A solution for every scenario: How Kempower is preparing for the electric truck revolution

Electric trucks are growing in popularity globally, with commercial fleets expected to make up two-thirds of the EV market’s total value by 2030. With traditional heavy-duty trucks accounting for more than 25% of the total CO2 emissions from road transport, their sustainability credentials make e-trucks an attractive alternative to diesel trucks.  

Since electric trucks are set to be the next big thing in the electric transition, CPOs and fleet owners need to start preparing now by investing in future-proof charging solutions for truck fleets.  

However, charging truck fleets is an entirely different game to charging passenger cars or even other large vehicles like buses. The size of trucks and nature of their work mean they encounter very different charging scenarios, which require new solutions. 

In this article, we’ll cover the key charging scenarios electric trucks encounter and explain how Kempower has developed solutions to meet the challenges our customers regularly face in each scenario. We’ll also dive deeper into the added benefits Kempower offers over competitors and share our plans for the future of truck charging. 

What are the different electric truck charging scenarios?

Kempower has identified three main types of charging scenarios that heavy-duty trucks are likely to encounter, all of which require different solutions. These are: 

• Overnight charging – the most common truck charging scenario. Overnight charging will generally take place for trucks completing local and regional trips over 6- 8 hours at a truck depot or public overnight charging stops, so requires low levels of DC power at around 50-100kW. 

• Destination charging – a scenario specific to electric trucks, this approach takes place at distribution warehouses or logistics centers where trucks with a longer distance to travel than their range allows are unloaded or loaded on the job. Short bursts of high-power charging between 150-400kW are needed during these limited idle and unloading times, which average from 30 minutes to two hours.  

• On-the-move charging – lasting around 30-45 minutes (in line with regulatory rest breaks for truck drivers in Europe and North America), these short charging sessions occur at truck stops and around urban nodes on long-haul routes. In this scenario, the charging window is sometimes so short that only power over a megawatt will meet the demands of electric trucks in the future. 

Overcoming space concerns 

Power is not the only factor to consider when choosing a truck charging set-up. Something that unites every scenario is a lack of space. Most truck charging locations were not initially built with truck charging in mind, meaning there is often little space leftover to build charging infrastructure. CPOs or fleet owners shouldn’t have to compromise by sacrificing other facilities like parking spaces to make space for chargers, with each lost parking space translating into significant financial losses for operators. That’s why all our solutions are designed with space saving in mind. 

For sites with very limited space, such as logistics centers or warehouses as well as public overnight charging stops, we offer the Kempower Control Unit, which can be placed on overhead gantries up to 80m away from the power unit. A cable management system can then be attached to dispense chargers from above, saving valuable space at the charging site. 

For sites with slightly more available space, we offer the Kempower Satellite. With a footprint comparable to an A4 piece of paper and a charging cable on each side, these chargers can easily be placed between two parked trucks, meaning minimal space is taken up and chargers don’t interfere with truck maneuvering. Offering up to 400kW, they are well-suited to overnight charging and destination charging scenarios. 

We use multimodality to future-proof your offering 

Another benefit Kempower offers is dynamic power sharing between chargers. This means power is shared across multiple Kempower dispensers to allocate the optimal amount of power between all vehicles being charged at any time. This minimizes charging times for drivers and cuts idle power wastage, making it highly cost-efficient for CPOs. Furthermore, Kempower’s dynamic power sharing solution minimizes charging downtime because power is shared in 25kW increments. In the case of a failure, only a 25kW power drop occurs – something which is unique to the market and is the key to Kempower chargers’ average uptime of 99%. 

Dynamic power sharing also enables the multimodality of our charging system. Power is shared between all dispensers, no matter which type, meaning we can switch our chargers to become ‘opportunity chargers’ or ‘overnight chargers’ depending on the scenario. For example, at a truck charging site, the CPO could offer opportunity-style charging in the day by allocating high levels of power to trucks stopping by for a short time. Then at nighttime, the chargers can be programmed to offer low levels of DC power in a public overnight charging scenario. By giving CPOs the flexibility to address multiple charging scenarios depending on demand, operators can significantly boost their utilization. 

And when multiple vehicles are connected at one time, our dynamic system distributes energy between dispensers depending on need, maximizing grid connection and energy utilization. This system is much more efficient compared to a standalone static system and maximizes charger utilization.  

Megawatt charging for the future of truck fleets

We’re always looking to the future of truck charging, to help operators get ahead of the curve. That is why we’ve launched our megawatt charging system (MCS) to boost the availability of on-the-move and destination charging for long-haul trucks. With megawatt charging, operators will be able to offer high-power charging in very short time windows. As a transition time towards full MCS adoption can be expected in the market, Kempower believes in a combined MCS/CCS approach. Thus, the new Kempower Mega Satellite will be available as 1500A MCS or 700A high-power CCS configuration respectively. 

Integrating Kempower’s MCS into charging sites will be simple. Our existing customers with 600kW power units can upgrade their charging sites to megawatt charging without installing new charging infrastructure from scratch, by adding another 600kW power unit to their sites. Customers can then connect the new Kempower Mega Satellite to two 600kW power units to unlock megawatt charging of up to 1.2 megawatts for electric trucks instantly. The system will also be compatible with our dynamic power sharing technology, making our solutions more flexible than ever. The first Mega Satellites will be shipped later in 2024, so it’s something to consider when deciding to build a future-proof charging site. 

Which solution is best for my situation? 

Now that we have clarified the most common charging scenarios, and covered why Kempower’s solutions are ideal for truck charging, which electric truck charging strategy is best for each scenario? Of course, it will vary slightly depending on the situation, but we recommend: 

• Overnight charging – Depending on availability of space, either the Kempower control unit with manual or automatic cable management or Kempower Satellites on the ground. With up to 240kW and 400kW respectively, these options provide sufficient power for trucks being charged for up to 8 hours, and our cable management system options save space by dispensing charging cables from above. 

• Destination charging – Space is likely to be even more of a factor even in this case, so the Kempower control unit with cable management coming from above is probably best. If space is not a concern, our liquid cooled satellite is a good choice for trucks, delivering a continuous 500 A charging current and achieving optimal power levels of 400 kW or more. 

• On-the-move charging – Power is the main demand in this scenario, so our liquid-cooled satellite with 400kW is a great choice. Looking to the future. Kempower’s Megawatt charging system is even more ideal, offering a maximum of 1.2 megawatts at any one time. With a dual MCS/CCS approach, customers can add MCS Mega Satellites or High-Power CCS Mega Satellites to the same platform and thus create maximum flexibility.

Written by

Moritz Vornfeld

Segment Owner Fleets, Kempower