How does depot charging work?
The evening before, the truck returned to the depot with 24% left. Twelve trucks of the same company charge there overnight.
Each needs several hundred kilowatt-hours by 5:00 AM.
The questionHow does a depot charge a fleet of heavy trucks overnight?
from 24% to 100% of 621 kWh
in one night
within the daily rest
for the whole depot
A composed example: each truck needs only about 47 kW on average over the night, well within the reach of DC depot chargers.
Slow is enough at night
During the , a truck has many hours. The power needed is modest per truck, but adds up across a depot. Planning for buses and trucks combines route profiling, battery sizing, charging strategies and the number of chargers; shifting part of the load can reduce maximum depot demand by up to 60%. For large bus depots, the IEA names grid connection delays of several years as a major bottleneck. The same planning logic for vans is shown in Fleet charging, stop 03.
Away from the depot
Long-haul drivers often spend the daily rest far from home. asks Member States to ensure at least two public recharging stations for heavy vehicles of at least 100 kW in every by the end of 2027, and four by the end of 2030. Overnight, 100 kW for ten hours is a full battery.
Check your understanding
3 questions. Answer all of them to complete this stop. Each answer explains itself.
A truck needs 470 kWh during a 10-hour rest. What average power is enough?
470 kWh divided by 10 hours is 47 kW.
What does AFIR require in each safe and secure parking area by the end of 2030?
Two stations of at least 100 kW by the end of 2027, four by the end of 2030.
What can delay a large charging depot by several years?
The IEA reports that limited substation capacity, permitting and grid reinforcements can delay charging depots by several years.
- AFIR Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (EU) 2023/1804: EU rules for public charging, from payment to coverage. EV charging fundamentals, stop 08 Glossary
- Safe and secure parking area A certified parking area for trucks with security and facilities for drivers; AFIR requires truck charging stations at each one. Glossary
- Depot charging Charging of fleet vehicles at the company's own site, usually overnight while they are parked. Fleet charging, stop 03 Glossary
- Daily rest The rest a truck or bus driver must take each day under EU driving time rules, regularly at least eleven hours; for an electric truck, the long, slow charging window. Stop 02 Glossary
- IEA: Global EV Outlook 2026: Electric vehicle charging. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026/electric-vehicle-charging-chap-6-and-10. Checked 09 Oct 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
- IEA: Global EV Outlook 2026: Electric vehicle charging. https://www.iea.org/reports/global-ev-outlook-2026/electric-vehicle-charging-chap-6-and-10. Checked 09 Oct 2026. Licence: CC BY 4.0.
- EUR-Lex: Regulation (EU) 2023/1804 (AFIR), Articles 4 and 5(1). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2023/1804/oj. Checked 09 Oct 2026. © European Union, reused under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.