A look back at the round table “Successful roaming charging for Heavy-Duty Vehicles (HDVs)”, co-organized by Wavestone and Gireve. The discussion was led by our Head of Consulting, Amandine De Oliveira, with an introduction by Roman Potocki. The speakers shared their experiences on current and future solutions to meet the charging needs of electric HDVs on long-distance routes.
Several key topics were discussed:
- The evolution of use cases and needs
- Reorganizing routes to optimize profitability
- Essential services to be planned alongside charging stations
- Station design
- Service availability and reliability
- The importance of subsidies and regulations in supporting the development of electrification
New use cases require booking and planning services
Sandra Villeminot from CEVA Logistics emphasized the importance of route regularity and predictability when considering electrification. Electrifying heavy-duty vehicles is demanding. It leaves no room for improvisation and sometimes requires a complete rethinking of operations, organizing trips by segments rather than from point A to point B.
Electrifying HDVs calls for greater availability and complementary services
Arnaud de Fremicourt from Engie Vianeo confirmed the high expectations placed on charging infrastructure for electric HDVs. Stations must be designed to evolve, with the right configuration, improved accessibility, and proper layout to accommodate all types of HDVs. He also highlighted the current importance of subsidies in fostering ecosystem development.
Usage data tracking is key to optimizing the offer
Jean-Thierry Schüler from Alpitronic acknowledged the growing, yet very real, demand. As a manufacturer, he emphasized the challenge of offering scalable and modular products in constant evolution. Charger design is critical to minimizing footprint, but installation on-site is equally important to ensure optimal positioning relative to the vehicle. He also mentioned the upcoming deployment of the MCS (Megawatt Charging System) connector, which better addresses the sector’s need for increased power capacity.
Ensuring sustainable and stable subsidies to support the industry
Marie Defrance from CSIAM spoke about the diversification of manufacturer offerings to meet all use cases. She also stressed the importance of regulations and the need for stable, long-term support measures to sustain the industry. Finally, she mentioned collaborations between competing stakeholders as a lever for ecosystem growth, particularly in terms of data sharing.
