Transformational Growth of Charging Infrastructure to Cater to the 100TWh Electricity Consumption by 2030
By 2030, more than 5.8 million electric trucks are expected to be in operation in Europe. Light-duty vehicles are forecast to be the early adopters, with nearly an 87% share of the EV truck market in 2030. Among several EV truck charging types, AC and DC charging are expected to be the most adopted in Europe. 20kW-1MW chargers will become predominant charging solutions in this decade, with even higher charging power being developed by the end of the decade.
The charging infrastructure value chain must be robust and efficient to meet this demand. The value chain starts from energy generation, followed by storage and distribution through transmission and distribution operators to reach various hubs, after which charging stations are installed in private/public hubs to offer charging services to customers. Multiple participants are involved in different parts of the value chain to cater to the charging requirements of the increasing number of electric trucks in operation. These can be broadly classified as portfolio, asset-heavy and asset-light charging infrastructure, and participants that provide charging infrastructure as a service.
To ensure that truck operations are not affected by the lack of charging infrastructure, destination, depot, and en-route charging are available, and the choice will depend on each truck’s operation.
For a charging operator, setting up a charging station involves several costs, such as equipment, installation, rental, maintenance, and electricity. Depreciation, marketing, and taxes are additional costs that depend on the charging operator and the location of installation.
The 3 major revenue models for a charging operator are asset-heavy, asset-light, and a combination of the two. The choice between these models depends on the charging operator’s investment potential and the competitive landscape of the location. EV trucks will consume 100TWh of electricity by 2030, and 299k-367k chargers are required to cater to this. Charging operators have several revenue opportunities to capitalize on in this decade.
