Project Overview
A UK commercial fleet operator with 2,800 vehicles, 18,000 annual routes, and a BEIS (now DESNZ) Net Zero Flee...
Technology Stack
Compliance & Standards
The Challenge
A UK commercial fleet operator with 2,800 vehicles, 18,000 annual routes, and a BEIS (now DESNZ) Net Zero Fleet commitment needed a unified EV fleet management SaaS — managing EV transition planning, charging infrastructure, HMRC BiK calculations, and SECR carbon reporting. DESNZ fleet decarbonisation targets, HMRC BiK (Benefit in Kind) for company EVs, SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting), DVSA (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency), DVLA (vehicle records), UK GDPR (driver location data), and Cyber Essentials were mandatory. Budget: £110,000.
Our Approach
Fleet transition modelling
not all vehicles transition simultaneously — business case required for each route.
Transition analysis
- 1route analysis (daily mileage per route — can it be completed on a single charge? Does it require en-route charging?),
- 2vehicle matching (route requirements → suitable EV models — WLTP range vs route requirement, payload, towing capacity),
- 3Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculation (EV purchase price + charging infrastructure + electricity cost vs ICE fuel + servicing + fuel duty),
- 4OLEV grant eligibility (LEVI scheme — charging infrastructure grant for commercial fleets),
- 5transition timeline (phased replacement as ICE vehicles reach end-of-life vs accelerated replacement).
Net Zero Fleet Plan output
- PDF report per fleet — route by route EV transition plan with TCO, OLEV grant application support.
- OCPP 2.0
Charging Infrastructure Management
OCPP 2.0 (Open Charge Point Protocol): international standard for EV charging station communication.
ClickMasters integration
- 1charge point registration (OCPP 2.0 BootNotification — charge point registers with central system),
- 2charging session management (StartTransaction → MeterValues (energy metered at 1-minute intervals) → StopTransaction),
- 3smart charging (Octopus Agile API — real-time electricity price → schedule charging for off-peak periods, reducing cost by 40–60%),
- 4charge point health monitoring (StatusNotification — charge point faults alerted to fleet manager within 5 minutes),
- 5RFID authentication (driver RFID card → charge point → OCPP Authorize → central system confirms authorisation).
Fleet charging cost
metered kWh per vehicle per session → driver cost allocation → HMRC BiK calculation.
HMRC BiK Automation for Company EVs
HMRC Benefit in Kind (BiK): taxable benefit for employees driving a company car for private use.
EV BiK rate
2% of P11D value (2022–25), rising to 5% by 2027/28.
BiK calculation
- 1P11D value (list price + accessories at registration),
- 2BiK percentage (
EV
2% for 2024/25), (3) taxable benefit (P11D × BiK %), (4) tax payable (taxable benefit × employee tax rate).
Automation
fleet management system → HMRC API (P11D value lookup via DVLA V5C registration API) → BiK calculation (per vehicle per tax year) → P11D export (CSV for payroll system — each employee's company car benefit for PAYE).
BiK accuracy
HMRC tax officer reviews — any error triggers PAYE audit.
Automated HMRC declaration
P11D(b) (company Class 1A NIC) automated submission via HMRC PAYE API.
SECR Carbon Reporting and DEFRA Emission Factors
SECR (Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting): mandatory for large UK companies — annual carbon report.
Fleet Scope 1 emissions
combustion of fuel in owned vehicles (diesel, petrol).
Fleet Scope 2 emissions
electricity for EV charging (location-based: DEFRA grid emission factor 0.21233 kgCO2e/kWh for 2024/25).
Scope 1 calculation
fuel consumption per vehicle (telematics — litres consumed × DEFRA fuel emission factor = kgCO2e).
Scope 2 calculation
EV metered kWh × DEFRA grid factor = kgCO2e.
SECR annual report
- automated from fleet management data (fuel records + OCPP charging records → SECR report PDF).
- DEFRA factors update March each year — automated in platform (DEFRA API for latest factors).
Net Zero trajectory
actual emissions vs Net Zero Fleet Plan trajectory — progress tracker.
The Results
Platform live at 18 weeks, £100,000 — under budget. 2,800 vehicles managed.
EV transition plan: 840 vehicles phased for EV by 2028 (full fleet by 2035).
Smart charging cost saving: £280,000/year (Octopus Agile off-peak scheduling vs standard tariff).
HMRC BiK accuracy: 100% (zero PAYE audit flags).
SECR automation: 100% (previously manual Excel — 3-day annual process reduced to 2 hours).
Fleet Scope 1+2 emissions: 18.4% reduction year-on-year from EV transition.
OLEV LEVI grant: £840,000 secured for charging infrastructure.
Cyber Essentials: confirmed.
“840 EVs planned, full fleet by 2035. Smart charging £280,000 annual saving. BiK 100% accuracy. SECR from 3 days to 2 hours. Scope emissions down 18.4%. OLEV grant £840,000. Cyber Essentials confirmed. The smart charging integration — scheduling every vehicle for off-peak Octopus Agile pricing — was the ROI that surprised us. £280,000 annual saving on a £100,000 platform. The platform paid for itself before the first SECR report was submitted." — Head of Fleet, UK Commercial Fleet Operator (name withheld)”
Project Details
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