North American Electric Truck Charging Infrastructure—Revenue Opportunities

North American Electric Truck Charging Infrastructure—Revenue Opportunities

By 2030, more than half the trucks operating in North America are expected to be powered by an electric powertrain. Light-duty vehicles are forecasted to be the early adopters, with nearly 86% share of the EV truck market in 2030. Among several EV truck charging types, AC & DC charging are expected to be the most adopted in North America. Level 2 (20kW) to Level 5 chargers (350kW) will be the predominant charging solutions in this decade, with even higher charging power developed by the end of the decade.

The charging infrastructure value chain must be robust and efficient to meet this demand. It starts from energy generation, followed by storing and energy distribution through transmission & distributor operators to reach various hubs, after which charging stations are installed in private/public hubs to offer charging services to customers. Multiple participants are involved actively in different parts of the value chain to cater to the charging requirement of the increasing number of electric trucks in operation. These broadly can be classified as portfolio, asset-heavy charging infrastructure, asset-light, and participants who provide charging infrastructure as a service.

To ensure that the truck operation is not affected by charging infrastructure availability, destination, depot, and en route charging are available. The choice within this will depend on each truck’s operation.

For a charging operator, setting up a charging station involves several costs, such as equipment, installation, rental, maintenance, and electricity. Depreciation, marketing, and taxes are additional costs that depend on the charging operator and installed location.

The 3 major revenue models for a charging operator are asset-heavy, asset-light, and a combination of the two. The choice between these models depends on the charging operator’s investment potential and the competitive landscape of the location. EV trucks will consume 130TW of electricity by 2030; 440k to 540k chargers are required to cater to this. Charging operators have several revenue opportunities to capitalize on in this decade.