Key points
- IRU and T&E want semi-private charging recognised as a separate category in the review of the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).
- Companies could voluntarily open spare charging capacity at depots, warehouses and hubs to other operators, and keep control over access.
- The organisations want easier grid connections and permits, and access to EU and national funding and State aid for such chargers.
- Sharing would not turn a logistics company into a charge point operator or electricity supplier.
In a joint letter dated 8 October and addressed to Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera and Transport Commissioner Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the two organisations argue that Europe needs a complete charging ecosystem for trucks: public stations along motorways, private depot chargers and, in between, shared infrastructure.
The letter was signed by Raluca Marian of IRU and Stef Cornelis of T&E. The request is notable because it comes jointly from the road transport industry and an environmental organisation.
What is semi-private charging?
Most electric truck charging is expected to happen at depots and destinations, where trucks stand anyway. Depot charging lowers total cost of ownership and reduces dependence on public networks, the letter says.
The problem is that not every operator can build it. Many smaller firms lack the space, grid capacity or money to install chargers on their own premises. Semi-private charging would let companies with depots, warehouses, terminals or loading sites voluntarily share spare capacity with others, for example subcontractors or smaller hauliers.
Some companies are already testing the idea. In Germany, the hauliers’ association BGL is building a network based on members’ existing depot chargers. Owners set their own prices and opening hours, and the technical operator Depotcharge says rates are currently 30–35 euro cents per kWh.
What IRU and T&E want from Brussels
The letter lists seven requests. The EU should:
- create a separate category for semi-private charging, with minimum criteria for voluntary third-party access,
- make clear that logistics companies sharing chargers are not treated by default as charge point operators or electricity suppliers,
- remove permitting and grid-connection barriers that bring heavy, disproportionate requirements,
- include depot, hub and loading-site charging in national infrastructure, energy and grid plans,
- keep sharing capacity simple, predictable and proportionate, so paperwork does not put companies off,
- allow semi-private chargers to qualify for EU and national funding and State aid,
- give guidance on funding schemes and on RED III and GHG quota rules, so that they also cover semi-private depot charging.
They also want the revision of the General Block Exemption Regulation (GBER), which governs State aid, to reflect the new category without cutting support already granted.
“Not new obligations”
The organisations stress that the scheme should be voluntary. Infrastructure owners would keep control over who charges and could give priority to their own fleet.
“The objective is not to impose new obligations on transport operators,” said Raluca Marian, IRU’s EU Advocacy Director. The aim, she said, is to create conditions and incentives for operators to invest and share capacity voluntarily, and to widen access for smaller operators and companies that need to charge where they do business.
Stef Cornelis, Fleets and Freight Director at T&E, said shared depot charging lets trucking companies charge at lower prices without major upfront investment, uses grid capacity more efficiently and helps owners recover their investment faster. “Now we need a European framework with minimum standards so barriers can be removed,” he added.
Why it matters for hauliers
For smaller operators, the biggest barrier to electric trucks is often not the vehicle price but where to charge it. Grid connections at depots can take years, and we have reported how depot power could become the next freight bottleneck.
Public charging under AFIR is growing, but slowly. By 2030 the regulation requires truck charging pools every 60 km on the core TEN-T network. That covers long-haul journeys, but does little for a regional haulier who needs to top up near a customer’s warehouse. This is why electric truck charging is moving beyond motorways.
Operators who already run electric trucks know that range alone does not decide the business case. The UK’s largest e-truck trial showed how charging shapes daily mileage.
If the Commission accepts the proposal, a firm with free capacity at night could earn money from its chargers, and a small haulier could run electric trucks without building its own charging site. The details, including the minimum criteria for access, will depend on how the AFIR review is drafted.
