The electrification of heavy transport is a reality that Spain is already beginning to address.
The installation of the first MCS (Megawatt Charging System) charger for eTrucks in Southern Europe has been announced, which will be launched by Iberdrola | bp in the country.
Major logistics companies, road transport companies, supermarket chains, among others, have already begun to transition their fleets.
Disfrimur, Dachser, DHL, Alimerka, Mercadona, Lodisna, Correos, are some of the many that already make up this list.
All this is running smoothly thanks to a series of objectives set at European level, which are already well defined at national level.
But putting all this on the table, the challenges are not left out of the equation and the National Commission of Markets and Competition of Spain (CNMC) was taking note of each one of them.
Exclusively to Mobility Portal España, the following is raised:
“The responses to the latest public consultation have highlighted the limitations to recharging heavy vehicles due to density, manoeuvrability and space.”
By 2030, a cumulative investment of 7 billion euros is estimated for electric trucks in Spain.
Of these, 3.4 billion will be additional investments to switch from combustion trucks to electric ones (AEDIVE, 2023).
As far as charging infrastructure is concerned, the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) plans to deploy at least 3,600 kW of charging power for heavy transport every 60 km on main roads and 1,500 kW every 100 km on secondary roads in Europe by 2030.
For this reason, a correct approach from the very beginning is key for the eMobility sector.
And it is here that mention is made of the five main challenges that are already being detected:
1) Limitation of eTruck access due to architectural barriers
This factor has already been mentioned in debates on this portal.
To maximize the profitability of electromobility projects, it is ideal to offer charging options to different types of electric vehicles and not limit the offer to just one segment.
For this reason, charging zones must be designed from the perspective of coexistence between trucks and cars.
A model to imitate? According to Guillermo López Arias, Head of Sales Kempower Iberia & LATAM, stations similar to gas stations should be designed.
This will allow charging point operators not only to attract a wider range of customers, but also to alleviate the dilemma of space, a factor that is already being analysed at a European level and which is mentioned in the CNMC’s public consultation.
2) Limited flexibility due to the short length of the hoses
At this juncture, CNMC emphasizes to Mobility Portal España an issue that has already sparked debate within the sector.
Meanwhile, charging point manufacturers are challenged with creating hoses that are long enough yet still manageable.
However, the problem here is that as the powers increase, the sleeves will become much heavier and more difficult for people to maneuver.
For this reason, through this portal, specialists propose the possibility of standardizing the position of the connector in the same eTrucks.
This will require careful consideration of the location of the point in order to maximise the “refuelling” operation.
Andrés Barentin, CEO at Dhemax, believes that the connector should be considered on the side of the front, although this could pose problems with the length of the cable.
Trucks will eventually charge at shared sites with electric buses.
“Therefore, it is necessary to develop an approach that does not require the creation of a charging center for each type of vehicle, but that allows interaction,” he said.
He proposes locating the connector in the cabin, at the front, with one side for MCS and the other for CCS, thus avoiding the need for long cables that “might not be the most affordable option.”
This will not only provide convenience during the recharging process, but will also offer economic benefits “by investing in fixed assets” that can adapt to different types of loads for medium and heavy segments.
What will happen if a standard is not established?
“This will force charging point providers to install very long cables to meet the needs of truck drivers, which will complicate their management,” explains David Iriarte, Senior Sales Manager EV Charging Southern Europe at Sungrow.
Not only that, but as the power increases, the cables will become heavier, making them more difficult to handle.
“You will have to go to a CrossFit gym or be from Bilbao to be able to handle them,” he emphasizes.
3) Lack of power capacity in the electrical grid and public charging network for eTrucks
This opens an interesting debate that is already underway within the eMobility sector.
The number of charging points is constantly increasing across the country, currently exceeding 30,000, and will continue to grow in the coming years to comply with the European Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR).
However, there are concerns about the lack of power in some locations and the outdated power grid.
So who should bear the costs of expanding and modernizing it?
Within the framework of the European Congress on Electric Mobility (CEVE), Ana Fernández, Product Manager eBus & eTruck at Iberdrola, says:
“Distributors would have to cover part of these costs.”
“Ultimately, the operator is responsible for assuming the costs of adapting the network so that it can then be used by the other warehouses or companies located in this area of action,” he explains.
In this regard, Spain plans to allocate 50 per cent of the 1.4 billion euros to strengthen and expand the electricity grid, while the other half will go to the local installation of charging points, according to AEDIVE.
The goal is to make the electricity system more flexible and able to anticipate and adapt to new needs, which will be essential to address the ecological transition process and meet the climate and energy objectives set for 2030.
As well as to advance the digitalization and automation of the electrical grid.
Despite this, Fernández points out that “more than 95 per cent of urban routes in Spain can already be carried out with electric vehicles.”
This is due not only to the availability of public charging points, but also to the fact that routes and ranges sometimes allow for a single overnight charge at the operators’ depots.
“It is a technology that is already mature,” she says.
Although he emphasizes that right now the electricity grid “is not prepared to handle high-power projects”, such as the MCS for eTrucks.
Therefore, “distributors are asking the Government to allow them to invest more money” to adapt and carry out these expansion projects, in order to provide the necessary power at the points that require it.
For his part, Juan Carlos León, Electromobility Sales Manager at Volvo, agrees with the Iberdrola representative, but adds:
“I think that we all have to pay for ‘the party’.”
“You have to pay a little more so that your supermarket can transport goods in a sustainable way,” he explains.
One way or another, the network needs to be improved, as many locations currently lack the power to install chargers where operators want to do so.
4) Low density of charging points and compatibility issues with direct current (DC) charging points
Industry and businesses are already driving the use of eTrucks and generating demand for charging networks.
This is why it is vital to move forward on the AFIR objectives and support this electrification process. AEDIVE proposes to develop a Heavy Electric Vehicle Recharging Infrastructure Plan (PIRVEP) with the following objectives:
2025: 80 electrified stations, with 726 charging points to supply a fleet of 5,700 electric trucks (2 per cent of the fleet). This would involve installing a total capacity of at least 120 MW according to initial estimates.
2027: 120 electrified stations, with 1,360 high-power charging points to cover a demand of 14,300 electric trucks (4 per cent of the fleet). This would involve installing a total capacity of 220 MW.
2030: 365 electrified stations, with 7,000 charging points to supply 35,700 eTrucks (10 per cent of the fleet). This would involve installing a total capacity of 1200 MW.
5) Need for an official platform that provides information on location, availability, accessibility, and compatibility with eTrucks.
Spain has been working on creating a national map of charging points.
The information from the different CPOs was collected by the national administration and a mapping has been launched that has been able to be integrated into different platforms.
However, a list that meets the specific demands of this sector is still a pending issue.
