Siemens launches end-to-end EV charging infrastructure service for fleets

Siemens is offering fleets the design, installation, management and financing of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure in a new product called Depot360.  

Billed as a new 'Charging-as-a-Service' (CaaS) solution, it allows fleets, from bus operators to haulage companies, to outsource the deployment and maintenance of charging infrastructure to a single supplier at no upfront cost.

Siemens aims for its end-to-end approach to reduce cost, resource and skills, which can be barriers to fleets deploying EV charging infrastructure.

The Depot360 portfolio can be tailored to support the needs of fleet operators, including van and HGVs for logistics, and municipal transit and private bus depots.

The initial offerings from the Depot360 portfolio comprise Depot360 CaaS and Depot360 Managed Services.

The service is part of Siemens Xcelerator, an open digital business platform that aims to help organisations accelerate their digital transformation.

Bernard Magee, managing director for eMobility at Siemens, explained: “Depot360 addresses the two main barriers to fleet organisations in achieving electrification: the upfront investment costs, and the time and skills to project manage the installation and ongoing maintenance and optimisation of charging infrastructure and operations.

“Speaking to fleet leaders at our Transform 2024 conference, it’s clear to see how Charging-as-a-Service models like this will be a cornerstone in the delivery of a near-universal electrified transport mix – which we collectively need to deliver within the next decade.”

Depot360 provides customers with consultation and financing to support depot design, construction, commissioning and management.

Depot360 Managed Services aims to optimise charging, fleet and energy infrastructure through the provision of data-informed management and preventative maintenance.

By integrating with telematics, this allows operators to guarantee that all vehicles will meet the required state of charge to complete their pre-defined routes, minimising vehicle downtime and maximising fleet availability, it says.

Siemens explains that the core of the Managed Services is Depot360’s energy management and optimisation platform, Depot360 AI.

Using this platform, a team from the Siemens 24/7 network operations centre can continuously leverage fleet-centric algorithms to monitor and manage the charging infrastructure’s performance.

Siemens says this enables them to identify and proactively solve issues based on data-driven decisions to improve and upgrade fleet operations, and ultimately provide full transparency into operations.

The Managed Services solution is also available as a standalone offering for existing Siemens and non-Siemens charging infrastructure.

Depot360 was officially launched in the UK at Siemens’ Transform 2024 event. Taking place at Manchester Central, it saw more than 4,000 industry leaders, tech experts and policymakers convene to explore the future of digital and sustainable transformation.