What impact will the EU’s Clean Transport Corridor Initiative have on electric truck adoption?

The EU’s Clean Transport Corridor Initiative aims to establish high-power public charging infrastructure along key freight routes across Europe. But what difference would this make for your business? And will it be enough to accelerate the transition to electromobility?

What is the EU’s Clean Transport Corridor Initiative?

The Clean Transport Corridor Initiative (CTCI),^[1] was launched in 2025, with the intention of creating clean transport corridors along Europe’s TEN-T^[2] freight routes.
Its objective is to establish sufficient infrastructure for seamless, cross-border journeys using zero-emission vehicles – namely battery-electric. It also includes measures for hydrogen refueling infrastructure in the future.

The first two proposed test routes under the initiative are the Scandinavian-Mediterranean and North Sea-Baltic freight corridors. By installing high-speed charging hubs at regular intervals, it should enable electric trucks to cover both routes seamlessly by 2027.

While the initiative does not set any technical requirements in terms of number of chargers or charging speeds, it does set a clear strategic direction to help align governments and industry. If the two test routes are successful, the plan is to expand the concept to all TEN-T corridors by 2030.

The declaration also calls for streamlining permits, prioritizing grid connections, securing funding, and other measures that will address common administrative and logistical bottlenecks that are hindering electrification.

What is the difference between the EU’s CTCI and AFIR?

The EU’s Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR)^[1], which was introduced in 2024, has some clear overlap with CTCI. However, there are some important differences, with CTCI potentially able to support and complement AFIR.

AFIR sets out legally-binding targets for alternative fuel infrastructure that are applicable to all EU member states. According to the regulation, by 2030, public charging stations for heavy-duty trucks must be available every 120 km along Europe’s main highway network.

However, the intention behind AFIR is not to build a comprehensive charging network that will meet the entire transport industry’s needs. It is to establish a foundational network tofacilitate the initial transition to electric, which will require additional investment and expansion over time.

The International Council on Clean Transportation^[1], believes that the actual charging capacity required by 2030 will be around 80% higher than what is being proposed by AFIR.^[2]

CTCI, on the other hand, is designed to ensure additional charging infrastructure along frequently used corridors. Unlike AFIR, it is not a legally-binding legislation – it is an additional initiative voluntarily undertaken by the nine member states which signed the declaration.

“AFIR is the most significant piece of legislation when it comes to charging infrastructure but initiatives like CTCI will help support it,” explains Henrik Engdahl, Business Development Director, Volvo Trucks.

“It will help secure more funding, accelerate the pace of infrastructure rollouts, and help guide the placement of charging infrastructure to ensure that it is in the most strategically important locations.”

What impact will the initiative have on the electrification of road freight? 

The transport industry faces a dilemma where more electric trucks are needed to entice investment in charging infrastructure. At the same time, more charging infrastructure is needed to entice truck owners to switch to electric. Both AFIR and CTCI aim to solve this dilemma by accelerating the deployment of charging infrastructure.

Developing a network based on freight corridors and highways will help, but according to Henrik, this alone will not meet the transport industry’s needs.

“Looking at the public charging stations that exist today, the area coverage is already quite extensive,” he says. “For example, it is already technically possible, under the right conditions, to drive from Sweden to Italy in an electric truck. But in practice, the density of chargers is too low. We need coverage that allows you to go anywhere with an electric truck – not just along the highways.

“These initiatives help set a direction to move in, secure the necessary funding and get the ball rolling. This will help stimulate demand for charging infrastructure where it is needed, which in turn will attract the necessary investment to ensure the network keeps growing.”

Ultimately, CTCI is further indication of an industry-wide shift to electrification and reflects the growing political will to improve charging infrastructure across Europe. By creating consensus and a shared strategic direction, this should give truck owners more confidence in investing in electric trucks.

_{1 ‘Ministerial Declaration on the Clean Transport Corridor Initiative’, European Commission, 16 September 2025, https://
transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/e49b6a7a-8f8a-4901-b8ba-b9f88aed8683_en?filename=CTCI-ministerial-declaration.pdf
2 ‘Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T)’, European Commission, https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/infrastructure-andinvestment/trans-european-transport-network-ten-t_en
3 ‘Alternative Fuels Infrastructure’, European Commission, https://transport.ec.europa.eu/transport-themes/clean-transport/alternativefuels-sustainable-mobility-europe/alternative-fuels-infrastructure_en
4 https://theicct.org/publication/afir-eu-hdv-infrastructure-mar22/
5 Pierre-Louis Ragon, Eamonn Mulholland, Hussein Basma, Felipe Rodríguez, ‘A review of the AFIR proposal: public infrastructure needs to 
support the transition to a zero-emission truck fleet in the european union’, March 2022, https://theicct.org/wp-content/
uploads/2022/03/review-afir-public-infrastructure-to-support-transition-to-zero-emission-truck-fleet-eu-mar22.pdf}