Electric charge points are needed for trucks and buses too!
The European Union aims to reduce transport emissions of CO2 by 90% by 2050 and has set targets to ensure that “nearly all” cars, vans and buses in operation, and new heavy trucks sold, are zero emissions by 2050. As an intermediary step, the “Fit-for-55” package has been developed to reduce emissions by 55 percent by 2030. The Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) adopted by EU member states in June 2022, will play an important role in speeding up the infrastructure development and deployment, enabling the transport sector to significantly reduce its carbon footprint.
In its “European EV Charging Infrastructure Masterplan”, the ACEA highlights the infrastructure and investments required to reach the EU’s CO2 reduction targets. In addition to 6.8 million public charge points required for passenger vehicles, trucks and buses will require up to 335,000 specific charging points by 2030. Whilst most heavy-duty vehicle charge points will be in truck and bus fleet hubs, an estimated 24,000 public fast chargers will be required across the core trans-European transport network (TEN-T), resulting in an average of 51 charging points every 100km.
As it stands today, charge points for cars, trucks and buses are quite similar, with no specific architecture in place. But as more and more heavy-duty vehicles are manufactured and commercialized, specific solutions will need to be deployed. For a start, their batteries will be much larger, requiring higher voltage and capacity to be charged up within a reasonable time. High power charging is key to increase acceptance of e-mobility in this area. The CharIN Megawatt Charging System is a global industry taskforce, initiated to create a common solution for commercial vehicles with full interoperability.
The localized nature of bus fleets means that most charging would take place at fleet hubs. At Watt & Well, we see very promising potential for the application of vehicle to grid (V2G) charging and storage solutions.
The charging methodology for heavy-duty vehicles is still in flux as manufacturers committed to zero-emission trucks are developing battery electric as well as hydrogen fuel cell models. It is not yet clear which technology will emerge as the dominant model, however at Watt & Well, we are working on both solutions. Trucks with fuel cells also have high-power components requiring DC-DC converters.
The new regulations send a clear signal that user-friendly recharging infrastructure will be installed throughout the EU. Infrastructure deployment for electric heavy-duty vehicles will be more gradual, starting in 2025, with the aim of covering all TEN-T roads by 2030. This takes into account the fact that this market is less developed than for light vehicles and anticipates significant technological and market developments in the coming years. Whatever the market developments, at Watt & Well we can help you develop these solutions, explore innovative concepts, build prototypes quickly and participate in the whole development process of new equipment.
