E-Trucks in industrial zones: How to establish charging infrastructure
When the Bundeswirtschaftsministerium-funded project “Transportation in Charge” began in April 2023, the world’s outlook on electrifying freight transport looked different: at that time, neither the Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 nor the MAN eTGX was on the market — meaning there were no heavy electric long-haul trucks produced in Germany yet. Consequently, there was also little demand for charging infrastructure for electric trucks with massive batteries capable of around 600 kWh of capacity.
In the case of “Transportation in Charge” (TiC), basic research was initially at the core, focusing on how concepts for planning charging infrastructure for electric commercial vehicles in industrial zones and freight transport hubs might look. This was driven by the idea that not every transportation company should operate in isolation, but that collaborative approaches are also highly effective.
Three years later, TiC has been completed — and the project was able to closely follow the rollout of Germany’s first heavy electric trucks along with the corresponding charging infrastructure. Partners in practice included the Behrens-Gruppe and Rhenus Home Delivery with their electric commercial vehicles. The key insights from “Transportation in Charge” have now been shared by project leader Sönke Stürmann and his colleague Karl Glökler from the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Applied Materials Research (IFAM) with electrive.
A key approach of the project: Industrial zones and freight transport hubs serve as a sort of heart of electrifying goods transportation. After all, these areas house freight forwarders’ depots, as well as companies’ logistics centers and production sites. It is precisely these areas that should be equipped with charging infrastructure, allowing electric commercial vehicles to be charged overnight or during loading and unloading, without relying on public charging stations.
Grid connection for electric truck charging stations as a bottleneck
However, industrial zones also turn out to be major bottlenecks for developing charging infrastructure – the key issue being grid connection. Without an appropriate medium-voltage connection, ultra-fast chargers can only be implemented with one’s own solar power system and battery storage. Accordingly, the action recommendations published at the end of the project – available for download here – hold grid operators accountable: “They play a central role, as the electrification of logistics fleets can only be implemented on a scalable basis if sufficient grid connection capacity is available in industrial and logistics areas,” states the brochure.
Consequently, freight companies and logistics centers cannot simply purchase electric trucks without also ensuring the necessary charging facilities — and they rely on these utility providers for that. “The electrification of large truck fleets is only possible if we view industrial zones as a unified system. What matters most is early and coordinated cooperation among companies, utility providers, and municipalities — technical solutions alone are not enough,” explains Sönke Stührmann, project leader at Fraunhofer IFAM.
At the same time, companies that want to introduce electric trucks must be aware that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for charging infrastructure, as it needs to be considered on a case-by-case basis. The required charging power must be determined individually based on operating hours and downtime: while overnight charging at regular depots often requires 50 to 100 kW, frequent shuttle services demand 200 to 350 kW. The grid connection and location conditions also need to be taken into account early on. As a result, the practical examples studied required medium-voltage connections and DC charging stations that could be expanded flexibly.
The TiC project also explored how the enormous investment costs (CAPEX) for network expansion and charging hardware can be shared among multiple parties. Shared Charging, as examined in the project — namely, the joint use of charging infrastructure in industrial zones — turns out to be a game-changer in this regard, and it is further explained in a separate guide and legal opinion, both of which are available for download on the TiC website.
Shared Charging as a Tool to Reduce Costs
"Shared charging infrastructure is not a theoretical concept but a key tool for reducing costs, easing network burdens, and accelerating the electrification of fleets. Clear legal frameworks, transparent roles, and trust among the involved parties are essential," emphasizes Sönke Stührmann.
A sample calculation from the TiC project shows that selling charging power to third parties can reduce overall costs for a fleet operator: While a fleet of ten electric trucks in the baseline scenario, with a five-year lifespan and 60,000 kilometers of annual mileage per vehicle, costs around 352,859 euros (compared to 367,974 euros for diesel trucks), the costs drop to 336,903 euros when additional power is sold to third parties. This accelerates reaching break-even, but it also requires careful coordination of access rights and contractual terms. Generally speaking, Fraunhofer IFAM assumes that even without shared charging, a charging price of about 30 cents per kWh is sufficient to achieve break-even compared to diesel trucks.
"Our analyses based on real operational data clearly show that electric trucks are reliable today and can be cost-effective. By considering charging infrastructure, energy management, and fleet strategy together, we create the foundation for a sustainable transformation," says project leader Sönke Stührmann in conclusion.