Abstract:

The increased use of electric vehicles in commercial transport has great potential. One of the primary challenges to adopting battery electric vehicles (BEV) for commercial transportation, according to users, is the reliance on charging stations and the inflexibility associated with charging, as well as the limits of current battery technologies. The use of BEVs in commercial transport may require the integration of recharging during the usual operating hours. This might lead to a conflict between the commercial activity and a non-usability period of the vehicles due to charging. This conflict is an obstacle to the suitability of BEVs. Therefore, the aim of this study is to analyse the charging behaviour of organisations, which already use BEVs in commercial transport. Furthermore, this paper provides conclusions on the feasibility of integrating recharging into the daily routine and the pursued energy-related and temporal charging behaviour. The upcoming deployment of higher-performance charging technologies will reduce charging durations and therefore the resulting non-usability periods of BEVs. This will reduce the conflict between charging and the provision of mileage, which could improve the suitability of BEVs in commercial transport.