SolSetu — Mobility & Energy

Solar-Powered EV Fleets: How Logistics Companies Are Decarbonizing Transport

Published: 27 October 2025, 08:00 AM · By Solsetu Publisher

As EV adoption grows in India’s logistics sector, companies are pairing depot and rooftop solar with battery storage and smart chargers to cut fuel costs, reduce grid peak demand, and materially lower lifecycle emissions. This article explains the models, economics and practical steps fleet operators can use to build solar-powered charging depots in 2025.

Why solar + storage makes sense for logistics fleets

• Lower operating costs: On-site solar reduces daytime energy purchases; coupling with storage shifts charging to cheaper solar energy, lowering grid bills and demand charges.
• Energy resilience: Batteries provide backup during outages, keeping critical last-mile operations running.
• Emission reduction: Switching depot charging from grid/diesel gensets to solar-backed charging cuts Scope 1 & 2 emissions significantly.
• Grid-friendly demand management: Smart charging integrates with local grid signals to avoid peak draws and enable vehicle-to-grid (V2G) services where permitted.

Common depot architectures

Operators typically adopt one of these models depending on scale and site constraints:

1. Rooftop solar + on-site chargers: Best for urban warehouses with ample roof area; solar offsets daytime charging of depot EVs.
2. Ground-mounted yard arrays + BESS: Used where land is available; allows larger generation and storage for night charging.
3. Hybrid with grid-as-backup: Solar + BESS handles bulk charging; grid supplements during long tail demands or low-sun periods.
4. RESCO / third-party model: An energy services company installs and operates the PV + BESS and sells energy/charging as a service — zero upfront capex for the fleet operator.

Practical economics — what to measure

Before designing a depot, fleet managers should calculate:

• Daily charging energy (kWh) per vehicle and fleet duty cycles.
• Peak simultaneous chargers and charger power (kW) to size BESS and PV.
• Local tariff structure: time-of-use, demand charges, export policy and any EV-specific tariffs.
• Payback on PV+BESS considering fuel savings, avoided demand charges and any capital subsidies or tax incentives.

Financing & business models

Several financing options exist:

• Capex model: Operator owns PV/BESS; best when balance sheet allows and tax incentives apply.
• RESCO / PPA for charging: Third-party installs PV/BESS and sells electricity or charging sessions to the operator.
• Lease or subscription: Charger fleets and batteries are leased; payments aligned with energy savings.

Charging technology & standards

Choose chargers and energy management platforms that support:

• Smart load management (dynamic power allocation across chargers).
• Open telemetry standards (OCPP, ISO 15118 where applicable) to integrate with fleet management and BMS.
• Payment & access control APIs for driver authentication and fleet billing.

Operational checklist for rollout

1. Perform an energy audit and vehicle duty profiling.
2. Assess rooftop/land for PV potential and structural strength (for rooftops).
3. Engage DISCOM early on interconnection, possible feeder upgrades, and any EV tariff registrations.
4. Select scalable chargers (from 7 kW for LCVs to 150 kW+ for heavy-duty vehicles) and size BESS for peak shaving and backup.
5. Integrate energy management platform with fleet telematics to schedule charging windows intelligently.
6. Train operations staff on safety, thermal management and basic BMS monitoring.

Case examples (operator models)

Large logistics providers are piloting depot-solar projects that combine 500 kW–2 MW PV arrays with 1–5 MWh of storage to support dozens to hundreds of EVs. Smaller last-mile players often start with 50–250 kW rooftop systems plus 100–500 kWh storage to electrify 20–100 two- and three-wheeler fleets via overnight charging or mid-day opportunity charging.

Risks & mitigation

• Grid interconnection delays: Mitigate by early engagement with DISCOMs and by planning phased ramp-ups.
• Battery lifecycle & recycling: Procure from vendors with clear EOL recycling pathways and consider second-life markets for EV batteries.
• Site constraints: Combine rooftop and nearby ground arrays or use canopy-mounted systems above parking to increase PV area.