The energy supplier EON and the MAN truck and bus manufacturer are planning to establish a public charging network for electric lorries across Europe, both companies announced on Thursday.
The first locations are expected to open this year.
By the end of 2025, 80 locations are planned. They are to be set up within the existing MAN service network but will also be accessible to commercial vehicles from other manufacturers.
An overall 170 locations are planned, providing 400 charging points, 125 of which will be in Germany. Others will be in Austria, Britain, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
The German government announced a separate initiative just over a week ago to establish 350 charging points in Germany.
"We are investing massively to give a decisive boost to the infrastructure for electric heavy-duty transport," said EON chief executive Leonhard Birnbaum.
"Virtually all major manufacturers are currently focusing on electromobility in their developments. For the final breakthrough, we need a comprehensive, high-performance charging infrastructure that is European from the very start," Birnbaum added.
MAN chief executive Alexander Vlaskamp stated that around 50,000 charging points for heavy commercial vehicles will be needed in Europe by 2030. "Of course, as a manufacturer of electric lorries, we are also contributing to this," he said.
The charging points from MAN and EON are primarily to be established in industrial areas with high lorry traffic along motorways. Special attention will be given to the particular needs of lorries, such as ensuring that charging bays are drive-through so drivers do not have to manoeuvre.
Initially, each location will have several 400-kilowatt charging points, according to the plans. These could supply an average electric lorry with enough power in around 45 minutes for a range of up to 300 kilometres.
Later on, the locations are to be be upgraded to the faster Megawatt Charging System (MCS).
