How HDV charging is evolving in Europe?
Last year, we made a first overview of HDV charging evolution to see how players started to be involved in this segment. We’ve decided to update our analysis, giving you more insights into this specific charging use case.
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So, we’re sharing a series of insights learned from our data, to foster discussions and learn together.
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Executive Summary
EU members are actively developing charging infrastructure to support the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs). This initiative is crucial for meeting the EU’s decarbonization targets and facilitating the transition to zero-emission freight transport. The industry is moving fast to meet the targets. In this paper, we’re giving an overview of the current situation regarding HDV charging deployments. Although the industry is still in its early stages, the evolution is clearly visible. We’ll look at the different forces supporting the deployment, share an updated map of the existing infrastructure and have a focus on the MCS standard. To better understand what’s at stake we’re discussing a recent report offering a model to evaluate the infrastructure need. Finally we’ll update the key milestones, giving a large overview of the situation.
Introduction
Electrification of heavy-duty vehicles (HDVs) is still in its early stages. In the second quarter of 2024, the HDV market in the European Union grew by 12% compared to the first quarter. Zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) accounted for 4.1% of total HDV sales during this period, up from 3.2% in the first quarter (ICCT, 2024). A 2022 PWC study suggests that by 2030, e-Trucks are expected to have a total cost of ownership (TCO) that’s 30% lower than internal combustion engine (ICE) trucks, making electric trucks an obvious choice for road transport.
Today, we aim to update our previous article to examine this rapidly evolving segment: EV charging for trucks.
Truck charging projects initiatives
E-Charge
E-Charge brings together 14 stakeholders who collaboratively develop, test, and demonstrate battery-electric long-haul truck transport. These tests take place on actual logistics routes in Sweden and are tailored to drivers’ work and rest schedules, allowing them to drive for 4.5 hours, rest and recharge for 45 minutes, and then continue driving for another 4.5 hours.
Scalable system solutions are being developed in partnership, aimed at accelerating progress towards more sustainable transport.
HoLa
The “High Power Charging for Trucks in Long-Distance Operation” (HoLa) project, led by Fraunhofer ISI and supported by the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), is one of three innovation clusters to promote climate-friendly truck drive technologies. Specifically, the project will install and test two high-power charging points using the Megawatt Charging System (MCS) at each of four locations under real-world logistics conditions. These charging points aim to facilitate the practical use of the new system in daily operations and lay the groundwork for widespread adoption of the technology. The project, officially launched at a kick-off event on 27 September 2021, involves 13 partners, including four truck manufacturers.
European Clean Transport Network (ECTN) Alliance
Following a partnership between CEVA Logistics, ENGIE and SANEF, the Alliance aims to develop a long-distance road transport network across Europe. The three partners launched a 2-year proof of concept in March 2024 in France, covering a distance of more than 900 kilometers. The goal is to have 16 trucks, among which 12 e-trucks, transporting trailers throughout France, relaying and changing trailers at 5 test sites.
Going further, they want to offer all shippers and carriers access to their network on European motorway, with an IT solution for route planning and charging schedules.
Map of HDV stations
We observe that EV charging stations for trucks are primarily concentrated along specific motorways, forming clear diagonal routes that facilitate low-carbon road transport between locations. This trend was less apparent in our previous report. It illustrates the progress made in implementing charging solutions for existing routes, with the majority in France, Netherland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The latest is starting to deploy massively, when compared to last year’s report. We also see that Milence continues its deployment.
Another interesting insight is that MCS has started in Spain and Amsterdam. This can still be considered as a pilot project because there is not a lot of MCS-capable trucks.
Megawatt Charging System
What is it?
The MCS (Megawatt Charging System) charger is a charging standard designed to meet the high-power charging needs of heavy-duty electric vehicles, such as trucks, buses, and commercial fleets. The MCS charger is designed to deliver up to 3.75 megawatts (MW) of power, which is more than ten times faster than regular DC chargers. This allows for rapid charging of large batteries used in heavy-duty vehicles. According to a 2022 PwC research report, there is a €15bn investment planned for the MCS network by 2035. In a more technical perspective, CharIN recommends that MCS uses ISO 15118-20 exclusively.
Who is positioned?
As of January 2025, most large Ultra-Fast charging station manufacturers are positioned to deploy MCS in Europe
How many is required?
To assess infrastructure needs, we need to evaluate the HDV fleet size, and to consider the regulatory targets. The current EU target regarding HDV fleets, updated last year, is to reach a 45% reduction by 2030 and a 90% reduction target by 2040. On the infrastructure side, the AFIR requires the installation of charging stations with a minimum power output of 150 kW every 60 km along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) core network. The grid capacity also needs to be considered when evaluating the deployment of HDV infrastructure.
However, first insights were already provided to evaluate how many MCS and fast chargers were needed for e-trucks in Europe. Fraunhofer ISI and Amazon published a joint study last year, where they used a model to assess charging requirements in long-haul operation for Europe in 2030. As the report stated: “With respect to an electrification share of 15% BET in stock and without depot charging, our findings show that already 1,000 optimally placed megawatt charging locations in Europe could enable about 91% of electric long-haul trucking while 500 charging stations could enable about 50% of long-haul truck traffic.” “In addition, the authors assumed no depot charging and only 400 km of real-world range which some newly available commercial battery truck models already exceed.”
Key milestones
We can see that companies that deploy HDV charging station are mainly JV, subsidiaries or large fund backed companies. This is logical as the infraastructure deployment for HDV is capital intensive.
As mentioned previously, European Regulation will surely boost deployment of HDV charging stations along main roads through decarbonation targets. Finally, public charging for truck have similarities with fast charging in Europe:
- Installation is boosted by consortiums of OEM, such as Milence, a joint venture between Daimler Truck, the TRATON GROUP, and the Volvo Group. Milence can be compared to IONITY for fast charging, a joint venture of the car manufacturers BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche.
- An industry standard is deployed: MCS for trucks, and CCS for fast charging.
Conclusion
HDV charging is evolving fast, as we can see when comparing the situation today with how it looked a few months back. It is boosted by project initiatives targeting the deployment on specific routes. The EU legislation framework also supports the deployment, as it requires a 45% emission reduction for trucks by 2030. This leads to a deployment on main roads that is clearly visible as the installations are just starting. Many players are looking into this segment, with dedicated reports such as the Fraunhofer ISI and Amazon report, to evaluate the need for infrastructure so that it copes with fleet needs. Finally, to ensure a seamless deployment, grid capacity has to be included in the deployment strategies, and digital services such as booking to avoid trucks being delayed in their travel. Proper digital infrastructure will enable real time updates and connection between all players, supporting the whole ecosystem.
