eTrucker app exands to more countries across Europe

Over the last year, the German ‘electric trucker’ Tobias Wagner drove over 100,000 kilometres across Europe in several different electric truck models. Based on his practical experience, he and a team have developed the ‘eTrucker’ app, which is designed to provide a reliable overview of suitable charging points in Europe, even including community feedback.

In the early days, many haulage companies used apps for car charging infrastructure, according to Wagner, who works as a driver for the haulage company Nanno Janssen. However, he found that essential information, such as entrance widths, space conditions, or basic truck suitability, was often missing. In response, according to Wagner, many companies began to maintain their own charging point lists, for example, via Google My Maps. Only gradually did charging services come onto the market that provide a Europe-wide overview specifically for heavy commercial vehicles.

It quickly became clear that a specialised tool would be needed to navigate the increasingly complex world of EV charging infrastructure. Wagner, Michael Clarke and Matthias Brands have now developed such a tool with “eTrucker” – a free app for iOS and Android by truck drivers for truck drivers. The project is financed in part by revenue from Wagner’s YouTube channel “Elektrotrucker”. The aim of the app is not to start or bill charging processes, but to bundle information, validate it and make it usable. Prices are not displayed either.

Above all, the initiators want to provide a tool that standardises and validates information on charging locations and makes it easy to find. To do this, the team draws on public databases and also obtains information directly from charging point operators. According to Wagner, these have actively contributed to collecting data such as access options, usage times and general truck suitability. The result is Europe’s largest database for truck-compatible charging parks.

The app displays all recorded truck charging points. For each location, the distance, journey time (keyword: compliance with driving time) and other location information can be called up – such as the number of charging points, maximum charging capacity, opening times or whether it is necessary to uncouple the trailer. Incidentally, the calculation of the journey time is based on the TomTom API and takes into account a maximum speed of 80 kph and current traffic data. Native route planning was not integrated at this time, which has changed with the newest update.

Expansion to new markets

As the app developer Michael Clarke wrote on LinkedIn, the eTrucker app is now spreading across Europe: “We are pleased to announce that the eTrucker app is now available in Spain, Portugal, the UK, Belgium and Romania. This means we’ve essentially covered all of Europe! Many thanks to Tobias for paving the way for everyone!” This marks an impressive journey, since the app was initially really only intended to serve as an information platform and not to start and bill charging processes.

In the LinkedIn post, Clarke also gives a brief classification of the truck infrastructure in the newly added countries, as he has “definitely noticed a lot of differences”. “Spain, for example, is my new favourite country for truck charging, while the UK is surprisingly far behind. The size of a country is actually pretty directly reflected in how good it is for truck loading,” Clarke writes. The statement about the UK in particular is surprising, as the expansion of the charging infrastructure is underway (albeit often at high, much-criticised charging prices) and the British are leading the way when it comes to electric buses. The situation is therefore different for electric trucks outside of distribution transport.

New update

The latest update not only added more countries to the scope of the app. In the new version, the truck route is now displayed directly on the map. According to Clarke, this should make it easier to find alternatives along their route. In addition, temporary warning signs are to be integrated “so that important information is highlighted exactly where drivers need it.”

linkedin.com, intercharge-network-conference.com (Start-up Award)