Designing Tomorrow’s Electric Fleet Facilities
Key Considerations in Planning Zero Emissions Operations and Maintenance Facilities
As vehicle technology evolves and electric vehicles become more prevalent, operations and maintenance facilities also need to be planned differently. Fleets of the future will require highly specialized maintenance, and fleet owners need to consider creative and functional design solutions to accommodate that upkeep.
In a recent article for Government Fleet magazine, Facility Design Manager Sheena Zimmerman and Transportation Operations and Maintenance Facilities Director Mark Ellis discussed six of the most common considerations for designing new fleet facilities or modifying existing facilities to accommodate future electric vehicles:
- Electrical infrastructure
- Vehicle parking and charging
- Facility modifications
- Parts storage
- Vehicle charging operations
- Training
Electric vehicle fleet transition can be deceptively complex. Zimmerman and Ellis, experienced in designing facilities across North America, offered some of their top insights for facility owners, such as the value of early communication with utilities, the importance of determining type of vehicle chargers before modifying facilities and why it makes sense to plan ahead for not just future expansions, but also a transition period that can include multiple types of vehicles.
With proper planning, the pitfalls for the implementation of a conversion and its impact on O&M facilities can be avoided. Understanding potential impacts and setting a realistic implementation timeline that considers those challenges are keys to success.
