IRU and T&E Push for EU Rules on Semi-Private Truck Charging

As the European Commission prepares to review the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR), two influential transport groups are urging regulators to create a dedicated EU framework for what they call “semi-private” charging — the kind of infrastructure that sits between fully public stations and strictly private depots. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) and the environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E) argue that a substantial share of electric truck charging will naturally happen at operators’ own depots and destination sites, where it can be folded into daily logistics routines. But without clear EU-level rules, they warn, that potential could remain locked away.

The groups are asking the AFIR review to formally recognize semi-private charging as a distinct category, standing alongside public and private charging in the regulatory landscape. Their core concern is that current rules and market conditions do not adequately support charging that is privately owned but shared or accessible in some way — a grey zone that could slow fleet electrification. Depot charging, for example, is often straightforward to integrate operationally, but its wider availability and interoperability with other users depend on policies that are still being shaped.

This push comes at a pivotal moment for Europe’s road freight sector, which is under growing pressure to cut emissions but also faces tough economic realities. Electric trucks need not only vehicles but reliable, affordable energy where they park and unload. The IRU and T&E position implies that the upcoming AFIR review could either unlock a major charging segment or leave a critical gap — depending on whether semi-private infrastructure gets explicit attention in the EU’s revised framework.

For fleet operators, the appeal is practical: charging at depots and destinations aligns with existing schedules and can reduce dependence on scarce public high-power stations. For policymakers, the challenge is designing rules that encourage investment without distorting competition or creating new barriers. The two organizations’ call signals that the truck charging debate is shifting from simply counting public chargers to mapping out a more nuanced, multi-layered infrastructure system. How the Commission responds in the AFIR review could shape the pace of electric truck adoption across the continent.