DAF Trucks has become a member of HDV Booking, a consortium developing a platform for reserving public charging points for trucks in Europe. The initiative aims to improve the usability of electric trucks, particularly for long-distance transport.
HDV Booking is a newly formed consortium that includes providers of charging facilities, card reader systems, transport companies, and software developers. The platform is designed to help transporters locate and reserve available charging points, potentially enabling more efficient planning and routing for electric vehicles. The consortium aims to have the platform operational across Europe by 2026.
Bart Bosmans, Director Marketing & Sales and a member of the Board of Management at DAF Trucks, explained the rationale behind the project: “An optimal booking system requires all electric vehicles, as well as charging points and planning software, to be connected to each other. The ability to take factors like traffic congestion and the driver’s rest periods into consideration will lead to more optimal use of both the public charging infrastructure and electric vehicles.”
DAF currently offers the XD and XF Electric trucks, which the company states have a zero-emission range of up to 500 km. DAF suggests this range can be extended to 1,000 kilometres per day by charging the battery packs during the driver’s break.
Bosmans added: “Access to more information on the availability of public charging stations is an important step in increasing the availability of electric trucks for long distance transport. DAF’s decision to team up with HDV Booking underlines our position as a partner in the energy transition. After all, in addition to a full range of electric trucks, we also offer our customers charging stations and specialised advice and training.”
