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Mapping the Charge: Why Grid Data Is Key to Electrifying Road Freight
More electric trucks are hitting European roads every day. In the first half of 2025, they accounted for 3.8% of all truck registrations, up from 2.6% in 2024. Uptake is expected to continue to grow in the coming years, as truck manufacturers must ramp up their sales to comply with heavy-duty vehicle (HDV) CO2 standards.
Powering this fleet will require an extensive network of public and private HDV-specific charging stations. In September 2023, the European Commission published the final Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) to ensure minimum public charging infrastructure coverage in the EU, mandating that Member States develop market mechanisms to kick-start the large-scale deployment of charging stations. Now, it’s critical that the grid does not become a bottleneck to connect these charging stations, as slow grid connection procedures could stall Europe’s energy transition.
The grid capacity crunch
Whether it’s a highway public charger used by long-haul trucks or a depot charger used by urban trucks on city routes, connecting these chargers to the grid at mass scale will pose challenges. Large highway charging hubs can be especially tricky, as these are expected to have many high-power chargers and their peak load could easily exceed 10 MW—similar to the power demand of a small town of 20,000 inhabitants. In some regions, local power grids lack the capacity to accommodate this additional power demand. While deploying smart charging techniques, such as load shifting, can help reduce peak power demand in the short term, grid upgrades are inevitable in the long term.
Here is where we could see major delays. Grid connection requests for charging stations are a complex process, involving multiple stakeholders, lengthy permitting procedures, and detailed technical assessments, which may ultimately require infrastructure upgrades and further extend project durations. The upgrade process for existing sites, from planning and permitting through completion, can take from a few months to a few years across the EU. Delays are made worse by users who “fish” for available capacity by submitting connection requests in various locations, substantially increasing the number of applications received by the distribution system operators (DSOs) that manage local grids. It’s the grid equivalent of scalpers hoarding concert tickets—and it clogs up the entire system.
So how do we fix this? Grid digitalization and greater capacity transparency could simplify the connection permit process. Grid capacity maps provide the insights needed for charge point operators (CPOs) and other users to conduct self-assessments of grid connection feasibility, plan charging station locations based on available capacity, and ultimately shorten permitting lead times—all while reducing the administrative burden on DSOs.
As the transition to electric HDVs gains momentum, grid maps showing available and planned charger capacity across all EU Member States can be a key tool for successfully navigating the expansion of charging infrastructure.
Who’s leading the way
The good news? Some countries are already showing the way forward. Several EU-level initiatives already mandate the publication of grid capacity maps or provide guidance on how to develop them, although availability is uneven. The figure shows the countries in Europe that offer public grid demand capacity maps alongside the information that is made available. Nine EU Member States publish countrywide grid capacity maps: Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, and the Netherlands. Germany offers a map for the Berlin area, while Spain offers one for part of its northwest region. Other major EU Member States such as France, Italy, and Poland do not publish digital maps for demand grid capacity but do publish capacity maps for electricity generation or storage.
Figure. Overview of digital grid maps showing demand capacity in Europe
Note: HV indicates high voltage, MV medium voltage, and LV low voltage. The map reflects information available as of August 2025.
Among all public grid capacity maps, the most basic metric reported is available capacity, usually expressed in MVA or MW. More advanced maps report data such as planned capacity, indicative lead times, and rough cost estimates.
Two countries stand out from the pack: Belgium and Estonia. Both offer detailed and comprehensive maps, and their approaches provide insights for developing EU-wide standards for grid capacity mapping and transparency.
The Estonian map provides a detailed overview of available and planned capacity from 2025 through 2029. Users can easily explore which substations may have available capacity by inputting their desired connection capacity into an intuitive and user-friendly platform. The map displays the upgrades needed to accommodate the requested connection capacity at each substation, including any transmission lines, transformers, and other infrastructure. For each connection request, the map outlines the specific grid components that need upgrading, a description of the planned activities to increase capacity, the estimated cost breakdown for each activity, the total cumulative cost, and whether these upgrades are already part of the existing development pipeline. In other words, users get nearly everything they need to make informed decisions without picking up the phone.
Belgium offers two advanced grid capacity maps: a nationwide map and another map specifically for the Flemish region. The nationwide map shows available capacity and planned grid developments for 2027 and 2031. Users can explore different voltage levels (from 30 kV to 380 kV), enabling more tailored planning based on the user’s connection requests. For load connection requests, the map allows users to indicate their flexibility tolerance, or how much curtailed electricity they are willing to accept (temporarily reduced power during peak times). This feature supports smarter integration of flexible demand into the grid. The Flemish map offers much more granular capacity data—down to the household level—and includes estimates for lead times for standard requests, indicative connection costs, and information about the substation responsible for the connection.
The transparency gap
On the other hand, some public grid capacity maps provide very little information. The Berlin grid map, for example, offers guidance about the most congested areas but is available only as a static image. Think of it as giving someone a paper roadmap from 2010 when they need real-time GPS navigation. This lack of real-time interactivity prevents users from conducting meaningful self-assessments. As a result, potential applicants may need to engage in repeated exchanges with the grid operator to assess basic feasibility, ultimately slowing down the process and increasing the grid connection time. The table summarizes some of the key metrics found in these maps and the countries currently reporting each of these metrics.
Table. Relevant metrics found in grid capacity maps
| Metric | Description | Number of countries reporting |
| Available capacity (MVA or MW) | Currently available physical electrical capacity left for new connections at a specific substation | Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Germany (Berlin), Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway, the UK (regionally), Spain (regionally), Malta, Lithuania |
| Planned capacity (MVA or MW) | Additional electrical capacity that the grid operator intends to make available through system upgrades | Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Netherlands, Norway |
| Voltage level (kV) | The nominal electrical voltage at which electricity is transmitted or distributed within the grid |
High/medium voltage: Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, the UK (regionally), Spain (regionally), Lithuania Low voltage: Ireland, the UK (regionally), Malta |
| Connection cost (local currency) | Estimated cost charged by the grid operator to connect a new user to the grid, typically including expenses for necessary infrastructure upgrades | Belgium (Flanders), Estonia, Latvia, Netherlands, Norway (South), Finland (South) |
| Queuing/lead time | Estimated time between connection request and operation, including application queue, permitting, and construction | Belgium (Flanders), Ireland, Latvia, Norway (South), Finland (South) |
Here’s the bigger problem: the way grid data are presented varies widely between regions, making it difficult for stakeholders to compare opportunities or plan cross-border networks. Standardizing map formats, data fields and metrics, terminology, and data access protocols would improve transparency and interoperability between CPOs and grid operators. This would enable CPOs to operate seamlessly across countries and speed up permitting processes, ultimately accelerating the rollout of charging infrastructure across Europe.
The path forward
Forthcoming EU-level regulatory packages, such as the European Grids Package, could require DSOs, transmission system operators (which manage high voltage transmission lines), and local energy regulators to regularly publish updated grid capacity maps, ideally aggregating data at the national level. In addition, the European Commission could define a standard framework to report grid data, including key metrics at all relevant voltage levels, such as hosting and planned capacities, considering daily and seasonal variations in demand, indicative lead times, and approximate costs. While Member States are already implementing measures to increase grid transparency as recommended by several existing regulations, further strengthening grid transparency requirements in upcoming regulatory packages can help expedite implementation and enhance coordination across the EU.
Let’s be clear: transparent grid capacity maps alone won’t solve these challenges. Other measures such as anticipatory investments, smart charging, and flexible power contracts are also critical. Yet as grid capacity upgrades get underway, transparent and accessible grid capacity maps will be a key part of the toolkit to enable a faster and smoother integration of electric trucks into the grid.
Authors
Albert Alonso-Villar
Associate Researcher
Hussein Basma
Senior Researcher
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