Depot charging could speed up the market launch of battery-electric heavy-duty vehicles, according to a study by the think-tank and NGO association Transport & Environment (T&E), published on Monday 12 May.
Battery-electric trucks are already competitive with internal combustion engine trucks in regional freight transport, according to T&E. Equipment manufacturers predict that electric trucks will account for more than a third of sales of electric heavy-duty vehicles in Europe in 2030. In anticipation of this development, T&E believes that it is time to electrify depots.
While the European ‘AFIR’ regulation requires the installation of fast charging points along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) for long-distance transport by 2030, charging depots play a central role in regional freight transport (see EUROPE 13393/17). According to the study, recharging at the depot is sufficient for most of the truck fleet, as 40-50% of trucks in France, Germany and the UK travel less than 200-300 km per day. No public infrastructure would be needed for these daily journeys if infrastructure could be built at truck depots.
In addition, large logistics companies play a major role in the initial phase of depot electrification, because they own a considerable proportion of the trucks registered and provide a significant proportion of transport services.
Read the study: https://aeur.eu/f/gri (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)