Electrifying one of Britain’s largest commercial fleets takes far more than a single plug-in strategy, especially when a third of your workforce can’t charge at home.
Openreach, which already runs over 7,000 electric vans across its 22,000-strong engineering fleet on the road to a predominantly zero-emission operation by 2031, has partnered with Allstar to roll out a blended charging and payment ecosystem.
For engineers with off-street parking, Allstar Homecharge settles work-related electricity usage directly with their domestic energy supplier, eliminating out-of-pocket expenses and receipt admin. For the one in three engineers unable to install a home charger, or those needing top-ups mid-shift, the partnership streamlines public charging via the Allstar Co-Pilot app alongside targeted access to high-speed, commercial-friendly hubs and bookable shared depot charging through partners including First Charge and Voltempo.
As Openreach Fleet Director Judy O’Keefe notes, there is no "one-size-fits-all" answer for a nationwide engineering workforce, making a unified, simple payment and access ecosystem essential to keeping Britain connected.
John: Introduced the story as a showcase of the "fleet family," highlighting Openreach’s 7,000+ electric vans and the reality that one in three engineers cannot charge at home. Noted how Openreach is pushing boundaries with shared depot infrastructure (such as Welch's Transport) and bringing partners along on the journey.
Paul: Praised Openreach for reshaping the market and proving that fleet volume matters. Emphasised that the fleet sector is built on relationships—noting that BT and Openreach actively say "no" to difficult suppliers while backing collaborative partners like Allstar and myenergi who make operations easier.
Sam: Applauded the scale of the collaboration (while momentarily distracted by Paul Barnfather's donation pushing his Movember fund past £1,132), concluding that collaboration is key and The EV Café is the natural home for it.
Sara: Celebrated Sam hitting his charity milestone alongside the collaborative spirit of the collective.