By 2030, 40,000 to 50,000 charging points will be required, the majority of which will be high-power charging points with more than 500 kW. According to ACEA, 40,000 public night charging stations with low power (100 kW) are also required in truck parking areas along motorways by 2030 to enable the effective use of electric trucks.

There are currently over 6,000 available e-truck-compatible charging points in Europe – a significant increase on the almost 3,600 charging points in the previous year. So things are moving forward.

A recent ADAC test at 40 service stations along the most important motorway routes also considers the charging infrastructure for electric cars to be in need of improvement. 16 of these 37 facilities, i.e. 43 per cent, only offered charging terminals with a charging capacity of less than 150 kW, the majority of which could only provide up to 50 kW – too little to enable short charging times.

In addition to the charging capacity, the ADAC also analysed the number of charging points. Six of the 21 motorway service areas with charging terminals from 150 to 350 kW only had a maximum of three charging points – according to the ADAC, a modern charging park should offer at least ten. On average, the 21 motorway service areas only achieved a value of just over four charging points for 150 kW or more.

Airfield vehicles – pioneers in alternative drives

Today, tanker trucks of the AT type – i.e. those for heating oil and diesel fuel – can already be equipped with a battery-electric drive. From 1 January 2025, this will also apply to FL vehicles that can transport highly flammable substances such as petrol. In practice, however, such vehicles are as yet uncommon. On the one hand, according to estimates from the energy trade, it is hardly possible to make a battery-powered truck economically viable due to its high acquisition costs – especially not as a distribution vehicle. On the other hand, it is questionable whether a refinery operator or warehouse keeper would even allow such a vehicle to be driven to their loading point for safety reasons.

The situation is quite different in the airfield area. Here, the electric vehicles remain on the operator’s premises and can demonstrate the advantages of an electric drive in the truck sector. In addition, airport operators are under particular pressure to reduce their CO2 emissions. An electric tanker truck can make a significant contribution to this.

Several vehicle manufacturers are active in this business segment.

eEconic Esterer Aviation Refueller

As shown by the example of Stuttgart Airport, which is already setting standards for sustainable air transport. For the “finalize!” research project funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics, the company has joined forces with strong partners who are contributing their respective expertise and working together to shape the playing field of tomorrow. One of these partners is the vehicle manufacturer Esterer from Helsa, which has been developing and building special vehicles for the airfield sector for four decades.

The world’s first fully electric tanker in the 40 cubic metre class, developed in close cooperation with Daimler Truck, was delivered in the middle of this year. The new “eEconic Esterer Aviation Refueller” has a direct energy outlet for refuelling and is designed to supply a wide range of aircraft types with fuel. Another special feature of the production-ready e-fuelling vehicle is real-time data transmission.

According to Esterer, it is the only company in the world to have developed a special battery technology for refuelling with its own expertise. From the concept and technical solutions to component selection, purchasing and production, the entire development process is anchored at Esterer. This expertise has been incorporated into the successful development of the eEconic Esterer Aviation Refueller.

Mercedes-Benz and ROHR: Fully electric tanker for helicopter refuelling

In cooperation with Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks, ROHR Spezialfahrzeuge from Straubing has realised an electric helicopter refuelling vehicle.

The Mercedes-Benz eEconic refuels helicopters for the first time. Airbus Helicopters in Donauwörth has been using the all-electric truck from Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks for several weeks now. Airbus Helicopters’ initial experience shows this: With the installed battery capacity, the tanker can be used in normal operation for about a week without intermediate charging. The tank body for the aviation fuel with SAF content (Sustainable Aviation Fuel) comes from ROHR Spezialfahrzeuge. The experts from ROHR and Mercedes-Benz Special Trucks have jointly realised the integration of the tank and base vehicle. The addition of the all-electric refuelling vehicle to the fleet is intended to reduce emissions from the handling fleet and make the immediate vehicle environment a more pleasant place to work for employees.

Despite its long wheelbase of 5.5 metres, the Mercedes-Benz eEconic has a relatively tight turning radius thanks to the steered rear axle. This means that the base vehicle, which is around eleven metres long, can manoeuvre easily between ground personnel, other vehicles, landing helicopters and starting rotor blades.

The eEconic has an electric axle with an integrated drive unit and two electric motors that generate 330 kW of continuous power. The battery packs of the eEconic can be charged with up to 160 kW. As the pump of the tank body also uses the vehicle batteries, the energy supply for driving and refuelling is ensured by just one charging process. Electrical energy can also be recovered through recuperation, which increases the operating time of the refuelling vehicle without intermediate charging.

The vehicle is equipped with a special tank body from Rohr with a usable capacity of 16,500 litres.