Truck Fast-Charging Network: Autobahn GmbH Awards Contracts

The federal government’s Autobahn GmbH has reached another important milestone in the development of a nationwide fast-charging infrastructure for heavy-duty commercial vehicles in road freight transport: The operators of the future fast-charging stations for electric trucks have been selected for 124 unmanned rest areas along the federal highways.

On behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transportation (BMV), the federal government’s Autobahn GmbH awarded contracts yesterday for the planning, construction, and operation of truck fast-charging infrastructure in five lots. Each lot comprises approximately 25 larger and smaller locations at unstaffed rest areas. The configuration of the lots ensures a balanced distribution of the truck fast-charging infrastructure throughout Germany.

The following companies were awarded the contract:

• Lot 1 (25 rest stops): eliso Voltix Truck Charging GmbH
• Lot 2 (24 rest stops): autostrom.plus GmbH
• Section 3 (26 rest stops): Electric Mobility Infrastructure Germany GmbH
• Lot 4 (25 rest stops): STRA-loaded Consortium
• Lot 5 (24 rest stops): E.ON Drive & mblty Joint Bidder Consortium

Distributing the contracts among several market participants strengthens competition and supports the project's swift implementation.

Federal Minister of Transportation Patrick Schnieder: „A high-performance, publicly accessible charging infrastructure for electric trucks strengthens Germany’s position as a logistics hub. “By expanding the fast-charging network for trucks, we are helping companies make their supply chains more resilient, more predictable, and, in the long run, more cost-effective. To this end, we are providing approximately one billion euros.”

Dr. Michael Güntner, Chairman of the Executive Board of Autobahn GmbH: „With this contract award, we are advancing the development of the fast-charging infrastructure for electric trucks along the highways. At the same time, we are laying the groundwork for the wider adoption of more climate-friendly powertrains in the logistics sector. This is an important building block for a modern, efficient, and sustainable transportation infrastructure in Germany.“

Johannes Pallasch, Head and Spokesperson of the National Charging Infrastructure Control Center under the umbrella of NOW GmbH: „With the rollout of fast-charging infrastructure for electric trucks at rest stops, a decisive phase for electric mobility in road freight transport is now beginning. This lays the foundation for the reliable and widespread use of electric trucks along the highways. This provides logistics companies with planning certainty and, at the same time, the necessary impetus to switch to climate-friendly commercial vehicles.“

The electric truck fast-charging network is another important step toward achieving climate goals in the transportation sector and making freight transport sustainable, efficient, and competitive in the future. Another procurement process is currently being prepared for the construction of charging stations at managed rest areas.

Background

The BMV, in collaboration with the federal government’s Autobahn GmbH and the National Charging Infrastructure Control Center under the umbrella of NOW GmbH, designed the 350-location truck fast-charging network at both unstaffed and staffed rest areas. This was based on comprehensive analyses of the charging needs of electric trucks along the highways, including manufacturer forecasts of sales figures and truck toll data from Toll Collect. The planned fast-charging infrastructure for electric trucks encompasses both quick charging during breaks in the journey and charging during longer rest periods and overnight stays. By combining various use cases, the infrastructure addresses the diverse requirements of road freight transport.

A total of 836 charging points for road freight transport are being installed at unstaffed rest stops. Of these, 447 charging points will use the new Megawatt Charging System (MCS), which will enable charging capacities in the megawatt range for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and thus represents one of the first large-scale applications of this charging technology. The offering is supplemented by 389 charging points equipped with the Combined Charging System (CCS).

The project is part of a nationwide effort to establish an efficient charging infrastructure for heavy-duty commercial vehicles and makes an important contribution to achieving national and European climate protection goals. At the same time, the expansion of the truck fast-charging network’s locations makes a substantial contribution to meeting the minimum deployment targets of the European Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).

Project at a Glance

• 124 unstaffed rest areas
• Nationwide distribution of locations along federal highways, divided into 5 lots
• 5 Successful Bidders
• 836 charging points in total
  • 447 MCS charging points (intermediate charging)
  • 157 CCS400 charging points (intermediate charging)
  • 232 CCS100 charging points (overnight charging)
• Planning, Construction, and Operation—All from a Single Source
• Implementation on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Transportation

In addition, the BMV supports the development of publicly accessible charging infrastructure away from federal highways and of non-publicly accessible charging infrastructure at vehicle depots through its current funding guidelines.