The power of moving loads: Cost analysis of megawatt charging in Europe

The power of moving loads: Cost analysis of megawatt charging in Europe February 2024 The power of moving loads: Cost analysis of megawatt charging in Europe Julia Hildermeier, Andreas Jahn Executive summary To accelerate the uptake of electric trucks and advance the electrification of long-haul freight across Europe, it will be crucial to build and operate facilities to provide the necessary high. [...] This will require Member States to cooperate closely, beyond the implementation of the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation, in the areas of network and charging infrastructure planning, and to monitor the developing market for charging services. [...] Our analysis is grounded in the perspective of the companies operating the infrastructure — the charge point operators, or CPOs — who must reconcile transport users’ needs with the needs of the transmission system and of the distribution system operators.11 Figure 1 below illustrates the elements of megawatt charging, showing how they interact. [...] The only determinant of the network price, therefore, is the charging capacity or the contracted capacity, not the kilowatt-hours charged by the vehicles. [...] To support the development of cost - efficient megawatt charging — while also supporting the economic electrification of other end uses — network pricing needs to more accurately reflect the actual costs for when and how much customers use the grid.36 According to the EU Electricity Market Regulation,37 network charges for use of the electricity grid should be based on the principle of cost causat.