DHL is rapidly electrifying its fleet of delivery vehicles, but the overloaded power grid poses a challenge. Thanks to the EDGE smart charging platform of Last Mile Solutions, the company can continue scaling up despite limited grid capacity and fully charge up to twice as many vehicles per location, says Anne-Jan Telgen from DHL.
As a major player in logistics and shipping, DHL supports both local and international e-commerce businesses with scalable logistics solutions. The company operates a dense network of parcel shops, depots, and terminals, with transport managed from 132 locations across the Netherlands. As part of its Go Green strategy, DHL invests in CO2-free warehouses and electrifies both its delivery vans and trucks.
The challenge: limited charging capacity
Since 2022, DHL has installed over 1,600 charging points for its growing fleet of electric vehicles. “We covered all the ‘easy’ locations first,” says Anne-Jan Telgen, operational project manager at DHL. “For the remaining sites, it was more difficult. The biggest challenge was the limited power supply from the local grid. This often meant we couldn’t charge all vehicles at once, forcing us to rely on diesel vans. We needed a smart energy management system that could efficiently balance charging demand at locations with 10 to 50+ vehicles.” After thorough research, DHL shortlisted three energy management systems as potential solutions. To ensure the best choice, the company tested all three at different locations. “The EDGE smart charging system from Last Mile Solutions was by far the most efficient and user-friendly,” says Telgen. “It significantly improved charging efficiency while remaining highly stable. And in cases where issues arose, Last Mile Solutions resolved them faster than the other two providers.”
A fully operational solution in one day
In 2023, DHL rolled out EDGE at 45 locations. According to Telgen, the implementation was smooth and straightforward. “As a European market leader in charge point management, Last Mile Solutions works with almost all major charging station brands,” Telgen explains.“This means we’re not tied to one supplier. Last Mile Solutions also thoroughly tested all our charger types before installation. Since EDGE is locally installed, it doesn’t depend on internet connectivity or cloud response times. We only need to connect the EDGE unit to each charging point with a cable. Since we often do this when installing new chargers, there’s minimal downtime, making the process fast and efficient.”
Doubling charging capacity and new revenue opportunities
At sites using EDGE, limited grid power previously prevented all vehicles from charging at once. EDGE dynamically distributes available power across all connected vehicles. “Thanks to this, we can now fully charge twice as many vehicles per night,” says Telgen. “This is extremely important for our operations. The stability of EDGE ensures that all vehicles are ready for use every morning, regardless of conditions”. In addition to its 2,500 electric vehicles, DHL allows its independent service partners to charge at hub locations. These partners currently handle half of all DHL deliveries and are also transitioning to electric fleets. “These partners are important to us, so we want to support them as much as possible,” Telgen adds. “That’s why any service partner with an electric vehicle can charge at DHL locations. Last Mile Solutions’ transaction management platform automatically records and settles every charging session. This eliminates administrative hassle for us and our partners while creating a future revenue opportunity.” EDGE’s intelligent software continuously monitors all charging network variables, from available grid power to the charging status of each vehicle. “Thanks to EDGE’s data, we saw that vehicles were fully charged well before their deadline,” says Telgen.
This insight helps DHL determine how many extra chargers and vehicles we can add without exceeding capacity. “As a result, we have doubled the number of charging points at many locations. We also now have a precise view of the power consumption of our distribution centers, allowing us to optimize energy use even further,” Telgen states.
Smart charging for vans and trucks on any type of charging station
In 2025, DHL will deploy EDGE at 35 more complex locations. Encouraged by its success, DHL is also preparing to electrify its entire truck fleet. “That will obviously require much more power,” says Telgen. “But since EDGE works with any charging brand or type, we’re taking on this challenge with confidence. We are already using EDGE at two locations to charge electric trucks, and the results are just as strong as with our vans. Without this system, we wouldn’t have been able to reach our sustainability goals as quickly.”DHL already relies heavily on advanced data technology to make logistics more efficient, sustainable, and customer-friendly. The company analyzes data on vehicles, shipments, and traffic patterns to optimize routes, fuel consumption, and delivery times.
“With EDGE, we now have a valuable new data source to enhance our data-driven approach. When combined with battery storage, we expect significant efficiency gains, lower energy costs, and further CO2 reduction in the coming years,” Telgen concludes.
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