7 Steps to scalable e-truck charging infrastructure

In this article, we invite you to discover how to optimize charging infrastructure for e-trucks with our 7-step guide. Read now to learn how to integrate smart solutions and scale up for sustainable freight transport.

Introduction

The key point in the transition to electric trucks is the charging infrastructure. To set the right course here, more than just the physical setup needs to be considered in the planning.

Even under conservative assumptions, various studies conclude that the future belongs to the electric truck. The critical point for the transition to emission-free freight transport is the charging infrastructure. This must be thought of differently than a gas station concept for diesel fleets: according to different studies by the Öko-Institut or Arthur D. Little, a significant portion of the required energy will be charged at low power in the depot before the journey begins. Similarly, if the batteries of the electric trucks are connected to appropriate public charging points overnight, charging stations with a power output of 50 to 150 kilowatts are entirely sufficient if the vehicles are stationary for about eight hours.

However, this is different for electric trucks that need to be charged during the driver's daytime break. To bring a battery with a storage capacity of 600 kilowatt-hours from 20 percent (120 kWh) to 80 percent (480 kWh) within 30 to 45 minutes, charging stations with a capacity of at least 700 kilowatts are necessary. With even more powerful megawatt chargers at fast-charging hubs, the required time can be further reduced, but it must always be considered that the driver is not allowed to move the truck during their legally mandated break.

The variety of "refueling" scenarios is thus increasing. For this to be an opportunity and not a risk, choosing the right technology for the charging systems is extremely important. Depending on the charging scenario – in the depot, at night, or along the route – different hardware solutions are needed. Common to all scenarios is that adapting the charging process to local context can bring advantages. The following seven aspects should be considered when designing the charging infrastructure for truck fleets.

1. Align charging location and charging power

Charging happens where the vehicles are parked. The charging speeds depend on the vehicles' idle times at each location. On the road, the charging process is limited by the mandatory 45-minute break time, while at the depot, the available time is determined by the loading and unloading times and the planned departure time of the next tour. At public night parking spots, the rest period defines the idle time. Depending on the charging scenario, different solutions are needed: these range from a charging cable hanging from the ceiling in the fleet depot to ground-based dispensers of medium power levels at night rest areas, to HPC or MCS charging stations with water-cooled cables along the route.

2. Choose a distributed site architecture for scalability

A distributed site architecture consisting of central powerblocks and various dispensers allows for the stepwise electrification of all parking spaces in a depot or parking lot with relatively low additional investments. The power can then be increased with additional power blocks or further modules within a powerblock, allowing more vehicles to be supplied with high power simultaneously. At the same time, dispenser designs can be customized to the context.

3. Integrate charging infrastructure with fleet operations

Usually, a fleet management solution plans the route of the trucks, and makes data available to all stakeholders in real time, enabling them to synchronize their planning data. To maximize efficiency, In the future, these solutions need to be able to automatically reserve charging stations along the route or at (interim) destinations. To do so, factors like arrival times, state of charge, further route planning of the vehicle, or pre-set  parking bays for specific vehicles for loading and unloading from the fleet management system will be utilized. Charging stations need to be able to provide and process data and interact with cars, drivers and cloud solutions. 

4. Emphasize user-friendliness to drive adoption

To promote acceptance of electric trucks among drivers, their operation must be simple. This also applies to the charging solutions: connecting and starting a session must be straight-forward. In addition, chargers can support drivers with orientation and for example display which vehicle the station is currently waiting for. This can be done, for instance, by displaying a license plate. Alternatively, the station can signal its position with flashing LEDs when the approaching vehicle is recognized via Bluetooth. Integrating data from the local charging infrastructure into the access management for the parking lot and integrating billing for parking and charging fees can provide additional simplicity. The current charging status can be tracked on a mobile phone via a QR code scan at the charger, even if the driver moves away from the vehicle, for example, to shop.

5. Automate billing processes 

Smart integration of the charging infrastructure into billing processes, including automated vehicle recognition and invoicing between transport companies, offers significant advantages. Smooth and open integrations enable third-party trucks to charge at depots not operated by their own company. For convenience, process security, and automated billing of electricity with delivering fleet operators, automated vehicle recognition is beneficial. This can be based on various, standardized or even proprietary solutions – Bluetooth, vehicle dongle technology recognition, MAC addresses or ISO 15118. Custom solutions already exist today. For example, the payment function can be integrated into the fleet card – and in the future, it could even enable trucks to charge at external charging stations under the conditions agreed upon by the fleet operator with their energy provider.

6. Integrate trucks with energy generation

Fleet depots can become assets in the energy market, for example, if the roofs are equipped with PV systems and stationary storage. At the same time grid connections provide certain boundary conditions. These structures must also be networked so that the distribution of charging power to the occupied charging points can be intelligently controlled. Depending on the state of charge, departure time, and planned next route, one vehicle may need more power than another. Here, the charging infrastructure must be integrated with the data of the intelligent energy management system into the often already existing fleet management tool.

7. Make open interfaces and update capability mandatory for charging infrastructure

The charging stations must be maintainable and updatable over their entire product life to ensure that even vehicles coming to market in five years do not experience charging interruptions resulting from interoperability constraints. Integration capability is also crucial – this depends not only on the choice of backend but also on selecting the right hardware in the field. An open operating system on device level is needed, in which various data can collected and exchanged through open programming interfaces, allowing for individualized and integrated processes.

In conclusion, the informational networking of the charging infrastructure is as important – if not more important – than the physical installations. It is also fundamental that the processes are standardized from the start to establish a seamless functioning system across company and country borders.

About EcoG

EcoG is a global IP and tech company working on the rapid expansion of sustainable charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. With its charge controllers, reference designs and software, it enables companies to get products & services to market quickly and scale profitably.

EcoG is already the market leader in Europe with more than 15% market share and a strong footprint in the Indian and North American markets. Overall, EcoG grew four times faster than the market last year. Industrial giants such as Siemens or one of the world’s largest service station equipment suppliers are among its customers. The company continues to grow in 2024 and as a next step invests 14,4M$ in its North American HQ in the USA.