Challenge: Enable Scheduled Managed Charger Access

Enable depot operators to automatically switch chargers between freevend and managed access so charging can be openly available at some times and restricted to authorised own-fleet or agreement vehicles at others.

Motivation

• Operators need control over when chargers are openly available and when access must be restricted.
• During managed-access periods, chargers should allow only known own-fleet vehicles and known agreement vehicles.
• Unknown or unauthorised vehicles should be denied access without the event being confused with charger failure.

Context

• Chargers may identify vehicles through MAC address, RFID, PIN, or another charger-provided identifier.
• BetterFleet needs to hold or derive the set of authorised vehicle identifiers.
• Freevend means the charger can allow charging without a BetterFleet access decision.
• Managed access means every charging attempt is authorised against BetterFleet rules before charging starts.

Domain Modelling

• A charger has an access mode: freevend or managed access.
• A managed-access rule defines when authorisation is required.
• A vehicle identifier maps to one of these access classes:
• own vehicle: part of the depot owner's fleet;
• agreement vehicle: a vehicle from a fleet that has an agreement with the depot owner;
• unknown or unauthorised vehicle: not part of any expected fleet.
• An attempted charge during managed access produces an access decision:
• allowed;
• access denied.

High-Level Use Cases / JTBD

• As a depot operator, I want chargers to run in freevend during open-access periods so authorised setup is not required for every vehicle.
• As a depot operator, I want chargers to switch to managed access during restricted periods so only own-fleet and agreement vehicles can charge.
• As a depot operator, I want recurring schedules for access-mode changes so access control follows normal operating patterns automatically.
• As an operations user, I want unauthorised attempts to appear as access denied in BetterFleet so I can distinguish policy enforcement from charger faults.
• As a driver or end user, I need some clear indication at the vehicle or charger that charging was denied due to access rules.

Current State -> Desired State

Current State	Desired Outcome	Success Measure
Chargers may be left in freevend when restricted access is needed.	Operators can schedule when chargers use freevend or managed access.	Chargers enter the expected access mode at the scheduled times.
Vehicle access rules are not clearly modelled around own, agreement, and unknown vehicles.	BetterFleet can allow own and agreement vehicles while denying unknown vehicles.	Managed-access attempts produce correct allow or deny decisions.
Access denial can be mistaken for charger failure.	BetterFleet records unauthorised attempts as access denied.	Users can see access-denied events separately from faults or incidents.
Driver-facing denial behaviour is unclear.	The product defines how denial is relayed at the charger or vehicle.	End users get a clear denied-access signal where the protocol and charger support it.

Assumptions & Open Questions

• Key assumptions:
• Chargers can be switched between freevend and managed access remotely.
• During managed access, chargers can request authorisation before charging starts.
• BetterFleet can identify own-fleet and agreement vehicles through known identifiers.
• Unknown vehicles should be denied during managed-access periods.
• Agreement-governed vehicles should be imported and managed through a process outside this challenge.
• Open questions:
• Which charger models and protocols support reliable freevend on/off control?
• Should access-denied events be visible only in operations views, or also in customer-facing reports?

Constraints & Out of Scope

• Constraints:
• Must support recurring schedules.
• Must support charger-level control.
• Must allow own vehicles and agreement vehicles during managed-access periods.
• Must record denied attempts as access denied, not as incidents or charger faults.
• Out of scope:
• Billing or settlement for agreement vehicles.
• Driver account management.
• Broad fleet-sharing marketplace behaviour.
• Treating access denial as an incident by default.

Evaluation

• User value:
• Operators can control when chargers are open and when access is restricted.
• Own-fleet and agreement vehicles can still charge during restricted periods.
• Operations teams can tell when denial is expected access-control behaviour.
• Business value:
• Creates a clean access-control foundation for managed depot charging.
• Reduces support confusion around unauthorised charging attempts.
• Gives BetterFleet a clearer model for charger access policy.

Solution Ideas & Tradeoffs

• Extend existing charger authorisation with scheduled access modes.
• Fastest route if charger freevend control and authorisation are already reliable.
• Add a dedicated access policy model for charger schedules and vehicle classes.
• Cleaner long-term model, but higher upfront design effort.
• Start with charger-level scheduled managed access, then expand later if depot, zone, or connector-level policy is needed.
• Keeps the first scope crisp while preserving future growth.

Release Sequencing

• First: define scheduled charger access modes and access-denied behaviour.
• Second: support own and agreement vehicle allow-lists for managed access.
• Third: define the supported driver or charger-facing denial signal per protocol and charger capability.