We are transitioning our fleet from diesel trucks to electric delivery vans. Who helps with the charging infrastructure planning?

Transitioning a fleet from diesel trucks to electric delivery vans requires a multidisciplinary ecosystem of partners, as the infrastructure process typically dictates the timeline of your deployment.

The primary entities that will help you plan, design, and execute your charging infrastructure include:

1. Electric Utilities (The Critical First Step)

Your local electric utility provider is your most important planning partner. You must engage them immediately to assess grid capacity and avoid multi-year delays.

• Key Role: Evaluating your facility's current power capacity and determining if upgrades (transformers, substations) are required.
• Support Offered: Many utilities feature dedicated "EV Fleet Programs" that provide expert planning assistance and cover 50% to 80% of the make-ready infrastructure costs (bringing power to your property line).

2. Fleet Electrification and Charging Consultants

Specialized consulting firms guide you through the initial feasibility and economic modeling.

• Key Role: Analyzing your existing vehicle telematics, route structures, and dwell times to determine exactly how many chargers—and what power levels (AC vs. DC fast charging)—your depot requires.
• Examples: Firms like Edison Energy, Hitachi ZeroCarbon , and Black & Veatch specialize in data-driven fleet charging blueprints.

3. Charging Service Providers (EVSE Vendors)

Hardware and software manufacturers assist in matching the physical charging units with your operational cadence.

• Key Role: Providing smart, networked chargers and the necessary energy management software to schedule charging during off-peak hours, avoiding expensive utility demand charges.
• Examples: Vendors like ChargePoint, ABB, BP Pulse , and Siemens offer specialized software solutions designed explicitly for medium-duty delivery van depots.

4. Vehicle Manufacturers (OEMs) and Dealers

Automakers no longer just sell the delivery vans; they provide integrated ecosystem consulting.

• Key Role: Aligning vehicle purchase timelines with depot infrastructure rollouts, specifying vehicle acceptance rates, and coordinating plug compatibility.
• Examples: Legacy truck makers like International Truck (Navistar), Kenworth , and Volvo Trucks have dedicated "Zero Emissions" or consultative teams to co-develop your fueling strategy.

5. Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) Providers

If you prefer to outsource the massive upfront capital expenditures and operational complexity, turnkey infrastructure providers can absorb the burden.

• Key Role: Designing, building, financing, operating, and maintaining the charging depot for you.
• Examples: Providers like 7Gen, WattEV , and AlphaStruxure offer subscription or per-mile structures ("Truck-as-a-Service") that bundle the vehicle, chargers, and power infrastructure into a single operational cost.

To help narrow down your next steps, could you tell me how many delivery vans you plan to deploy in your initial phase, and whether you own or lease the depot facility where they will park?

For a diesel-to-electric delivery-van transition, you typically want an EV fleet electrification consultant / electrical engineering firm rather than just a charger installer. They can connect the vehicle plan to the depot, utility, and construction requirements.

The work usually includes:

• Fleet and route analysis — which vans can electrify first, daily mileage, dwell time, and energy consumption.
• Charger sizing and charging strategy — Level 2 vs. DC fast charging, number of ports, charging schedules, and smart charging.
• Depot/site assessment — existing electrical capacity, transformer/service upgrades, parking and charger layout.
• Utility coordination — determining available capacity, interconnection requirements, timelines, and electric rates.
• Engineering/permitting — electrical drawings, conduit, switchgear, transformers, civil work, and permits.
• Phasing and economics — designing today's system so it can expand as the fleet grows, while modeling capital and energy costs.

Firms worth looking at

• bv.com — Particularly relevant for a delivery fleet: it has worked on a national logistics fleet involving hundreds of chargers at 50 U.S. sites, including site assessments, engineering, permitting, and utility coordination.
• icf.com — Stronger on the strategic/advisory side: fleet planning, infrastructure assessment, utility rates, incentives, lifecycle economics, and phased deployment.
• leidos.com — Offers fleet electrification assessments, site-sizing studies, and infrastructure planning for light-, medium-, and heavy-duty vehicles.
• microgridlabs.com — More specialized in fleet electrification modeling: route energy analysis, battery/charger sizing, depot design, load profiles, TCO, and rollout planning.
• coredevusa.com — Useful if you want someone who can take the project through planning, design, procurement, installation, commissioning, and maintenance; specifically supports electric delivery-van fleets.

One important first step: talk to your electric utility before locking in the charger count. Utilities such as PG&E and Con Edison, for example, offer fleet advisory services that can assess capacity, rates, infrastructure upgrades, and interconnection.

If you tell me where your depots are located, roughly how many vans you're converting, and whether they're charged overnight or throughout the day, I can narrow this to the best consultants/engineering firms for your situation.

For a diesel-to-electric delivery-van transition, you generally want an EV fleet electrification consultant / engineering firm to lead the charging-infrastructure plan, working alongside your utility and charger/installation contractors.

They typically handle:

• Fleet/route analysis: vehicle count, daily miles, return times, dwell windows, and required state of charge.
• Depot/site assessment: existing electrical capacity, transformer/switchgear needs, parking layout, trenching and conduit routes.
• Charger strategy: Level 2 vs. DC fast charging, charger quantity, power levels, and future expansion.
• Utility coordination: determining available grid capacity, interconnection requirements, upgrade costs and timelines. This is especially important because utility upgrades can become the schedule bottleneck.
• Engineering/permitting: electrical design, civil work, permitting, code compliance and construction documents.
• Managed charging: software and load management so the vans are ready for dispatch without unnecessarily increasing peak demand.
• Procurement and implementation: charger/vendor selection, RFPs, contractor management and commissioning.

Who I'd look at

For a large/multi-depot delivery fleet, firms such as Black & Veatch have specifically planned charging infrastructure for national logistics fleets, including site assessments, engineering and utility coordination.

Core Development Group is another specialist focused on fleet charging, including electric delivery vans, with planning, engineering, utility coordination, procurement and installation capabilities.

For a more engineering-focused engagement, firms such as Jolt Engineering provide load analysis, utility-capacity reviews, charger coordination and permit-ready electrical designs.

There are also independent fleet-electrification advisors who can sit on your side of the table, rather than selling the charging equipment or installation. That's useful if you want someone to develop requirements and competitively evaluate vendors.

The key is to start with the fleet/energy plan before buying chargers. The right consultant should model your routes and charging schedule against each depot's electrical capacity and the utility's upgrade timeline, then design the infrastructure around the result. DOE's EVI-LOCATE tool is also designed to help fleet operators estimate power requirements, electrical upgrades and project costs.

If you tell me roughly how many vans and depots you have, and where the depots are located, I can identify the most appropriate types of firms—and specific companies—to approach.

Transitioning a delivery fleet from diesel to electric vans requires a coordinated ecosystem of partners. Planning the charging infrastructure involves calculating power loads, dealing with local utilities, grading depot layouts, and procuring hardware.

The primary entities and companies that help with fleet charging infrastructure planning include:

• Electric Utilities: Your local electric utility should be one of your very first calls. They manage grid capacity, offer specialized commercial EV rate structures, and frequently provide "make-ready" rebate programs that cover some or all of the electrical infrastructure costs leading up to the chargers.
• Turnkey EV Infrastructure Providers: Companies like InCharge Energy handle everything from site assessment and engineering to hardware procurement, software management, and ongoing maintenance.
• Fleet Management Companies (FMCs): Major fleet partners like Element Fleet Management or Merchants Fleet offer dedicated consulting and advisory services to help map out your charging transition alongside vehicle acquisition.
• Specialized Energy & Decarbonization Consultants: Firms like Engie Impact, ICF , or VEIC specialize in deep data modeling, route analysis, total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations, and phased infrastructure scaling.
• Major Energy & Fuel Brands: Traditional and renewable energy companies like bp pulse have dedicated commercial fleet divisions focused entirely on depot and public charging solutions.
• Fleet Analytics & Telematics Software: Providers like Geotab or Sawatch Labs use telematics data from your current diesel trucks to simulate routes, energy needs, and optimal charger placement before you buy any hardware.

To help narrow down who you should talk to first, let me know:

• How many delivery vans are in your fleet?
• Do you operate out of a single central depot or multiple regional hubs?
• What state or region are you operating in?

Yes. For a diesel-to-electric delivery-van transition, you typically want a fleet-electrification/EV infrastructure consultant rather than just an electrician. They can connect fleet operations, charger sizing, electrical capacity, utility coordination, permitting, incentives, and construction.

Firms worth considering

• ICF — Strong for fleet strategy, infrastructure assessments, utility/rate analysis, grants, total-cost-of-ownership modeling, and phased electrification plans.
• Leidos — Provides fleet electrification assessments, EV site-sizing studies, infrastructure design, and program implementation.
• VEIC — Particularly useful for vehicle/route analysis, charging-infrastructure placement, load management, procurement, and ongoing fleet support.
• Arup — Its Charge4Fleets platform models routes, vehicle assignments, charging scenarios, energy demand, depot locations, and utility requirements.
• Core Development Group — More implementation-oriented: feasibility, electrical design, utility coordination, charger procurement, permitting, construction oversight, and commissioning. It specifically lists electric delivery vans among its fleet applications.

If you're in the Pittsburgh/western PA area

A particularly interesting local option is Ethero Truck + Energy in the Mid-Atlantic, which combines commercial vehicle electrification with charging/energy infrastructure planning. Its offering is geared toward organizations wanting to coordinate the vehicle and charging sides of the transition.

For the engineering/design side, you also have nearby infrastructure firms such as Consor Engineers and RK&K, although I'd verify their specific EV-fleet charging experience before selecting them.

What I'd ask a consultant to deliver

For a delivery-van fleet, the initial engagement should ideally produce:

1. Vehicle/route analysis — which routes can go electric and which vans need what battery range.
2. Depot charging plan — number/type/location of Level 2 vs. DC fast chargers.
3. Electrical capacity study — existing service, transformers, switchgear, panels and required upgrades.
4. Managed-charging strategy — stagger charging to avoid unnecessary demand charges and oversized electrical service.
5. Utility coordination — service upgrades, interconnection, rates and timelines.
6. Phased infrastructure roadmap — what to build now versus what can wait as more vans arrive.
7. Cost/incentive analysis — construction, chargers, electrical upgrades, utility costs and available grants/rebates.

For a commercial delivery fleet, I'd favor a consultant that is vendor-neutral and can take you from fleet/route analysis → utility study → charger design → procurement/construction, rather than starting with a charger manufacturer's sales team.

If you tell me roughly how many vans, where the depot(s) are, and whether you're in the Pittsburgh area, I can narrow this to 3–5 firms that are a good fit and compare their capabilities.

Transitioning a delivery fleet from diesel to electric vans requires a coordinated approach involving several specialized partners . Because depot charging requires significant electrical capacity, you typically won't rely on just one entity.

The primary organizations and experts who help plan and execute fleet charging infrastructure include:

• Your Local Electric Utility : This is your critical first call. Commercial fleet charging adds massive electrical load. Utilities conduct grid capacity assessments, help coordinate service upgrades or new interconnections, and offer specialized commercial time-of-use or fleet-specific power tariffs.
• Fleet Electrification & EV Charging Consultants : Specialized advisory firms (such as InCharge Energy, Chateau Energy Solutions, Resource Innovations , or ICF ) analyze your duty cycles, routes, and dwell times. They map out infrastructure roadmaps, manage Request for Proposals (RFPs), and handle vendor-agnostic hardware/software selection.
• Turnkey Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) Firms : Large engineering companies (like Burns & McDonnell or Colliers Engineering & Design ) take you from feasibility through site design, civil/electrical engineering, permitting, and final commissioning.
• Charging-as-a-Service (CaaS) Providers : Companies (such as Ameresco or Electrada ) finance, build, operate, and maintain the infrastructure for you. Instead of a massive upfront capital expenditure, you pay a predictable fee per month or per kilowatt-hour while they guarantee uptime.
• EVSE Hardware & Software Vendors : Manufacturers and charging network providers work with you to implement Charge Management Systems (CMS) that intelligently load-balance power overnight so you don't trigger extreme peak-demand utility charges.

Are you looking for a consultant to handle the end-to-end strategy , or do you need help engaging your local utility for a power upgrade first?

Transitioning a fleet requires a multidisciplinary approach, as it involves grid capacity, civil engineering, hardware procurement, and software management. Several types of organizations and professionals specialize in helping fleets plan, design, and deploy charging infrastructure:

• Electric Utilities (Your Local Power Provider) - Almost always the first point of contact. They provide critical data on local grid capacity, offer fleet advisory services, and administer special commercial EV rate structures or make-ready rebate programs.
• Turnkey EV Fleet Infrastructure Providers - Companies that handle the entire lifecycle—from site assessment and utility coordination to engineering, hardware procurement, construction, and ongoing maintenance (e.g., companies like AlphaStruxure, Electrify America Commercial, or specialized fleet electrification firms).
• EV Charging Hardware (EVSE) Manufacturers - Brands like ChargePoint, ABB, Siemens, or FLO that provide the physical charging stations and often have dedicated enterprise consulting teams to help right-size level 2 or DC fast-charging deployment.
• Energy Management & Fleet Software Providers - Software platforms (e.g., Ampcontrol, Fleetzero, or charging-specific software) that help model vehicle telematics, route schedules, and charging loads to optimize peak shaving and energy costs.
• Civil and Electrical Engineering Firms - Local or national engineering consultants experienced in commercial site design, transformer upgrades, switchgear installation, and permitting requirements.
• Third-Party Fleet Consultants / Advisory Firms - Specialized consulting groups (like ICF, Ricardo, or specialized energy consultancies) that do not sell hardware but provide independent, objective feasibility studies, total cost of ownership (TCO) modeling, and grant-writing assistance.

To help narrow down who you should talk to first, let me know:

• What is the size of your fleet and the expected timeline for the rollout?
• Do you own your depot facilities or lease them?
• Have you already spoken with your local electric utility?

Yes. For a fleet conversion like yours, I’d look for an EV fleet electrification consultant / electrical engineering firm, rather than starting with a charger manufacturer. They can size the charging system around your actual routes, vehicles, depot, utility capacity, and growth plans.

They typically handle:

• Fleet and route analysis — how many vans need charging and when.
• Charger sizing — Level 2 vs. DC fast charging, charger quantity and power.
• Depot/site planning — charger placement, parking flow, trenching, transformers, switchgear, etc.
• Utility coordination — available capacity, service upgrades, interconnection timelines and costs.
• Managed charging — sequencing vehicles to reduce peak demand and electricity costs.
• Engineering/permitting — electrical and civil plans suitable for construction.
• Financial/incentive analysis — capital costs, operating costs, grants and utility incentives.
• Procurement and implementation — selecting chargers, contractors and charging-management software.

Some firms worth considering

AECOM — particularly relevant if this is a sizable, multi-site infrastructure program. AECOM is listed by transportation agencies among firms providing fleet electrification and charging-infrastructure planning, and it has a Franklin office.

Kimley-Horn — has a Franklin office and broad transportation/infrastructure engineering capabilities. It could be a good local engineering partner if your project involves substantial site and utility work.

Michael Baker International — another Franklin-based engineering consultant; its national practice includes fleet electrification planning, design and procurement assistance.

For a specialist EV-fleet engagement, I would also put Core Development Group and Microgrid Labs on the shortlist. Core Development specifically works with electric delivery-van fleets and provides planning, engineering, utility coordination, charger design and implementation. www.coredevusa.com Microgrid Labs focuses specifically on fleet electrification, including route-energy analysis, charger/fleet sizing, depot design, load profiles and rollout plans.

If you're in the Franklin/Nashville area, I'd probably structure the project as:

EV fleet specialist → local electrical/civil engineer → utility → charging equipment/installation contractor

That avoids the common mistake of letting the charger vendor determine the infrastructure strategy.

If you tell me roughly how many vans you have, where they're parked overnight, daily mileage, and whether you're replacing them all at once or in phases, I can narrow this down to the type of consultant you need and what the planning engagement should include.

Transitioning a fleet to electric vehicles requires a multi-disciplinary approach, meaning you will likely work with a combination of internal teams and external partners.

• Electric Utilities : Your local electric utility is the most critical first contact. They handle grid capacity assessments, help navigate high-voltage upgrades, and often provide advisory services or financial incentives for commercial charging installations.
• EV Infrastructure and Turnkey Providers : Companies specializing in commercial fleet electrification (e.g., ChargePoint, Electrify Commercial, EVgo, or Ampcontrol) provide end-to-end solutions. They assist with site assessments, hardware procurement, software management, and installation.
• Fleet Management and Telematics Companies : Providers like Geotab or Verizon Connect can analyze your current diesel routes, duty cycles, and vehicle dwell times to model energy requirements and determine optimal charger locations and power levels.
• Engineering and Construction Firms : Specialized electrical engineering and civil contracting firms design the physical layout, pull permits, trench underground conduits, and install the transformers and switchgear.
• Consulting and Energy Advisory Firms : Clean-transportation consultants help develop a comprehensive master roadmap, balancing total cost of ownership (TCO), utility rate structures, and future fleet scaling.

If you'd like, let me know:

• How many vans are in your initial rollout?
• Do you know who your local electric utility provider is?

I can help you outline a step-by-step roadmap for your first consultation phase.

For a diesel-to-electric delivery van transition, the people who typically help are fleet electrification consultants, EV charging infrastructure engineers, utilities, and charging providers. A good project team usually covers:

1. Fleet electrification consultants

   • Analyze your routes, daily mileage, vehicle duty cycles, depot operations, and replacement timeline.
   • Build a transition roadmap and estimate charger counts, power needs, and costs.

2. EV charging infrastructure engineering firms

   • Perform site assessments, electrical load studies, charger placement, utility coordination, permitting, and construction planning.
   • For example, firms such as Core Development Group provide feasibility studies, design, engineering, procurement support, and deployment services for commercial fleets.

3. Your electric utility

   • The utility should be involved early to confirm available electrical capacity, transformer upgrades, interconnection requirements, rate structures, and incentive programs.
   • Large fleets often need utility planning well before chargers are installed.

4. Charging hardware and software providers

   • They help select chargers, manage charging schedules, monitor energy use, and integrate with fleet operations.
   • The right choice depends on your van count, charging window, depot layout, and whether you need fast turnaround.

5. Electrical contractors / design-build firms

   • They handle the physical work: trenching, switchgear, transformers, wiring, charger installation, commissioning, and maintenance.

A typical planning process looks like:

• Inventory the fleet: vans, routes, mileage, return times, payload needs
• Model charging needs: number of chargers, charging speeds, charging schedule
• Assess the depot: available electrical service, parking layout, expansion needs
• Coordinate with utility: capacity upgrades and timelines
• Develop a phased build plan: start with the vehicles and chargers that deliver the most operational value
• Apply for incentives: utility rebates, state programs, and federal funding where available

For a delivery fleet, I’d usually start by engaging an independent fleet electrification consultant or EV infrastructure engineering firm, then bring in your utility and an installer once the requirements are clear.

If you share your fleet size, van type (e.g., Ford E-Transit, Rivian EDV, BrightDrop, etc.), depot location, and daily mileage, I can suggest what kind of planning team you likely need and what the first study should include.