needed to meet its deadline

This prevents the common failure mode where every driver plugs in at shift end and creates a demand spike.

A practical setup for a delivery fleet

The lowest-cost design is usually:

Smart Level 2 charging + a power cap + limited DC fast charging + optional battery peak shaving.

If you share your fleet size (number of vehicles), vehicle type (vans/trucks), daily miles, charging window, and utility territory, I can estimate charger count, kW capacity, and whether a battery is likely to pay off.

To minimize both downtime (ensuring vehicles are charged and ready on schedule) and demand charges (avoiding costly utility spikes from high concurrent power draws), a modern delivery fleet needs an integrated hardware and software setup. Uncoordinated charging will trigger massive utility demand charges, while under-powered setups cause operational downtime.

The ideal charging infrastructure architecture combines the following pillars:

1. Smart Charge Management (SCM) Software : The brain of the operation. SCM software uses telematics and route schedules to dynamically throttle or sequence charging. Instead of every van pulling 5 0 k W to 1 5 0 k W simultaneously the second it plugs in, the software load-balances the depot, ensuring a strict power ceiling that flattens the demand curve and cuts peak charges by 1 5% to 2 5%.
2. On-Site Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) : Pairing your chargers with a stationary commercial battery system allows for peak shaving . The BESS charges slowly from the grid during cheap, off-peak hours at a low baseline draw, then discharges rapidly to supplement the grid when the fleet plugs in all at once. This avoids triggering a high utility demand threshold.
3. Right-Sized DC Fast Charging (DCFC) Mixed with Level 2 (AC):
   • Use Level 2 AC chargers (7 k W to 1 9 k W ) for vehicles that have 8 to 12 hours of overnight dwell time. It’s gentle on batteries, cheaper to install, and draws a predictable, low-level load.
   • Strategically place a small number of DC Fast Chargers (5 0 k W to 1 5 0 k W ) only for high-utilization or multi-shift vehicles that need quick turnaround during the day.
4. Time-of-Use (TOU) and Telematics Integration : Automate charging to begin strictly during off-peak utility hours. Tie the software directly to your fleet management system so that if a route is canceled or finishes early, the vehicle's charging speed slows down to prioritize cost-savings rather than rushing a full state-of-charge it doesn't immediately need.

Learn more about optimizing energy footprints through the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program smart charging guidelines.

To tailor this setup more precisely, could you share:

• Your fleet's average daily mileage per vehicle?
• The typical overnight dwell time (hours parked at the depot)?
• Whether your local utility has severe demand charge structures or time-of-use rates?

For an electric delivery fleet, the sweet spot is usually depot charging + smart load management, rather than simply installing the fastest chargers possible.

Recommended setup

• Size chargers around the vehicles' dwell time. If vans sit at the depot for 8–12 hours overnight, use moderate-power AC/L2 or appropriately sized DC chargers rather than giving every vehicle a high-power DC fast charger. Longer dwell time gives the energy-management system room to spread charging out. NREL specifically identifies predictable fleet schedules and long depot dwell times as an opportunity to reduce peak demand without disrupting operations.
• Use networked, dynamic load management. Set a site-wide kW ceiling and let software distribute that capacity among plugged-in vehicles according to departure time, state of charge, route requirements, and utility rates. This prevents 30–50 vehicles from charging at full power simultaneously. DOE says managed charging can reduce both demand charges and infrastructure-upgrade costs while ensuring vehicles receive the energy they need.
• Charge opportunistically, not immediately. Vehicles arriving at 6 p.m. don't all need to start charging at 6:01. The system can stagger sessions through the overnight window and favor low-cost periods. This can dramatically flatten the site's load profile.
• Design around the utility tariff. Before buying chargers, model the site's existing building load plus EV load against the utility's demand and time-of-use charges. A rate specifically favorable to fleet/EV charging can be worth more than squeezing a few dollars out of charger hardware.
• Add battery storage when the grid connection is the bottleneck. A behind-the-meter battery can charge during low-demand periods and discharge when multiple vehicles need high power, effectively "shaving" the site's grid peak. NREL finds storage particularly useful for peaky DCFC loads and notes that distributed energy resources can sometimes avoid costly grid upgrades.

A practical architecture

Utility service → energy-management system → charging cabinets → multiple vehicle plugs

with:

solar (optional) + battery storage (where economics justify it)

The key is that the chargers share a site power budget. For example, if the depot can economically draw 500 kW, you might install substantially more than 500 kW of aggregate charger capacity—but software ensures the fleet rarely exceeds ~500 kW from the grid.

That distinction is important: installed charging capacity ≠ simultaneous grid demand.

How I'd optimize it

For a delivery fleet, I'd prioritize these in order:

1. Get the utility tariff right.
2. Determine each vehicle's required kWh and actual dwell window.
3. Install enough plugs that vehicles don't have to queue.
4. Use dynamic charging to cap the site's grid draw.
5. Reserve high-power DC charging for vehicles with genuinely short dwell times.
6. Add stationary storage if avoiding a service upgrade or demand charges makes the economics work.

If you're in upstate New York, this is particularly worth modeling with the utility before committing to infrastructure; National Grid currently offers fleet site-feasibility/rate analysis and a demand-charge rebate program.

Bottom line: don't optimize for the fastest possible individual charge. Optimize for the lowest grid peak that still guarantees every vehicle leaves with the required range. That's generally the combination that minimizes both downtime and demand charges.

1. Get the utility tariff right.
2. Determine each vehicle's required kWh and actual dwell window.
3. Install enough plugs that vehicles don't have to queue.
4. Use dynamic charging to cap the site's grid draw.
5. Reserve high-power DC charging for vehicles with genuinely short dwell times.
6. Add stationary storage if avoiding a service upgrade or demand charges makes the economics work.

If you're in upstate New York, this is particularly worth modeling with the utility before committing to infrastructure; National Grid currently offers fleet site-feasibility/rate analysis and a demand-charge rebate program.

For a delivery fleet, the best setup is usually overnight Level 2 charging + dynamic managed charging, with a small amount of DC fast charging for vehicles that truly need rapid turnaround.

Recommended architecture

• Networked L2 chargers at every overnight parking position. Size the number of ports around the fleet's dwell time, not around the theoretical maximum simultaneous charging load.
• Central smart-charging/load-management system. It should continuously cap the depot's total EV load and stagger vehicles based on departure time, state of charge, and energy required. DOE specifically identifies this as a way to reduce both demand charges and electrical-infrastructure upgrades.
• Set a site-wide power ceiling. For example, instead of 20 vans each pulling 11 kW simultaneously (220 kW), the controller might hold the fleet at 80–120 kW and allocate that capacity dynamically. Vehicles that leave earliest get priority.
• Charge predominantly during the utility's off-peak window. The ideal schedule fills vehicles gradually through the overnight dwell period rather than having everyone start charging when they return. Managed charging can address both TOU energy prices and demand charges.
• Coordinate EV charging with the building's existing load. The controller should account for HVAC, refrigeration, lighting, etc., so EVs don't create the facility's monthly peak.
• Use DC fast charging selectively. Put perhaps 1–2 high-power DC chargers at a depot if some routes have short turnaround times. Don't make DCFC the default for vehicles that sit overnight—it creates much larger instantaneous loads.
• Consider battery storage if DCFC or grid capacity is expensive. A behind-the-meter battery can shave short, high-power charging peaks, potentially avoiding a costly service upgrade and reducing demand charges. DOE also identifies bidirectional charging as another potential peak-management tool.
• Work with the utility before finalizing the design. The tariff can matter as much as the charger hardware. Some utilities offer EV-specific, TOU, subscription, or alternative demand-charge structures.

The key design principle

Don't optimize for maximum charging power. Optimize for minimum power needed to guarantee every vehicle reaches its required SOC before departure.

For example, if 30 delivery vans each need 40 kWh overnight, that's 1,200 kWh of energy. If they have a 10-hour dwell window, the theoretical average is only 120 kW for the entire fleet (before charging losses). A smart system can distribute that 120-ish kW across the night rather than creating a 300–600 kW spike.

That's particularly important because commercial demand charges can be based on the site's highest 15-minute demand interval; one synchronized charging event can therefore affect the bill for the entire month.

In short: L2 everywhere → smart load management → off-peak scheduling → departure/SOC prioritization → limited DCFC → battery storage where peak demand or grid upgrades justify it.

If you give me fleet size, vehicle battery size, miles/day, return/departure times, and your utility (e.g. Eversource/National Grid), I can work out a concrete charger count, kW power limit, and an example overnight charging schedule.

To minimize both downtime (ensuring every vehicle hits its route with a full battery) and demand charges (avoiding catastrophic utility spikes from simultaneous high-power draws), a delivery fleet requires a hybrid charging architecture paired with intelligent software.

A blueprint for an optimized depot setup achieves this balance through specific structural and operational components:

1. A Mixed Hardware Ratio (The 80/20 Rule)
   • Deploy Smart Level 2 AC Chargers for≈8 0% of the depot. Delivery vans typically experience long overnight dwell times (8–12 hours), making cost-effective Level 2 AC units ideal for replenishing standard daily mileage without straining local grid capacity.
   • Deploy DC Fast Chargers (DCFC) for the remaining 2 0% (or high-utilization/multi-shift vehicles). Position these for rapid mid-day turnarounds or unexpected route extensions where dwell time drops below 90 minutes.
2. Dynamic Load Management (DLM) & Peak Shaving
   • Implement a centralized Charge Management System (CMS) utilizing Ampcontrol or similar smart energy platforms.
   • Program a hard site power cap into the CMS. Instead of allowing every plugged-in van to draw maximum current simultaneously—which sets a brutal, expensive monthly peak demand baseline—the CMS dynamically throttles or staggers power distribution based on real-time facility load and vehicle departure schedules.
3. Time-of-Use (TOU) & Priority-Based Sequencing
   • Configure the software to delay heavy charging until deep off-peak utility windows (e.g., late night/early morning).
   • Use ready-by scheduling : Input route manifests so the system knows Vehicle A leaves at 5:00 AM (gets prioritized) versus Vehicle B leaving at 9:00 AM (gets throttled to charge slowly during the cheapest overnight hours).
4. Behind-the-Meter Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS)
   • For larger depots with tight charging windows, pair the setup with a modular commercial stationary battery.
   • The BESS charges slowly from the grid during cheap off-peak hours and discharges to assist the DC fast chargers during peak morning vehicle prep, smoothing out the facility's demand spikes entirely.
5. Future-Proofed "Grid-First" Infrastructure
   • Run the heavy underground conduit, trenching, and utility capacity makereadys for your ultimate 100% fleet size on day one, even if you only install 20% of the physical chargers today. Civil works represent the highest sunk-cost factor; retrofitting electrical capacity later multiplies downtime and labor expenses.

If you can share:

• The number of vehicles in your current fleet
• Average daily route mileage and dwell/parking hours at the depot
• Whether you operate single or multiple daily shifts

I can help tailor the exact ratio of Level 2 to DC fast-charging ports you'll need.

To minimize downtime and avoid punishing demand charges for an electric delivery fleet, you need an integrated charging architecture that combines smart charging software, on-site energy storage , and optimized hardware.

Here is the blueprint for a charging setup designed to keep trucks rolling while keeping utility bills low:

• Managed Smart Charging (Software-Defined Load Control): Implement a robust Fleet Management System (FMS) integrated with your telematics. The software dynamically throttles or shifts charging rates based on real-time fleet schedules and building load. When trucks return late at night, power is prioritized for vehicles heading out on early morning shifts, smoothing out the power draw to avoid massive demand spikes.
• Commercial Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): Pair your chargers with a stationary lithium-ion battery system (e.g., L F P cap L cap F cap P𝐿𝐹𝑃 chemistry). The BESS charges slowly from the grid during off-peak hours at a low baseline draw and discharges at a high kilowatt rate to fast-charge your fleet during peak windows. This completely decouples your real-time charging speed from your utility's peak demand metering.
• High-Power DC Fast Chargers (DCFC) with Dynamic Power Sharing: For quick midday top-offs or rapid overnight turnaround, install modular DC fast chargers (typically 5 0 k W to 1 5 0 k W for medium-duty trucks). Dynamic power-sharing cabinets can intelligently split, say, a 1 5 0 k W power pool across multiple stalls—delivering high power to a truck that needs a fast charge and lower power to one sitting overnight.
• On-Site Solar PV Integration: If roof space or a depot yard allows, add a photovoltaic solar canopy. Solar generation naturally aligns with daytime baseline loads or offsets early afternoon peak pricing tiers, reducing the net kilowatt-hours pulled from the local grid.
• Sub-metering and Time-of-Use (TOU) Alignment: Configure your site architecture to take advantage of utility TOU tariffs by automating charging exclusively during super-off-peak hours (usually late night to early morning), unless an emergency midday dispatch requires overriding the schedule.

If you'd like, tell me:

• What is the size and class of your fleet (e.g., vans vs. heavy step-vans)?
• What are your typical daily route lengths and operating hours?

I can help tailor a more specific power capacity and infrastructure recommendation for your depot.

For a delivery fleet, the sweet spot is usually many lower-power networked chargers + intelligent load management, with a small amount of DC fast charging only where operations truly require it.

Recommended setup

1. Use Level 2 for overnight depot charging

   • Give each vehicle access to a charger, but don't size the electrical service as though every charger runs at full power simultaneously.
   • Overnight dwell time gives the charging system hours to replenish batteries.
   • DOE notes that unmanaged charging can create both demand-charge spikes and expensive electrical upgrades, while managed charging can spread the load across the available charging window.

2. Install networked chargers with centralized smart charging

   • The software should dynamically allocate a fixed site power budget among vehicles.
   • Prioritize vehicles by departure time, required SOC, route energy requirement, and current SOC rather than simply "first plugged in."
   • This lets, for example, 20 vehicles share a 150–250 kW electrical envelope instead of potentially demanding 300–400+ kW simultaneously.
   • DOE specifically recommends enforcing power ceilings and coordinating charging to reduce coincident peaks.

3. Charge predominantly during the lowest-cost hours

   • Have the controller incorporate the utility's TOU periods and demand-charge rules.
   • Don't merely optimize $/kWh: protect the site's monthly peak kW. A single high-power charging interval can establish the demand charge for the billing period.

4. Add a few DC fast chargers for operational exceptions

   • Use DCFC for vehicles with short dwell times, mid-day turnaround, or unusually high daily mileage.
   • Don't make every vehicle a 150–350 kW charging load unless the routes genuinely require it. A managed mix of L2 plus strategically located DCFC generally gives better economics and resilience.

5. If DCFC load is large, consider battery energy storage

   • A battery can charge from the grid slowly and discharge rapidly when several delivery vehicles need fast charging.
   • That effectively lets you have high charging throughput while keeping the utility meter below a predetermined demand ceiling.
   • Battery storage, managed charging, and favorable utility tariffs are among the principal demand-charge mitigation strategies identified by the Transportation Energy Institute.

The architecture I'd target

Utility service → site power controller → L2 chargers + a few DCFC → vehicles

with the controller continuously enforcing something like:

"Never exceed 200 kW from the grid unless fleet readiness requires it."

The controller then decides which vehicles get that 200 kW at any moment.

For a depot with predictable overnight parking, this can be substantially better than installing enormous electrical capacity just to handle the theoretical simultaneous peak. DOE's fleet guidance explicitly recommends analyzing vehicle schedules and dwell periods, utility rates, and future expansion before sizing the charging infrastructure.

Bottom line: optimize for energy delivered per available dwell hour, not maximum charger power. Networked L2 + smart charging should be the foundation; add DCFC and/or a battery where route schedules make them necessary.

If you give me fleet size, vehicle battery size, miles/day, arrival/departure window, and your utility/tariff, I can size an example system and show the likely peak kW and charging cost.

To minimize downtime and demand charges for an electric delivery fleet, you need a hardware, software, and operational strategy that flattens your power spikes while keeping vehicles fully charged for their routes.

Here is the optimal charging setup designed to balance operational speed with utility cost control:

• Managed Smart Charging (Software-Driven Load Management): Software is the most critical piece for demand charge reduction. Load management software automatically throttles or shifts charging power based on real-time building load and utility pricing signals. Instead of all vehicles pulling maximum power at once when returning, the software sequences and slows down charging overnight to stay beneath a strict peak kW threshold.
• On-Site Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS): Pairing chargers with a commercial BESS (such as lithium-ion battery banks) allows you to draw power from the grid slowly and constantly at a low baseline. When vehicles plug in and demand high power, the energy comes from the battery buffer rather than spiking the grid demand charges.
• Strategic Level 3 DC Fast Chargers (DCFC) for Top-Offs Only: Avoid high-powered DCFCs for overnight charging, as they trigger massive demand charges. Instead, use lower-powered Level 2 AC chargers (≈𝟏𝟗.𝟐𝐤𝐖) for standard overnight fleet dwell times. Reserve a minimal number of DC Fast Chargers (≈𝟓𝟎𝐤𝐖−𝟏𝟓𝟎𝐤𝐖) strictly for mid-day emergency top-offs or multi-shift vehicles with short turnaround times.
• Vehicle-to-Building (V2B) and Time-of-Use (TOU) Integration: Configure your infrastructure to align with your local utility's Time-of-Use (TOU) rate structures. Charging is locked out or minimized during peak utility hours (late afternoon/early evening) and ramps up only during deep off-peak window hours (late night to early morning).
• Modular and Expandable Hardware Architecture: Install future-proof, scalable conduit and switchgear capacity upfront, but deploy charger power-sharing modules incrementally. Power-sharing cabinets let multiple dispensers dynamically share a pool of kilowatts, matching the actual low-and-slow needs of parked delivery vans rather than dedicating a massive, expensive fixed capacity to every single stall.

To tailor this setup to your exact operation, tell me:

• Fleet size and the average daily mileage per vehicle
• Typical dwell time (how many hours vehicles sit parked and plugged in)
• Whether you operate single-shift or multi-shift delivery schedules

For most delivery depots, the sweet spot is managed overnight charging with a site-wide power cap, plus battery storage only where the utility tariff makes it economical.

Recommended architecture

1. Networked AC Level 2 chargers for the bulk of the fleet

   • Put one charger per vehicle where practical, rather than relying on drivers to move vehicles between chargers.
   • Size chargers around the duty cycle and dwell time—not maximum possible charging speed.
   • Overnight dwell gives software time to spread charging over 6–12 hours.

2. Central smart-charging/load-management system

   • Set a maximum depot import, e.g. 300 kW.
   • The controller continuously allocates that power among plugged-in vehicles based on departure time, state of charge, route requirements and utility rates.
   • Vehicles that leave earliest get priority; vehicles with longer dwell times wait.
   • This prevents 30 vehicles plugging in simultaneously from creating a giant demand peak. DOE specifically recommends enforcing power ceilings and coordinating EV charging with building loads.

3. Use DC fast charging selectively

   • Reserve DCFC for vehicles with short turnaround windows or unusually high daily mileage.
   • Don't build the whole depot around high-power DCFC if most vehicles sit overnight; the extra power can create substantial demand-charge exposure.

4. Pair the system with the right utility tariff

   • Before buying chargers, model the utility's TOU energy charges and demand-charge calculation.
   • An overnight fleet can sometimes fit particularly well with a time-of-day tariff. Utilities may also have fleet-specific rates, managed-charging incentives or demand-charge alternatives.

5. Add a battery (BESS) when peak shaving pencils out

   • If you need significant DCFC power, have limited grid capacity, or face high $/kW demand charges, a battery can charge at lower-power/off-peak rates and discharge during the fleet's peak charging period.
   • This lets you install substantially more charging capacity without making the utility connection equally large. DOE and the Transportation Energy Institute both identify onsite storage as a demand-charge mitigation strategy.

The key design principle

Don't optimize for maximum charger power. Optimize for minimum required charging power while guaranteeing every vehicle reaches its required state of charge before departure.

For example, suppose 40 vans return at 6 PM and leave at 6 AM. Rather than letting 40 × 11 kW = 440 kW hit the site simultaneously, a smart system might cap EV charging at 200–250 kW and distribute charging throughout the night. The vehicles still receive essentially the same energy; you've simply eliminated the coincident peak. Managed-charging studies demonstrate exactly this type of load-shaping.

My default design for a typical overnight delivery fleet:
1 charger/vehicle → networked L2 → centralized load management → TOU/off-peak scheduling → site power cap → small/medium BESS if demand charges or grid interconnection costs justify it → a limited number of DCFC for exceptions.

The most important step is actually doing the tariff + duty-cycle simulation before sizing the electrical service. That can prevent both oversized infrastructure and recurring demand charges. DOE recommends using vehicle schedules, dwell periods and the actual utility rate structure as core inputs to the charging strategy.

If you give me number of vehicles, battery size/range, daily miles, arrival/departure times, charger power, and utility, I can work out a concrete depot architecture and estimate the peak kW and charging-cost tradeoffs.