Daimler Maps Path to Scale Electric Trucks: Europe Needs 35K Chargers

Daimler Truck CEO Karin Rådström outlined the infrastructure and policy changes Europe must implement to transition heavy-duty trucking from early-stage electric adoption to mainstream use. The company holds 38 percent of Europe's zero-emission medium and heavy-duty truck market and reports that Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 vehicles have logged over 160 million kilometers since production began in late 2024. However, battery-electric trucks captured only 2-4 percent of Europe's heavy-duty truck market in 2025, well below the 35 percent share Daimler estimates is needed by 2030 to meet EU CO2 reduction targets.

The primary barriers are infrastructure scarcity and cost parity with diesel trucks. Rådström highlighted three systemic gaps: Europe has fewer than 2,000 public megawatt truck chargers today but needs 35,000 by 2030; only about 187 hydrogen stations exist, most unsuitable for trucks, yet 1,000 are required by 2030; and only 13 EU member states have adopted CO2-based road tolls, with few setting meaningful cost differentials between electric and diesel vehicles. Dachser, operating over 15,000 trucks across Europe but deploying only 200 battery-electric units, cited financing barriers and grid capacity constraints as critical pain points.

The company's analysis reveals most European branches can access only 1-3 megawatts of grid capacity, fragmenting procurement across 800 energy providers in Germany alone. Infrastructure timelines remain uncertain, forcing fleet operators to justify higher upfront capital costs without clear long-term policy frameworks.