E.ON has launched a pilot project for a digital reservation system that allows electric truck drivers and fleet operators to book charging stops in advance, aiming to reduce waiting times and improve route planning for long-haul transport.
The system enables charging stops to be scheduled either by drivers themselves or by logistics dispatchers, using a web app on mobile devices or computers. Reservations block the charging station for a 15-minute window, and drivers can unlock the charger upon arrival through the app. If delays occur, the slot can be rescheduled, while unused reservations expire after the grace period to free capacity for other users.
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“Orders and delivery times are tightly scheduled in logistics, so vehicles should not stand still any longer than necessary. Our reservation system is designed to solve precisely this challenge,” said Arjan van der Eijk, Managing Director at E.ON Drive Infrastructure. “By booking charging points in advance, we ensure that electric trucks will not have to wait for a free charging station in the future – at the same time, we enable drivers to charge during their statutory rest breaks.”
The pilot project is starting at the MAN Service Centre in Karlsfeld near Munich, close to the A99 motorway, where four Alpitronic HYC400 hyperchargers have been installed. The company said further sites will follow, though no additional locations have been confirmed. E.ON’s stated aim is to create a comprehensive reservation network for electric truck charging stations across Europe.
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The system is being tested alongside a co-innovation project at the UnternehmerTUM start-up centre at the Technical University of Munich, working with industry partners to ensure scalability. “The goal is to jointly develop an open, scalable reservation system that will eventually include a large number of charging point operators from the truck sector,” said Lioudmila Simon, Vice President E-Mobility Innovation at E.ON Group Innovation.
E.ON has already gained experience with reservation platforms through previous initiatives. In 2023, it trialed a system called ChargeQ for electric cars at company sites, allowing employees to join a digital waiting list via smartphone. The concept was later integrated into a consortium-led public charging project in late 2024.
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