Influence of AFIR's charging station spacing requirement on heavy-duty vehicle electrification rate

Abstract

The rapid progression of the electrification of road transport in Sweden requires effective researchbased decisions on the location of charging infrastructure. The new European Union (EU) regulation for alternative fuel infrastructure (AFIR) specifies the maximum allowed distance between public fast-charging stations (FCSs) for heavy-duty trucks along the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). The impact of these requirements is assessed using a novel method that places charging infrastructure according to the geographical distribution of the vehicles’ energy needs. Our analysis shows that if charging infrastructure for road freight transport is placed based on the vehicles’ charging needs the EU regulation will not be met, at least in certain areas. To follow the regulation would therefore result in the introduction of redundant stations, lowering utilisation and thereof profitability of FCSs. The paper recommends additional studies, e.g. the need for redundancy to create a trustworthy charging infrastructure.