Needs of electric charging points for trucks in the EU

Recently the ACEA (Association of European Automobile Manufacturers) has issued a statement in which it expressed its concern about the important lack in the recharging and refueling infrastructures for electric trucks and other alternative propulsion vehicles throughout the road network of the EU.

According to the data provided by the ACEA, the most conservative estimates mention that at least 6,000 high-power load points would be needed for electric trucks (DC> 500 kW) along the EU motorways in the period from 2025 to 2030. In addition to, another 20,000 «regular» charging points suitable for trucks, leaving the total needs at 26,000 recharging points.

The Secretary General of ACEA, Erik Jonnaert stated: «… the most worrying thing is that there is not a single public recharging point for long-haul trucks available today. What’s more, there is still no standard for the high-power plugs required.»

These words of the Secretary General show that the necessary infrastructure is almost totally absent at present and that there is no clear plan of action for the EU for its future deployment. And that, therefore, to be able to comply with the ambitious levels of CO2 proposed from the EU, it will only be possible with a rapid and massive adoption by the market of trucks of low emission or zero emissions.

From ACEA remind that yes, it is promoting the installation of high-power recharging points for electric cars along the EU motorways, but that heavy trucks cannot use this infrastructure due to their higher energy and power demand. At the same time, it is necessary to plan the numerous parking spaces that they would need for loading on all the main European routes.

The same applies to hydrogen filling stations for cars. They are also not suitable for trucks, since the pressure storage is too small to meet the demand that a truck need.

For the 2025-2030 period, it is expected that some 1,000 truck-specific hydrogen stations will be needed, but there are currently fewer than 10 available throughout the EU, none of which is suitable for long-haul trucks.

Erik Jonnaert stressed that you cannot expect to invest in trucks of alternative power if you do not have the possibility to recharge them.

In this link you can find the press release of the complete ACEA.