The European Union has begun work on a coordinated infrastructure plan to ensure zero-emission trucks can travel long distances across borders, starting with two key freight corridors. The move comes ahead of tougher CO₂ emission standards that will require truck manufacturers to sell far more zero-emission vehicles by 2030.
The Clean Transport Corridor Initiative (CTCI), announced in March and now formally presented to the Council of the EU, aims to identify infrastructure and investment needs along the EU’s main road freight arteries. The first phase will focus on the Scandinavian–Mediterranean and North Sea–Baltic corridors, which carry significant volumes of goods across Europe.
The European Commission is currently gathering data from Member States on planned and existing recharging points for heavy-duty vehicles. A mapped overview of these charging locations is expected to be published before the summer break. According to the Council note, this will help identify “gaps and needs to turn the corridor into a fully equipped corridor that allows seamless truck travel by 2030.”
A major barrier to deployment is access to the electricity grid. Public authorities have raised concerns over delays and a lack of transparency in the grid connection process. In response, the Commission is preparing guidance on anticipatory investments and best practices for managing connection queues, to be released later this year.
The initiative is linked to the EU’s Industrial Automotive Action Plan and Competitiveness Coordination Tool, and seeks greater collaboration between national authorities, distribution system operators (DSOs), regulatory agencies, and charge point operators.
As part of the process, Member States involved in the pilot corridors have been invited to develop a joint roadmap or memorandum of understanding to ensure the rollout of “sufficient minimum recharging infrastructure for trucks by 2030.”
Following this pilot phase, the Commission intends to expand the initiative to all other Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors by the end of the year, supported by new data made available through the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).
“Accelerating the rollout of recharging infrastructure for zero-emission trucks is hence a key policy priority,” the Council document states.
The strategy reflects the EU’s growing concern that without reliable and widespread charging infrastructure, road freight operators will be unable or unwilling to invest in electric trucks — putting the bloc’s climate goals at risk.
