Depot Charging as a competitive factor for logistics companies
The depot is becoming a decisive competitive factor in the electrification of logistics fleets. That was Tobias Wolff’s key message at electrive LIVE. Experience from recent years shows that depot charging goes far beyond simply setting up charging infrastructure. The key lies in the interaction between energy, technology, and operational processes.
Since 2023, SMATRICS has been implementing charging infrastructure for logistics companies and has gained extensive experience with the requirements of electric truck fleets. It has become clear that logistics providers, above all, need a solution that integrates into their existing processes. Charging infrastructure thus becomes a business-critical component of their operations.
The depot offers the greatest leverage
Many heavy-duty trucks spend a large portion of their time on regional routes. Approximately 40 to 50 percent of these vehicles travel less than 300 kilometers per day. Most of these vehicles can be refueled at their own depots.
Depots are also gaining importance in long-haul transport. With daily distances of 600 to 700 kilometers, there are often around 200 to 300 kilometers between two depot stops. This allows charging at the company’s own electricity rate at both the starting and destination locations.
Shifting charging operations to the depot reduces dependency on the public charging network and allows for more economical use of the company’s own energy.
Planning Is Key to Cost-Effectiveness
Planning charging infrastructure at truck depots differs significantly from the electrification of a passenger car fleet. Charging electric trucks requires large amounts of energy and high-power connections. At the same time, it is important to note that not all vehicles charge at the same time. This determines the required connection capacity as well as the need for load management, charging planning, and, where appropriate, photovoltaic systems and battery storage.
SMATRICS takes a three-step approach to this:
- Site inspection, including an analysis of fleet needs and existing energy resources
- Concept development in multiple phases
- Detailed implementation planning, including civil engineering and electrical planning
Dispenser solutions also play an important role in this process. A central power unit supplies multiple charging points and distributes the available power according to demand. This improves infrastructure utilization and avoids unnecessary investments.
Operational reliability is becoming a key to success
In depot operations, the failure of a charging station can have a direct impact on transportation operations.
That is why SMATRICS’ comprehensive offering includes its own backend system, proactive and reactive monitoring, remote fault analysis, and a nationwide field service team in Germany and Austria. The goal is to ensure high availability of the charging infrastructure so that vehicles are reliably ready for service.
Making Economic Use of Unused Capacity
Even with a fleet operating at full capacity, there are times when individual charging points are not in use. This unused capacity can generate additional value.
Depot Charging allows charging points to be made available specifically to selected partners. One example is logistics companies that coordinate transportation but do not operate their own fleet. They want to support their transportation partners with charging and need a solution that manages access, documents charging sessions, and allocates the amount of energy charged to the respective companies.
The SMATRICS Depot Club expands on this principle. Members can make unused storage capacity available to other logistics companies and, in return, gain access to other members’ depot locations under agreed-upon terms. This increases the utilization of existing infrastructure and makes better use of existing investments.
Depot Charging is an Energy Ecosystem
Electrification is fundamentally changing a depot’s energy system. Whereas diesel operations focused primarily on fuel procurement, today energy generation, grid connection, battery storage, charging hardware, and energy management must all be coordinated.
The energy management system serves as the central control layer. It connects all components and ensures that energy is used efficiently. The key is finding the most economically viable combination of the individual components.
Conclusion
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for the electrification of depots. Every depot has different requirements in terms of fleet, energy needs, and operational processes.
The greatest impact comes from a comprehensive system that operates reliably and can scale to meet the company’s growing needs. SMATRICS combines its experience operating Austria’s largest fast-charging network with the specific requirements of the logistics industry. The result is depot charging solutions that support daily operations and unlock additional potential for the cost-effectiveness of the charging infrastructure. With the SMATRICS Depot Club, SMATRICS is also creating a network where companies can make unused charging capacity in their depots available to authorized members. This increases the utilization of the charging infrastructure, generates additional revenue, and creates predictable charging options along the route.
Watch the entire electrive live video here.