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Electromobility in Fleets: What Electric Vehicles mean for Field Service Route Planning

The proportion of EV in fleets is growing, and route planning for field service is becoming more complex. In addition to skills, SLAs, spare parts, working hours and journey times, there are now further key planning factors to consider: EV range and charging times. How you should now adapt your field service scheduling?

Why e-mobility is a key planning issue in field service scheduling

The electrification of field service fleets is not a technical or leasing issue. Electric vehicles are changing the way operations are managed. Route planning must be adapted to the requirements of EVs and the charging infrastructure, which means, above all, taking charging times, charging points and ranges into account. This makes the management of field service operations even more challenging, but also strategically more important.

Is range anxiety still an issue with electric vehicles?

Range anxiety is playing an increasingly minor role. With advances in battery technology and the expansion of the charging network, the worry of being stranded with an empty battery whilst on the road is becoming less of a concern. Particularly in a private context, where people rarely plan complex routes, this fear is generally unfounded.

In a business context, however, the issue remains relevant – less as ‘range anxiety’ and more as a planning factor. Questions arise such as: Will the charge last for today’s route? Is there a suitable charging point along the route? Does the charging time fit in with the deployment plan?

E-mobility becomes an operational risk if route planning, charge planning and the day-to-day management of field service do not work together.

Latest figures: How widespread are electric vehicles in company fleets?

The transition to electric vehicles (EVs) across UK company fleets is accelerating. According to the Arval Mobility Observatory Fleet & Mobility Barometer 2026, more UK businesses are incorporating electric vehicles into their fleets than ever before, with electrification now forming a key part of long-term fleet strategies.

Businesses cite lower running costs, sustainability goals and compliance with the UK’s Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Mandate as the primary drivers behind fleet electrification.

Despite this momentum, internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles still make up the majority of the UK’s vehicle stock. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), there were almost 42 million vehicles on UK roads at the end of 2025, of which:

Petrol: 57.9%
Diesel: 31.0%
Battery electric (BEV): 4.6%
Plug-in hybrid (PHEV): 2.2%
Hybrid electric (HEV): 4.2%
Other fuel types: 0.1%

More than 4.6 million vehicles on UK roads now feature an electrified powertrain, including almost 1.9 million battery electric vehicles.

Why electric vehicle fleets make route planning more complex

Route planning in field service aims to ensure that jobs are completed efficiently and cost-effectively. It optimises appointments, working times and locations, journey times, routes, costs and job throughput. In doing so, it takes into account a wide range of factors (constraints) such as SLAs, qualifications, availability and priorities.

The inclusion of electric vehicles in the service fleet introduces new constraints: range, charging requirements, charging speed, availability of charging points and the return to the depot or home charging point. This gives rise to new conflicting objectives:

Shortest route vs. best charging option
SLA compliance vs. necessary charging stop
Most suitable technician vs. sufficient range
Capacity utilisation vs. battery/charging buffer

Dispatchers must therefore incorporate charging planning into their route planning.

Range becomes a planning constraint

The dispatching team must be aware of the range of each vehicle. This must be factored into route planning as a constraint, in much the same way as, for example, the working hours and skills of individual field service staff.

It is then important to consider the number of call-outs per day and the total distance between the locations. Put simply, the questions are: Which route suits which vehicle? Where should a safety buffer or a charging stop be scheduled?

Charging times are included in the deployment plan

Charging time eats into working hours if it is not intelligently incorporated into the daily schedule. A key factor here is where the vehicles are charged: At the depot? At home? At public charging points? At the customer’s premises? Ideally, the dispatch team should schedule charging times to coincide with existing downtime so as not to waste productive service time.

Charging infrastructure is a key factor in determining the quality of a tour

The charging infrastructure determines, in particular, when charging takes place. With dedicated charging points at the depot or at employees’ homes, electric vehicles can easily be charged overnight.

If charging stops are required whilst on the road, this depends on the regional charging infrastructure and raises questions such as: Where do my service staff start from? Which regions are served on a regular basis? Where is it worth installing dedicated charging points?

Re-optimisation throughout the day is becoming more important

Profitable field service is highly dynamic. Reactive/emergency appointments appear, jobs take longer, customers cancel appointments, spare parts are missing, traffic conditions change, and technicians are unavailable. A route that looks perfect in the morning may no longer work by midday.

With electric vehicles, there are additional factors that can cause disruptions to routes. Static dispatching or batch route planning is therefore increasingly risky. Dispatchers require the ability to re-optimise routes quickly and flexibly as the day progresses.

What good route planning must achieve for electric service fleets

Effective route planning for electric vehicle fleets should not only allocate assignments and calculate routes, but also reflect the full operational reality. It must take into account and reconcile a wide range of constraints and factors in order to achieve the overarching goal: The successful and cost-effective fulfilment of orders.

E-mobility in field service requires route planning that, amongst other things, achieves the following:

Plan routes with realistic ranges
Schedule charging stops sensibly
Integrate charging times into breaks or downtime
Re-optimise quickly in the event of changes
Ensure SLAs and customer appointments are met
Avoid unnecessary miles
Improve fleet utilisation

How the requirements of e-mobility can be implemented in a practical way when planning delivery routes

The purchase of electric vehicles requires adjustments to planning. Companies that simply incorporate electric vehicles into their old planning processes risk inefficient routes, unnecessary charging times, stress in the dispatch department, missed deadlines and falling productivity.

Here is an example of how you can implement the requirements of e-mobility in a dispatch solution such as the VISITOUR solution:

Map the range of individual vehicles using the configurable maximum number of miles. VISITOUR then takes this into account when creating routes.
Create a separate order or assignment type for charging processes.
Include these in your planning (e.g. two scheduled charging operations per week), based on the forecast mileage, the locations and the driving radius.
Give field staff the option to report additional charging requirements.
Keep scheduling flexible by using the intelligent real-time re-optimisation to efficiently plan for additional charging requirements.

VISITOUR enables intelligent resource and route planning and can be flexibly adapted to any service organisation

Conclusion: Electric vehicles can only work in field service with intelligent resource planning

The biggest challenge is not the vehicles or the charging infrastructure alone. The greater challenge is operational integration: routes, charging times, ranges, SLAs, daily dynamics. The transition to e-mobility is therefore the right time to modernise route planning.

Electric vehicles in field service are a planning issue, but only one among many. Route planning is a ‘multi-dimensional puzzle’ that must be viewed holistically. With a dispatch system that does justice to the complexity and dynamics of today’s field service, your workflows remain cost-optimised, efficient and productive – or, rather, will become so.

Author:

André Bock

Sales Manager & Senior Consultant

Background and expertise in the field of FSM:

André Bock is an expert in Field Service Management (FSM), specialising in resource planning, route optimisation and digital service processes. As an employee of Solvares Field Service (formerly FLS – FAST LEAN SMART), he has spent over 17 years exploring how companies can manage their technical field service teams more efficiently, productively and in a more customer-focused manner.

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