Depotcharge Receives 2.7 Million Euros and Is Building an Electric Truck Charging Network with BGL

The Munich-based startup Depotcharge has completed a pre-seed funding round totaling 2.7 million euros. The lead investor is High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), with additional participation from xdeck Ventures, Kopa Ventures, Prequel Ventures, and several business angels from the logistics, electric mobility, and energy sectors. At the same time, the company has gained an important industry partner in the Federal Association for Road Freight Transport, Logistics, and Waste Management (BGL): Together, they are launching BGL Charge, a nationwide depot charging network for electric trucks.

The initiative is supported by E.L.V.I.S. AG, which integrates more than 250 partner companies at over 350 locations into the industry solution. The principle: Freight forwarders make previously unused charging points at their depots available to other transportation companies.

BGL Makes Depotcharge an Industry-Wide Solution

Through the BGL, Depotcharge gains access to a large portion of the German transportation industry. According to the association, approximately 7,000 companies are organized through its state associations. Depotcharge will serve as the charging network for BGL members. Under the BGL Charge brand, the existing charging points of freight forwarders will be connected into a shared network.

“Our members need a charging infrastructure that is predictable, available, and cost-effective.”

BGL Board Spokesperson Prof. Dr. Dirk Engelhardt

According to Depotcharge, more than 200 companies with around 600 electric trucks are already registered on the platform. The more companies share their existing capacities, the greater the benefits of the network will be.

Unused charging points are made available to other freight forwarders

The business model is based on a simple observation: As they electrify their fleets, more and more logistics companies are installing their own charging infrastructure at their depots. However, this infrastructure is not needed all the time. According to Depotcharge, more than 60 percent of depot charging capacity remains unused. At the same time, drivers on the road sometimes have to rely on comparatively expensive public charging options.

Through Depotcharge, operators can offer their available charging slots to other fleets. They determine the prices, availability, and access conditions themselves. Depotcharge handles marketing, access control, billing, and payment processing behind the scenes. The platform is designed to function independently of the charging hardware, backend system, and vehicle manufacturer used.

The goal is to gradually build a decentralized charging network for road freight transport from many individual depots.

E.L.V.I.S. brings more than 250 partner companies to the table

The network gains additional reach through its collaboration with E.L.V.I.S. AG. The purchasing cooperative has more than 250 partner companies at over 350 locations. E.L.V.I.S. integrates its group as a separate community within BGL Charge. This will enable partner companies to gain access to a larger charging network while also generating additional demand for their own charging infrastructure.

The model is based on a Swiss initiative

This approach is not entirely new for Depotcharge. Since May 2026, the company has been collaborating with the Swiss transport association ASTAG. Under the name ASTAG Charge powered by Depotcharge, a comparable national depot charging network is being established there. The Swiss model is now set to be adapted for Germany in collaboration with BGL and E.L.V.I.S.

The idea behind Depotcharge is simple: freight forwarders share their charging infrastructure with one another, thereby unlocking macroeconomic potential.

Co-founder and CEO Joscha Specks

According to the company, Depotcharge plans to work with its association partners over the next two years to build the leading charging network for electric freight transport in the DACH region and Benelux. In the future, industrial and commercial companies are also expected to be integrated into the network.

HTGF Leads 2.7 Million Euro Pre-Seed Round

In parallel with the development of BGL Charge, Depotcharge is securing new capital. The 2.7 million euro pre-seed round is led by HTGF. In addition to the early-stage investor, xdeck Ventures, Kopa Ventures, and Prequel Ventures are participating, along with business angels with experience in logistics, e-mobility, and the energy sector.

The funds will primarily be used to further develop the platform and support international expansion. Another key focus is on integrating the charging station into the operational planning of logistics companies. To this end, Depotcharge plans to introduce, among other things, reservation functions, open interfaces, and connections to existing transport management systems.

Charging to Become Part of Operational Planning

This goes beyond the scope of a mere brokerage platform for available charging stations. Depotcharge aims to integrate charging more deeply into the daily operations of freight forwarders. After all, for an electric truck, it’s not enough to simply know that a charging point is available. Charging times must be coordinated with driving routes, rest periods, delivery deadlines, and overall vehicle scheduling.

Charging must fit as naturally into everyday transportation operations as refueling does today.

Co-founder and CPTO Julius Wilhelm

Manufacturer independence is set to play an important role in this. New depots should be able to connect without the need for extensive technical integration projects, if possible.

Expansion into the Benelux Countries Underway

Depotcharge is also expanding its operations geographically. In addition to Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, the company has been active in the Benelux countries since September 2026 with its own sales partner.

At the same time, the startup is expanding its team. Marc Clausing is taking over sales as Chief Commercial Officer and, according to the company, brings 21 years of industry experience to the role. Depotcharge was founded by Joscha Specks and Julius Wilhelm. Together, they have more than 20 years of experience in electric mobility and were previously involved in establishing Digital Charging Solutions, a joint venture between BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and BP Europe. The operating company behind Depotcharge is Evolve Energy GmbH.

The actual infrastructure is already in place

What’s interesting about Depotcharge’s approach is that the startup doesn’t initially need to build its own comprehensive charging infrastructure to expand its network. Instead, the company aims to connect existing but occasionally underutilized infrastructure.

This could help alleviate part of the classic chicken-and-egg problem in electric truck mobility: freight carriers are hesitant to electrify their fleets as long as reliable charging options are lacking. At the same time, building public truck charging infrastructure is only worthwhile if there are enough electric vehicles on the road.

BGL and E.L.V.I.S. could therefore be more important for Depotcharge than the funding round itself. Through them, the startup gains access to a large network of potential providers and users—and thus to the critical mass that a platform model requires. The decisive test now begins in practice. A network must emerge from registered companies and existing charging points—one that freight carriers can actually rely on in their day-to-day operations.