DHL unveils Germany’s first 400 kW high-power charging hub for electric trucks

DHL has begun operating its first dedicated high-power charging hub for battery-electric heavy goods vehicles at its Aschheim parcel centre near Munich, commissioning six fast-charging points capable of up to 400 kW each, the company said. According to the original report, the units , supplied by Italian manufacturer Alpitronic , allow power to be shared when two trucks charge simultaneously on the same station, and are configured to serve both loading-dock and outdoor parking locations with tailored overhead cable management for tight spaces.

The Aschheim site is the first completed location under an 18-month collaboration with utility group E.ON, which the partners say will plan, construct and operate the fast-charging systems, transformer stations and load management. E.ON Drive managing director Christoph Ebert said the project supports DHL’s climate strategy and called the company “a pioneer in sustainable freight transport” in a statement accompanying the announcement.

DHL and E.ON now target the installation of 170 high‑power HGV charging points across Germany by 2027 to act as the backbone for a wider rollout of electric trucks. According to the original report, that target is smaller than the ambitions first outlined when the partnership was announced in 2023, when the pair had envisaged up to 250 charging points with capacities between 150 kW and 400 kW and some 150 electric HGVs in service by 2025. DHL did not directly address that slower-than-planned pace in its statement.

At present, DHL’s Post & Parcel Germany division operates 17 battery‑electric HGVs and has ordered a further 42 electric trucks through rental partner Hylane, with a longer‑term aim to expand into the “triple‑digit” range, the company said. Globally, DHL Group reports operating about 35,000 electric vehicles in collection and delivery operations , a figure that includes smaller vehicles such as trikes as well as vans and trucks , and said it runs roughly 40,000 charging points worldwide. The group noted the new high‑power HGV chargers require “a hundred times the power” of standard charging infrastructure.

The Aschheim opening should be seen in the context of broader activity in Germany’s nascent truck‑charging market. E.ON recently opened four 400 kW chargers at the Port of Hamburg designed to let drivers recharge during legally mandated breaks and to accommodate articulated vehicles without uncoupling trailers, while E.ON and MAN Truck & Bus have also announced plans to deploy fast chargers at dozens of locations across Europe as part of a pan‑European network. Industry data cited in related reports suggests a 400 kW station can add roughly 300 km of range in around 45 minutes under typical conditions.

DHL framed the initiative as supporting its decarbonisation targets: the group aims for 66% of its own last‑mile fleet to be electric by 2030 and operates around 450 CNG HGVs in Germany alongside its battery-electric trucks. According to the original report, Thomas Schlickenrieder, head of operations infrastructure for Post & Parcel Germany at DHL Group, said: “By establishing our own high-performance charging parks, we are laying the foundation for the further expansion of sustainable logistics and the deployment of additional battery‑electric HGVs in our transport fleet.”

For commercial operators and fleet managers involved in industrial decarbonisation, the Aschheim hub highlights several practical considerations. High‑power HGV chargers require significant grid connections and transformer capacity as well as active load management to optimise shared power across chargers; these are responsibilities that DHL has delegated to E.ON under the partnership. The deployment also underscores the importance of site design , including overhead cable management and space to charge articulated vehicles , to minimise operational disruption at distribution centres and ports.

The rollout also illustrates a common tension in early electrification projects: ambitious network and fleet targets often meet practical constraints on grid upgrades, site permitting and vehicle availability. As Germany pursues national programmes to expand truck charging infrastructure, including public‑sector initiatives aimed at covering major highway corridors, private partnerships such as DHL and E.ON’s will play a complementary role in creating charging capacity at logistics hubs where daily operational needs are concentrated.

For firms planning or managing fleet electrification projects, the DHL‑E.ON model offers a template: partner with an energy provider to shoulder planning, construction and operational risk; design sites to match vehicle types and operational rhythms; and reconcile charging‑power choices with realistic timelines for vehicle deployment and grid readiness. According to the original report, E.ON’s role in load management and station operations will be critical to scale and reliability as operators move from demonstration fleets to higher, “triple‑digit” counts of electric HGVs.