Daimler Truck UK’s Head of Future Sustainability, James Venables, has added his voice to the industry’s calls for more investment in the UK public charging infrastructure to support operators making the decision to switch to electric transportation.
This follows the announcement that the government is providing £30 million in funding for its Depot Charging Scheme (DCS). The investment, which is part of a £63 million package to accelerate Britain’s EV revolution, is expected to support the installation of more than 3,000 van and 200 HGV chargepoints, helping reduce business costs, boost operational efficiency, and accelerate the adoption of zero emission vehicles.
“This is a great start, but there is more to do. It’s clear that to boost the take-up of battery-electric vehicles further we need more places where they can be charged,” said Venables. “But that’s a simplistic statement and the truth is a little more nuanced.
“If we’re to invest in infrastructure, then the money needs to be well spent and I believe that means creating more dedicated HGV public charging points on our road network; however, for those points to be truly effective they must offer high enough power ratings and be sited in the right places.
“The transition to EVs needs careful thought and planning. Daimler Truck is assisting those looking to make the change with TruckCharge – a holistic charging solutions service it provides to operators with free advice and support to help them transition to electric HGVs,” added Venables.
The TruckCharge service covers three key areas – advice, the power of the charging infrastructure and reliable operations from a single source. The advice includes a comprehensive range of information, such as insights on transformation strategies to achieve decarbonisation and ESG targets, plus route and cost analysis (including potential subsidies, grants or tax breaks), and practical operational functions such as digital charging management and payments with the Mercedes ServiceCard.
Work patterns
“Key to making battery-powered trucks a practical option for UK transport is the potential to build charging top-up time into daily work patterns – with vehicles being plugged in while they’re already stationary, rather than making extra stops to charge. In an ideal world, operators would be able to combine charging at their own depots, at delivery sites and at strategic points on the road network,” said Venables.
“High powered and megawatt charging systems are incredibly effective for electric HGVs and allow battery top-ups to be perfectly integrated with mandatory driver breaks, which really does make perfect sense.
“Our eActros 600 truck, for example, has the capacity to travel at least 500 km (310 miles) on a single charge at a 40t Gross Combination Weight (GCW). Even with the standard CCS charging at up to 400kW, charging the batteries from 20-80% can be completed in under 60 mins and when the option of megawatt charging is more widely available, this will drop down to around 30 minutes. If that is timed to coincide with the driver’s statutory break, a truck could cover at least 1,000 km (620 miles) in a day with no enforced charging stops.
Sustainable transportation
“Many of our customers plan to have depot charging facilities installed, but better public infrastructure – the right charging points, in the right places – will help us continue to build confidence and is a key enabler for the switch to sustainable transportation,” Venables added.
Cost is another important consideration.
“In addition to the technical and power needs, public charging should be cost competitive,” said Venables. “It also needs to work intelligently – for example, allowing drivers to pre-book and view availability of the network in advance of their journey,” he added. “All the factors need to be considered when designing a charging network that will allow operators to run electric trucks at maximum efficiency – and to encourage people to make the switch,” said Venables.
Joint venture
The private sector is currently taking the lead on HGV public charging infrastructure, but this will not be enough, so Daimler Truck UK believes governments have a vital role to play.
“At Daimler Truck we’re very proud of our Milence joint venture with Volvo Group and the Traton Group that will take charge of building public charging across Europe, with Immingham, the first UK location already open,” added Venables.
Confidence building
“The more we can do to support early adopters of electric trucks, the more vehicles will be seen out and about on our roads, covering the distances, and hauling the loads that are typical in UK logistics – and that will give other operators the confidence that electric trucks can work successfully in the real world.
“Together we have one planet and share the same decarbonisation goal – whether we’re talking about trucks, vans, cars or any other type of vehicle. We’re all aware that sustainable transportation is the future, and Daimler Truck is in a great position to lead in this area. In 2039, we plan for our entire model range to consist of zero emissions vehicles and will achieve this through a dual technology strategy that considers electric and hydrogen fuel cell.
Ready and waiting
“Our dealers are ready for the electric transition, with comprehensive eConsulting, product, technician and handover training already rolled out across our network. However, we understand why some operators might still find it daunting and have individual requirements, so that’s why we introduced TruckCharge to give our customers a single source of expertise to turn to for help.
“We want to help operators considering eHGVs to overcome any perceived obstacles and can recommend the best infrastructure for their current and future needs, plus a clear analysis of the costs and benefits they should consider. Now all the industry needs is the investment in public charging stations to remove any final doubts that electric trucks are the future,” concluded Venables.
SOURCE: Daimler Truck
