Electric trucks need EV routing because their range changes with every load and route, not every charger can take a truck, and charging stops have to fit around driver rest rules and delivery schedules. General navigation and car-focused EV planners don't combine all of these. Chargetrip's routing engine plans routes and charging stops for electric trucks, so fleets, OEMs and software platforms can plan trips around how trucks actually operate.
Why can't electric trucks just use normal navigation?
Normal navigation finds the best road from A to B. An electric truck also needs to know whether it has enough energy for that road, where it can add more, and how long that will take. Getting any of these wrong can strand a truck or break a delivery window.
The four problems EV routing solves for trucks
Range that changes every trip: Payload, elevation, speed and temperature all change how much energy a truck uses.
Chargers that don't fit trucks: Many chargers are built for cars and can't take a tractor and trailer.
Driver rest rules: In the EU, drivers must take a 45-minute break after 4.5 hours of driving (Regulation (EC) No 561/2006). Charging works best when it happens during these breaks.
Downtime and schedules: Every extra minute spent charging is time the truck isn't delivering, so stops have to be as short and well placed as possible.
