An operator with a fleet contract has a base load, a known counterparty and a monthly invoice. An operator with public charging has variable demand, thousands of anonymous customers and a higher rate. These are different businesses that happen to use the same hardware, and the differences show up everywhere from pricing to support.
How they differ
| Fleet | Public | |
|---|---|---|
| Demand | Predictable, contracted | Variable, weather and season dependent |
| Rate | Discounted, often 20-35% below retail | Full retail |
| Payment | Monthly invoice, credit risk | Prepaid or at session, no credit risk |
| Timing | Usually overnight or shift-aligned | Daytime peaks |
| Support | One relationship, high expectations | Many, transactional |
| Churn | Slow, but a single loss is large | Constant, individually small |
The timing row is the reason they combine well. A depot charging at night and a public bay charging at midday can be the same connectors, and the fleet contract underwrites the site while public traffic builds.
Pricing the fleet without repricing the network
The discount belongs to the customer group, not to the site and not to a code. A fleet driver arriving at any connector on the network should get the contracted rate; a walk-up driver at the depot should pay retail. If your platform can only price by station, you end up either running separate hardware or leaking discount to everyone.
Credit is the real difference
Public charging has no credit risk — the money arrives before or at the session. Fleet contracts have thirty to sixty days of it, on a growing balance, with a counterparty whose own business may be under pressure. Set a credit limit, monitor consumption against it, and be willing to suspend. Operators who will not suspend end up financing their customers.
What the fleet customer actually wants
Not the lowest rate. Predictability — a vehicle that leaves the depot charged, every morning, without an operations person having to check. Reliability is the product, and it is worth more to them than a rupee a unit. Operators who understand that win contracts they were not the cheapest bidder for.