Navigating the Change: Optimization and Ramp-Up Strategy of a Charging Network for Battery Electric Heavy Trucks

This study presents a strategic approach to designing a nationwide public fast-charging infrastructure for battery electric trucks in Germany. First, it optimizes the placement of charging stations at existing rest areas using a Mixed-Integer Quadratic approach, ensuring coverage required by the new EU Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) while optimizing spatial distribution. Second, an optimal ramp-up strategy is calculated to meet intermediate targets and enhance accessibility early on for electric long-haul traffic. The proposed approach integrates Open Street Maps data with traffic flows to identify strategic locations for charging stations, minimizing the total number while maximizing coverage and utility for long-haul freight transport. The results show that the strategic placement of charging stations could reduce initially developed sites by 36% compared to previous work while still ensuring 93.8% coverage of domestic long-haul traffic in Germany. The proposed ramp-up strategy improves coverage during the phase-in of electric long-haul transport by up to 58.7%, thereby contributing to the EU's emission reduction targets. This approach facilitates a cost-effective transition to electric freight transport and establishes a scalable model for EU-wide implementation.