Charging electric trucks: chargers, MCS and cost per kWh

The network in numbers

• 127 truck-capable sites on the map above: 106 live, 21 planned, 15 of them car HPC sites open to trucks (truckoo compilation, September 2026).
• 154 drive-through truck charging sites in Germany (eTrucker, July 2026). Top operators: Aral pulse (50), Milence (10), Shell Recharge (10), E.ON Drive (7).
• 355 charging points for heavy commercial vehicles at 88 sites (VDA, July 2026).
• 18 sites with public MCS in Germany (Aral pulse 5, HoLa corridor 5, Dettendorfer 2, ESG-Solar, GP Joule and others, September 2026) – MCS is becoming a network, standard at federal rest areas from 2027.
• 836 charging points at 124 unmanaged motorway rest areas in the federal fast-charging network, 447 of them MCS; launched at the IAA on 15 September 2026.
• 50 Milence sites targeted by the end of 2026, 1.44 MW MCS; €120 million financing in May 2026.
• ≈1,800 truck-capable charging points on Europe's main corridors (Milence count, 2026).

What charging costs (ct/kWh net)

• Depot, overnight, commercial tariff: 20–28 – the standard, 80–90% of all kWh.
• Depot with dynamic tariff and load management: 12–20 – wholesale 7–9 ct plus grid fees; pays off from ~5 vehicles.
• Public CCS 350–400 kW, contract tariff: 38–48 – top-up charging en route.
• Public MCS ad hoc: 45–60 (estimate) – the exception.

Depot checklist

1. Request a grid connection from the network operator – 2 e-trucks need 300–400 kW, waiting times 6–18 months.
2. Derive the charging profile from the route schedule: an overnight window of 6–8 h is usually enough for 400 kW in total.
3. Cost per vehicle €40–80k including civil works; enter as “charging infrastructure” in the calculator.
4. Check core routes against Milence, Aral pulse and E.ON sites; plan for MCS from 2027 at the earliest – the route planner works this out.
5. Negotiate an electricity contract with time windows and cap peak loads (capacity charge).