West Yorkshire Police is one of the largest fleets in the Midlands Net Zero Hub and DESNZ electrification programme. Dynamon used ZERO to test 1,022 vehicles against their real journeys and to size depot charging at the sites that need it. The method was the most developed in the programme: vehicles without telematics were modelled from a similar host, and every charger layout was checked across 14 weeks of data.
Fleet
Commissioned by
Key findings
- 1,022 vehicles modelled, including 206 given the journey data of a similar host vehicle.
- 73% EV-suitable complete at least 95% of their journeys on a current electric vehicle.
- 200 chargers recommended at 36 of 66 locations, sized on the busiest week of data.
- 95.2% minimum charging success in every week at every site, re-tested across 14 weeks.
- 8,206 kW of installed charger power, against 6,836 kW of combined peak demand. Five sites carry 43%.
“By combining Dynamon’s analysis with real operational fleet data and input from police subject matter experts, this project provides a robust evidence base for understanding the scale of police fleet electrification and the investment needed to deliver it.”
Kate Kirk-Walsh, Net Zero Projects Manager, Midlands Net Zero Hub
The challenge
West Yorkshire Police needs a transition plan that keeps response capability intact. The force supplied a list of 1,026 vehicles across 66 locations. The planning question was which vehicles can move to electric at replacement, and which sites need chargers and the electrical capacity to support them.
Not every vehicle had telematics. 206 had no recorded journeys of their own. Leaving them out would have understated both how many vehicles can electrify and how much charging the estate would need.
Charging also had to work in a hard week, not a typical one. A layout sized on a quiet week can fail when more vehicles are on site at once.
The approach
Dynamon imported the force telematics into ZERO. Each vehicle's recorded journeys were simulated against current electric vehicle models, to see what share of that work an electric vehicle could complete. ZERO then sized depot chargers for each site and worked out the power demand those chargers would place on the site.
Where a vehicle had no telematics, ZERO copied the journey data from a similar host vehicle. That proxy covered 206 vehicles. With those included, 1,022 of the 1,026 registered vehicles were modelled.
Chargers were sized against the busiest week in the data, so each site was planned for its highest week of demand. Each site design was then re-tested across all 14 weeks.
West Yorkshire was also one of three regional clustering studies. Police and fire sites were assessed together, alongside West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue, to see where the two services might share electrical infrastructure.
The results
555 vehicles complete 100% of their journeys on a current electric vehicle. A further 196 complete 95–99%. Together that is 751 vehicles, 73% of the modelled fleet, able to electrify while still covering at least 95% of the journeys they make today.
Five electric vehicle models cover 98% of the transition.
The 14-week re-test held. No week at any site dropped below 95.2% charging success.
ZERO recommended 200 depot chargers at 36 of the 66 locations. Installed charger power totals 8,206 kW, set against a combined site peak demand of 6,836 kW. Five sites carry 43% of that installed power.
- 96 chargers at 11 kW
- 65 chargers at 50 kW
- 39 chargers at 100 kW
Part of a national programme
This study is one of 12 emergency-service fleet reports commissioned by the Midlands Net Zero Hub and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, with the Home Office. About 7,500 vehicles were registered across 480 locations, and about 6,400 were modelled on 26.5 million miles of telematics. Across the programme, 82% of modelled vehicles (about 5,300) can go electric at their next replacement while completing 95% or more of their journeys. 1,563 depot chargers were recommended in total.
Clustering studies for Nottinghamshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire looked at sharing electrical infrastructure between police and fire sites, and ambulance in the Midlands Net Zero Hub programme. Shared infrastructure could cut grid upgrade costs by around 20% at suitable co-located sites.
Midlands Net Zero Hub has published the national assessment of all 48 UK forces and agencies. It estimates about 18,300 charge points across more than 2,000 police sites, and about £1.4 billion of investment, with around 80% of that cost in grid connections and electrical upgrades. Participating forces received ZERO access for further scenario planning.
West Yorkshire Police has a vehicle-level view of what can electrify next, and a charger plan tested against every week of the data rather than a single busy week.