Charging ahead with electric trucks
Electric trucks are coming, or actually, they are already here! More are coming, much more. Take, for example, the Tesla Semi with its futuristic looks. While Elon Musk was among the first to design a fully electric truck, the big OEMs have since started developing electric versions of their trucks. There are also other innovative concepts being built by start-ups like Volta and Einride. If you ever ride in an electric truck, you will be amazed. It’s so peaceful and quiet in the cabin that you won’t believe it! An increasing number of electric trucks already drive around cities and the countryside.
Charging up with electric trucks!
The amount of electric commercial vehicles is increasing fast, but the number of charging stations is not. To meet the increasing demand, the number of charging stations has to increase dramatically. A solid charging infrastructure across Europe and the United Kingdom is needed to make electric road transportation feasible.
Before we go into what such an infrastructure could look like, we’d like to discuss charging first. There are two types of charging: regular charging and fast charging. A fast-charging, or Megawatt Charging station, can charge a truck’s batteries in about half an hour. while regular chargers take several hours to fully charge a battery.
Four Types of electric truck charging locations
No two trucks are the same regarding their charging needs. It mostly depends on what they are being used for. Drivers with trucks used for distribution runs will want to charge at a fast-charging station since most of them will have an empty battery halfway through their day. Long haul truckers will prefer charging their vehicles during their overnight rest time at a truck parking. They may also use a fast charger to quickly top up if they run low while they still have driving time left. During overnight rest, a regular charger works fast enough. Regular charging will also happen at depots, where trucks are parked for the night. This brings us to four types of charging locations.
- Fast charging en route – these are locations along highways and other routes with heavy trucking traffic. Existing road service locations are perfect for this type of charging.
- Fast charging near distribution centres – these locations are aimed at trucks on distribution routes.
- Overnight charging – existing (secure) truck parking locations are perfect for this. Trucks can slowly charge while the drivers get some much-needed sleep.
- Depot charging – transport companies with their own infrastructure can open up their chargers to trucks from other companies when their own trucks are on the road
I Love It When a Plan Comes Together
It will not be possible to effectively operate electric trucks, especially not long-range, if there is no charging infrastructure. When a charging infrastructure is in place, there is a second essential element: planning. The charging of electric trucks needs to be integrated into the planning of the trucks. It is important to take range, available power in the battery, and the final destination into account when deciding when to charge a battery and where. Do we need a 30 minute fast-charge to extend the range and reach our final destination, or can we wait until after delivery, when the driver breaks for the night.
When charging is integrated into the route planning for the truck, it is essential that the charging facility is available when you need it. Making sure charging stations are bookable minimizes waiting time for trucks and enables transport companies to optimise their planning.
Charging Ahead!
Road transport needs to become more sustainable fast, and using electric trucks is an important step in that direction. It is important to have an infrastructure in place to start building a network along the main corridors across Europe and at major logistics hubs.
Transport companies that have their own charging infrastructure at their depot can help with the adoption of electric trucks by opening up their chargers to others. We believe this is necessary to enable faster electric truck adoption. Some may be weary of this, as it can mean helping out competitors, while others might see a nice way of making money. If your trucks are on the road during the day, you could use solar panels at your depot to charge third-party trucks and charge them for it.
Looking further into the future, we see self-driving trucks on the horizon. Not only will these vehicles be able to navigate smoothly from A to B without human interference, but they will also be able to pre-book cleaning, repairs, and charging locations without human interference. We want to ensure that our platform is ready to connect autonomous vehicles to service locations across Europe.
We will keep charging ahead!
