EV charging solutions company Paua has announced that it has entered into a new partnership with First Bus to expand options for business fleet EV charging.
Under the partnership, Paua’s business EV customers will be able to use EV chargers at 11 First Bus depots when they are not in use by buses. Notably, these chargers are suitable for use by both electric cars and larger commercial vehicles, and the high-powered EV chargers at First Bus depots range from 150kW to 350kW, allowing downtime to be minimised for business fleets.
The system, named Paua Share, works by first matching the needs of a fleet with a depot able to provide the necessary service. After the fleet and the depot agree site and usage rules, drivers can then navigate to the depot, arrive at the site and use their Paua card or app to charge their vehicle. Following usage, billing reports are supplied to both fleet managers and the depot operator.
Niall Riddell, CEO and co-founder of Paua, said that the company is delighted to be working with First Bus on the initiative and expressed his ambitions for the future of Paua depot sharing schemes, stating: “We envisage a European wide network of shared depots as we build Europe’s lowest cost commercial fleet charging network.”
Faizan Ahmad, director of decarbonisation at First Bus, agreed, adding that: “Sharing depot infrastructure unlocks enormous potential for commercial fleets, accelerating the shift to zero-emission transport while making smarter use of existing assets. First Bus are proud to have been pioneers in this space.”
This is not the first time that First Bus has looked towards depot sharing to make best use of their expanding network of EV bus depots, which will expand with the addition of five more sites in the coming months. In November last year, the transport provider announced that it had teamed up with British Gas’ parent company Centrica to allow Centrica engineers travelling in the company’s EVs access to charging facilities at First Bus depots when buses are away from the depot.
In fact, the idea of depot sharing is a remarkably popular one; research conducted by the AFP in October of 2024 revealed that almost six in ten commercial van fleets (58%) would consider sharing their depot or public charging infrastructure with other users to make electrification more practical.
