IRU welcomes the European Commission’s European Grids Package and Energy Highways initiative as an important first step towards modernising the electricity system. But the essential operational enablers for the electrification of commercial road transport are still missing.
The Grids Package is an economy-wide initiative designed to strengthen and future-proof EU electricity networks across all sectors. It includes measures to accelerate grid planning, simplify and shorten permitting, improve cross-border interconnections, and guide forward-looking investments. Together with the Energy Highways initiative, it sets out a long-term vision to support the shift to electrification, hydrogen and digitalised energy systems.
IRU recognises that this represents good news for transport operators: a more predictable permitting framework, stronger interconnections and more coordinated planning are indispensable foundations for road transport decarbonisation and the deployment of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs). These are elements the sector has long called for, and the Commission’s initiative is a welcome signal that the EU is prioritising its electricity infrastructure.
But this can only be the beginning. For commercial road transport, the package still falls short of addressing several critical operational needs that determine whether operators can realistically scale up investment in ZEVs across the EU.
Most importantly, it does not guarantee sufficient grid capacity at depots and logistics hubs, where the vast majority of heavy-duty vehicle charging will take place.
The package abandons the rigid “first-come, first-served” principle for grid connections and allows Member States to design prioritisation criteria. This opens the door for transport charging infrastructure, particularly depot charging, to be prioritised where justified. However, it does not guarantee such prioritisation.
IRU EU Director Raluca Marian said, “Depot locations cannot be moved to follow grid opportunities: operators are tied to their sites. Without assured and timely grid upgrades, transport operators cannot plan or commit to the level of electrification expected of them evenly across the EU. What the sector really needs is an AFIR for the grid, a framework with firm commitments and predictable timelines for upgrades by Member States.”
“On the prioritisation matter, whether transport will benefit depends entirely on national implementation and the choices made by regulators and grid operators. For our sector, this remains an opportunity, not yet a certainty,” she added.
The package also fails to address electricity price volatility, a central factor in the total cost of operating electric fleets. Stable, predictable prices, and confidence that high-power chargers will deliver the power expected, without derating or fluctuation, remain essential for route planning, fleet utilisation and compliance with driving and rest time rules. The Grids Package does not yet solve these issues.
“Modern, resilient and interconnected grids are essential for transport electrification. But operators need certainty,” said Raluca Marian. “Without guaranteed grid capacity, electricity prices and reliable power at charging points, which directly affects charging times, ZEV deployment will remain constrained, no matter how ambitious the objectives are.”
IRU calls on the European Parliament and the Council to strengthen the package during the legislative procedure to ensure that the EU’s upgraded energy system genuinely supports the operational and investment needs of commercial road transport.