Electrifying with a tight grid connection: lessons from three companies

By Maarten Alta · 18 October 2026

Can a transport company switch to electric trucks when its grid connection is tight? For three very different companies the answer was yes, without overhauling their trip planning. But the route there differed a lot.

I was part of the team that calculated, with a different modelling tool, what fitted on their connections. Below are the main outcomes and what I learned from them.

The three companies

	Company 1	Company 2	Company 3
Question	Avoid exceeding the contracted capacity and absorb 10–15% growth	Phased switch from 59 diesel trucks to electric	Phased switch to electric rigid trucks
Contracted capacity	462 kW	67 kW (two buildings)	176 kW
Electricity use per year	approx. 1,400 MWh	approx. 200 MWh	approx. 390 MWh
Solar power per year	approx. 500 MWh	approx. 335 MWh, more than its own use	none
Room for charging at the start	sufficient, but peaks from uncontrolled charging	one truck	two rigid trucks
Outcome	Smart charging solves the peaks; growth and two e-trucks fit	With a battery, five e-trucks fit; fully electric needs a 1.5 MW connection	With solar panels and a small battery, four rigid trucks fit

For all three we assumed 20 cents per kWh for purchase, 6 cents for feed-in and 5.5 cents for own solar power.

Lesson 1: the first gain is often in charging behaviour, not hardware

At company 1, peaks arose because cars were charged at full power straight away, and often further than agreed with the customer. Smart chargers that share the available power, plus new work instructions, were enough to stay within the connection. Even with the expected growth and two electric trucks added.

A battery of over 125,000 euros did increase the self-consumption of solar power here, but made electricity more expensive overall. So that investment did not make sense.

Lesson 2: solar lowers the price, a battery buys room

We saw the same pattern in all three:

Solar panels lower the average price per kWh. At company 3 it fell from 20 to almost 17 cents with an installation of around 126,000 euros.
A battery makes the price per kWh slightly higher, but creates room for extra trucks. At company 2 it went from one to five e-trucks on the same connection, at about 3 cents per kWh extra.

So the question is not "does a battery pay off?" but "what is an extra electric truck worth to me, if a grid upgrade is impossible or years away?"

Lesson 3: sun by day, charging by night

Company 2 generated more solar power than it used, but its trucks charged between 7 pm and 5 am. Without storage, most of that power went to the grid for 6 cents. With a battery, direct self-consumption rose from about 30% to over 60%.

So always look at when power is generated and when you charge.

Lesson 4: look at all consumers on site

At company 3, the peaks were not caused by trucks, but by charging internal transport such as forklifts. If you only look at the trucks, you miss half the story.

Lesson 5: start small and scale up

Company 3 could start with one electric rigid truck that tops up during the day. With solar panels, two fit. Four trucks without daytime charging is also possible, with a 200 kWh battery (about 50,000 euros) to absorb the peaks. With an average trip of around 300 km, that is a realistic growth path: gain experience first, then scale up.

Lesson 6: ownership of the building matters

Company 2 rented its building. That makes an investment in solar panels, a battery or a bigger connection a conversation with the landlord. Take that into account early.

Lesson 7: the planning did not have to change

Perhaps the most important lesson: in all three cases, trip planning could largely stay as it was. But charging times, charging power and agreements at the depot had to be organised more smartly. That is exactly where planners play a key role.

Why I now calculate per quarter-hour

These calculations were done per hour. Grid operators, however, look at your peak per quarter-hour, and a short peak can stay hidden within an hour. That is why the Energy Scan calculates per quarter-hour, over a full year, with costs up to ten years ahead next to diesel.

Want to know what fits on your connection? Request an Energy Scan or start with a Quick Scan.