EV Fleet Business Management

As one of Queensland’s most experienced solar companies, we are proud to be nationally recognised as an industry leader and an expert in our field. One reason we remain at the forefront of our industry is our 100% in-house staff force. From sales to design, engineering to project management, and electricians to technical support, Springers is run entirely by full-time employees rather than subcontractors. 

Our operations in South East Queensland mean that our sales team is constantly on the road, visiting sites and prospects to complete quotations. Naturally, we provide each of our sales staff with a company vehicle. 

The interesting thing about this? We are running an electric vehicle fleet with Tesla EVs as opposed to a traditional petrol fleet. 

We transitioned from a petrol sales fleet to an electric sales fleet in 2021 with Tesla Model 3s and Tesla Model Ys. Considering we still haven’t seen many other company-branded Tesla EVs on the road, we’d like to share our experience managing company EVs, including:

• How we keep the electric vehicles charged;
• How we monitor electricity usage for car charging;
• Staff reimbursement; and
• Business costs

As of Q3 2024, we have six EVs in our sales fleet. Given the sales team is on the road all day, every day, and rarely back at one of our office locations, charging their EVs at home is the most convenient option. To support this, we provide our employees with a monthly reimbursement for the electricity used to charge their company vehicles at home. 

How do we measure electricity usage for EV charging?

Since the large majority of EV charging occurs at the employees' homes, we set up a system that measures the kWh of electricity used to charge the company car. This can be done quite simply and cheaply by installing two components at the staff member’s home:

• A Tesla EV Charger
• A Current Transformer

We install both of these devices at a company cost as they are relatively cheap, especially compared to the ongoing costs of a petrol car. 

The Tesla EV Charger charges the electric vehicle, and the Current Transformer captures energy usage in the home. This device is installed on each electrical circuit and transmits information to the power meter. The power meter records the energy consumption on each electrical circuit and uses the data for real-time and historical energy monitoring analytics. We can use software to monitor this data remotely and to establish the kWh used to charge the vehicle at their home.

Reimbursement

We’ve opted for a straightforward approach by reimbursing our employees based on the peak tariff rate from their electricity bill. While this may slightly overcompensate them since the peak rate is determined by all household electricity usage, it simplifies the reimbursement process and minimises complexity for our accountants. Plus, it remains more cost-effective than fuel expenses. 

For example, let’s say Johnny drove 1000km last week, which according to the Current Transformer, required 130kWh to recharge the EV. We multiply 130kWh by the staff’s peak tariff rate, which is 32 cents per kW. This gives us $41.60, which is the dollar amount we will reimburse the staff member for using their electricity to charge a work car. 

Our accountants calculate this and apply the reimbursement monthly.

Other ways to charge

Charging at home is the most convenient way for our staff to charge their vehicles - they prefer it for convenience reasons and we prefer it because it means more time is spent on the road with customers during the day.

Other than charging at their home, our staff can also opt to charge their EV at our Springers Solar office locations. We encourage this where possible as our office has a large rooftop solar system installed, which offsets a large portion of any EV charging that happens during the day. Essentially, if staff were to charge at the office, it would cost the business very little in terms of electricity consumption. 

This being said, we will always prefer our sales staff to be on the road, meeting customers, and creating quotes. If we had to choose between charging at home in the evenings or charging at the office during the day (in place of quoting a customer), we would prefer they charge at home. 

If needed, staff can charge their EV at a Tesla Supercharger or another third-party charging station while on the road. We consider this a last-resort option, as third-party chargers can exceed 70 cents per kW. However, if necessary, staff will be reimbursed for the cost, which remains more economical than the running costs of a petrol vehicle. 

Petrol cars vs electric vehicles - cost comparison

Since transitioning to an electric vehicle fleet, our business costs for managing staff vehicles has decreased significantly. The most apparent cost-saver is the everyday running costs. As of August 2024, petrol costs around $1.90 per litre. This would cost us approximately 16 cents per km.

In comparison, the Tesla EVs require about 130Wh to recharge, which costs us around 4 cents per km.  

Another benefit to the EVs is they require significantly less maintenance and therefore have less downtime compared to a petrol vehicle. Of our six EVs, only one has required servicing in the past 5 years. We love this about the EVs; less downtime means more time for the sales staff to be on the road, giving quotes and selling our services.