In October 2025, the Diez forwarding company in Dettingen unter Teck will commence operation of the “Solar Truck Charge Port.” The truck charging park is located directly on the B465 and a few hundred meters from the A8 motorway between Stuttgart and Munich. The facility uses, according to the company, the world’s largest freestanding solar roof. It covers a driveable area of around 2,600 square meters, thereby enabling charging processes without uncoupling and thus shortening dwell times. The site is a pilot in the semi-public charging network “TruckCharge” of the commercial vehicle manufacturer Daimler Truck.
The roof construction consists of steel beams and operates without supporting columns in the driving area. Two sides are clad with a façade made of certified larch wood and provide additional weather protection. The solar roof is oriented in an east-west direction. This orientation better utilizes morning and evening sun and smooths yield peaks around midday. Drivers and vehicles are protected from heat, rain, hail or snow.
Three 400 kW fast chargers of the type “Alpitronic Hypercharger” with two charging points each.
For the start, three fast chargers of the type “Alpitronic Hypercharger”
are ready. Each unit delivers a maximum power of 400 kilowatts (kW) and serves two charging points simultaneously. In total, up to six charging processes can run in parallel. A second expansion stage is expected from 2027 to provide up to 15 charging points for complete tractor-trailer trains. The size of the area allows expansion without re-planning traffic areas.
The energy supply combines photovoltaics (PV) and grid purchases. The PV system reaches a peak output of 450 kW. If the sun yield is lacking, procurement takes place on the electricity exchange. A battery storage system with a capacity of two megawatts (MW) is planned as the next step. An energy management system (EMS) with artificial intelligence (AI) from the startup IO-Dynamics controls load flows, costs and charging priorities.
Charging without uncoupling, sanitary facilities and a break room for truck drivers
The charging park offers sanitary facilities and a break room. A supermarket and two fast restaurants are within walking distance for provisions during the charging break. The open drive aisle under the roof accelerates entry and exit even for tractor-trailers. This reduces maneuvering effort and lowers the risk
of damage.
Diez also opens the infrastructure to other fleet operators.
“The highlight of our Truck Charge Port is that other electric trucks not only find an available charging column near the highway, but can also obtain electricity at attractive prices,” says managing director Andreas Diez.
The supply is powered by green electricity in any case. The company emphasizes its contribution to climate protection through the use of renewable energy.
Two Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 for Diez Freight Forwarding
In parallel with commissioning, Diez will launch electric long-haul trucks. Two Mercedes-Benz eActros 600 go into the fleet in October. Five more heavy electric trucks are planned to follow in the first half of 2026. Lightweight trailers largely compensate the extra weight of the batteries. With a permissible gross vehicle weight (zGG) of 42 tonnes, payload remains 26 tonnes.
“We deliberately waited until the vehicles reached the necessary series maturity, because absolute quality and reliability are required in our transport segment,” explains Andreas Diez. “Therefore, in the first step we focused more on charging infrastructure than on the vehicles. It is the basis to be able to deploy electric trucks
successfully in the first place.”
Milestone for the electric charging infrastructure for heavy trucks in Germany
The planning and construction phase lasted about one year. Commissioning is planned for October.
“With this, we are setting a real milestone in building electric charging infrastructure for heavy trucks in Germany,” says Andreas Diez. “This charging park is a real game changer and makes charging an electric truck almost as simple as refueling a diesel truck.”
For visibility along the federal highway, a 16-meter-long façade lettering bearing the slogan “DIEZUVERLÄSSIGEN” is installed. LED lighting makes the logo recognizable even in the dark. The element is intended, according to Diez, to emphasize the site’s lighthouse character for electromobility in the region.
Background: Diez Freight Forwarding
Diez Freight Forwarding specializes in volume and special transports. The fleet comprises around 60 heavy-duty vehicles for widths up to 5.00 meters, heights up to 3.90 meters and payloads up to 50 tonnes. The company operates 35,000 square meters of storage space including a heavy-load hall with a 50-ton crane. The 1946-founded firm employs around 130 staff and is run in its third generation by Andreas and
