Episode 58 – Grid Connections, TCO Parity, and the Truck Charging Buildout – with Voltix

Charging the Future of Freight

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Electric trucking has spent years being a battery story. It isn't anymore. Battery-electric trucks with real-world range and performance are already on European roads, and the industry consensus has shifted from "if" to "when." What's holding the transition back now is something far less visible: the public charging infrastructure needed to keep those trucks moving on long-haul routes.

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That gap is opening up fast. 2025 brought the first hard proof that long-haul electric trucking works in practice, France and Germany are both closing in on cost parity with diesel through subsidies and tax mechanisms, and the EU's carbon pricing regime is set to push diesel economics further in electric's favor within a few years. The infrastructure to support all of this, however, takes years to plan, permit, and build, which makes the next few years decisive for who actually gets ahead.

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In this episode of the Charge Point Podcast, Christophe Lephilibert speaks with Louis Dupasquier, CEO of Voltix and CEO of Easy Charge, both charging companies within the Vinci Group, about what it actually takes to build that infrastructure at scale. Louis brings a rare dual vantage point, from small-format public AC charging to the megawatt-class stations now being built specifically for trucks along Europe's main freight corridors.

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Their conversation moves from the economics of TCO parity to the politics of grid connections, and lands on a concrete rollout plan spanning five European countries by 2028, a grounded look at how one of Europe's largest infrastructure groups is approaching the buildout.

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What You Will Learn in This Episode

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This episode unpacks what's really standing between Europe and electrified long-haul trucking, and what it will take to move past it.

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• Why public charging, not battery technology, is the actual bottleneck for electric trucks
• What made 2025 the tipping-point year for long-haul electric trucking
• How France and Germany are each closing the TCO gap with diesel, through different mechanisms
• Why "first come, first served" grid connections no longer work, and what should replace them
• How battery storage can bridge the gap while grid connections catch up
• Why Voltix builds every station with both MCS and CCS connectors from day one
• What Voltix's five-country rollout plan looks like through 2028