European Electric Truck Charging Infrastructure Growth Opportunities

Focus on Expanding Charging Infrastructure and Emergence of Ultra-fast Charging Accelerate Shift Toward Electric Commercial Vehicles

With stringent emission norms and government incentives, electrification is poised to take off in Europe's commercial vehicle segment. Technology advancements in battery and charging stations present huge opportunities for value chain participants. This study provides strategic insights on the European electric truck charging infrastructure covering different types of chargers, the policies and legislation, and estimates on the total number of chargers required to cater to the increasing energy demand from EV trucks. 

Among the charging types, plug-in charging is widely used across EV segments. Major players are developing up to 350 kW ultra-fast DC chargers to charge electric medium- and heavy-duty trucks. The next wave of charging technology, with more than 1 MW capacity, is under development by OEMs and charging equipment manufacturers. The study briefly discusses the deployment of charging infrastructure to recharge electric trucks. 

There are 3 types of charging facilities (Destination, Depot, and En route) to ensure adequate charging infrastructure availability and cater to different truck operation demands. Depot/destination charging will be the most preferred charging type across applications due to its lower cost of use; however, with increased charger power, en route charging will also gain popularity. This analysis predicts that Europe's electric truck population will cross 5.8 million units by 2030, creating a huge demand for electric vehicle charging equipment. It is estimated that ~335,000 chargers will be required (depending on utilization levels) to cater to the energy demand of 5.8 million trucks in 2030.