Charging an electric truck or van: power and costs

A charger costs more than the hardware alone. Include installation, civil works, connection, management and electricity. Choose charging power based on daily energy needs and the time available to charge.

At your depot

Charging op je Depot is het goedkoopst: je betaalt je own Electricity price and ontvangt zelf de ERE revenue. For a van, an AC charge point of 11 or 22 kW is usually enough. For a truck, a DC charger of 40 to 50 kW per vehicle is the obvious choice, or a faster charger shared across vehicles with load management.

Choose a charge point with a certified meter to register ERE revenue. SPRILA supports chargers for your own commercial vehicles.

En route

More truck charging hubs with 350 kW and higher power are opening on major corridors. Charge during the mandatory 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving to minimise downtime. Public charging costs more per kWh, but an operator’s business contract may beat ad-hoc charging-card rates.

Charging while loading and unloading

If the truck is standing still at a customer or distribution centre to load or unload anyway, it can top up during that time. That is called opportunity charging: no separate stop and no extra waiting time for the driver. Even a modest charger at the dock adds enough in an hour of loading and unloading for tens of kilometres.

Megawatt charging

The Megawatt Charging System (MCS) is the new connector for heavy trucks, with a charging speed of over 1 MW. The first trucks and charge points are available. Ask when buying whether the vehicle has MCS or can be fitted with it, as it determines how much you can charge during a break.

What does a truck or van charger cost?

Request a quote for the complete site, including cabling, protection, grid upgrades and service. Spread investment over expected usage and compare depot with en-route charging. Higher utilisation can reduce charging costs per vehicle.

Multiple vehicles or sites? Fleet advice for your entire fleet