--- title: Depotcharge secures EUR 2.7 million date: 2026-09-15T07:00:00Z modified: 2026-09-15T06:36:58Z permalink: "https://www.htgf.de/en/depotcharge-closes-pre-seed-round/" type: post status: publish excerpt: "" wpid: 133456 categories: - News - Press language: - English post_translations: - pll_6aa7a493918de featured_image: "https://www.htgf.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Depotcharge_Gruenderteam-Joscha-Specks-und-Julius-Wilhelm.jpg" timestamp: 2026-09-15T06:36:58Z tags: - News - Press - English - pll_6aa7a493918de --- # **Depot charging for electric trucks: Depotcharge wins BGL e.V. as a strong partner for a joint Germany-wide depot charging network and secures EUR 2.7 million for its international expansion.** _****BGL e.V. and Depotcharge launch BGL Charge, the nationwide depot charging network for road freight transport. E.L.V.I.S. AG supports the industry solution and brings its community on board.****_ - The Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (BGL e.V.), which represents around 7,000 companies organised in its regional associations, makes Depotcharge the charging network for its members and brings a model to Germany that has been running in Switzerland with the transport association ASTAG since May 2026. - Through the platform, logistics companies open unused charging points at their depots to other fleets. More than 200 companies with around 600 electric trucks are already registered. - E.L.V.I.S. AG, with more than 250 partner companies at over 350 locations, supports BGL Charge and integrates its community into the industry solution. - Depotcharge closes a pre-seed financing round of EUR 2.7 million. The lead investor is High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), joined by xdeck Ventures, Kopa Ventures, Prequel Ventures and business angels from logistics, e-mobility and the energy sector. Electric road freight stands or falls with charging infrastructure. With BGL Charge, the Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung (BGL e.V.) and Depotcharge launch a solution that connects existing depot charging infrastructure into a shared, nationwide network. Logistics companies open unused charging points at their depots to other fleets and at the same time gain access to a growing network of truck-ready charging infrastructure. In parallel, Depotcharge closes a pre-seed financing round of EUR 2.7 million to accelerate its international expansion. ****One industry solution instead of parallel networks**** As electromobility ramps up, more and more logistics companies are investing in their own depot charging infrastructure. At the same time, many charging points sit idle during the day, while expensive public charging often has to be used on the go. BGL Charge connects this existing capacity into a shared network. Depot operators decide on their own prices, access rules and availability. BGL Charge handles marketing, access control, invoicing and payment processing, independent of charging hardware, backend or vehicle manufacturer. This creates a Germany-wide depot charging network that puts existing infrastructure to better use and significantly widens access to affordable charging. In doing so, BGL Charge makes operating electric trucks more economical and makes a concrete contribution to accelerating the electrification of road freight transport. “Our members need charging infrastructure that is predictable, available and economical,” says Prof. Dr. Dirk Engelhardt, Spokesman of the BGL Executive Board. “With BGL Charge, we are creating a shared solution for the entire sector. The more companies share their depot capacity, the stronger the network becomes for everyone.” ****E.L.V.I.S. strengthens the value for its partners**** As a purchasing cooperative, E.L.V.I.S. AG pools the demand of its partner companies and represents their interests within BGL Charge. It thereby integrates its community into a larger industry solution and strengthens its partners’ position in a growing network. “Our partner companies benefit from a significantly larger network of charging points and from additional demand at their own locations,” says Nikolja Grabowski, Member of the Executive Board of E.L.V.I.S. AG. “As a purchasing cooperative, we bring our partners’ interests into BGL Charge and strengthen their position in the market.” ****Based on a proven model from Switzerland**** The partnership follows a model that Depotcharge has already implemented successfully together with the Swiss transport association ASTAG. There, the association network ASTAG Charge powered by Depotcharge has been developing into the national depot charging network of the Swiss transport industry since May 2026. “The idea behind Depotcharge is simple: logistics companies share their charging infrastructure with one another and unlock economic value across the sector. This principle translates ideally to associations, by members, for members, with a clear benefit for everyone involved,” says Joscha Specks, CEO and co-founder of Depotcharge. “In Switzerland, we have already implemented the model successfully with ASTAG. Together with BGL e.V. and E.L.V.I.S. AG, we are now bringing it to Germany. Our goal for the next two years is to build the leading charging network for electric road freight in the DACH region and the Benelux together with our association partners, and to bring industry and retail on board as well.” ****Financing accelerates the roll-out**** In parallel, the Munich-based company closes a pre-seed financing round of EUR 2.7 million. The lead investor is High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF), joined by xdeck Ventures, Kopa Ventures, Prequel Ventures and business angels from logistics, e-mobility and the energy sector. With the fresh capital, Depotcharge is expanding the platform further. The focus is on international expansion and the seamless integration of charging into dispatch operations, through reservation, open interfaces and connection to existing transport management systems. “Charging has to fit into everyday transport operations as naturally as refuelling does today. Because we work independently of charging hardware, backend and vehicle manufacturer, any depot can be connected without major integration effort. This makes the network denser with every location and more valuable for everyone involved,” says Julius Wilhelm, co-founder and CPTO of Depotcharge. In the Benelux countries, the company has been active with its own sales partner since September 2026. At the same time, Depotcharge is expanding its team with logistics expertise. Marc Clausing takes over sales as Chief Commercial Officer, bringing 21 years of experience and an extensive network in the industry. “The adoption wave for electric trucks is now gaining momentum. In many use cases, the cost per kilometre is already attractive today. The bottleneck is charging infrastructure. While more than 60 percent of depot charging capacity remains unused, carriers depend on expensive public charging stations,” says Timo Bertsch, Senior Investment Manager at HTGF. “Depotcharge solves this problem by connecting existing depot charging infrastructure into a network. The team brings significant experience from building Digital Charging Solutions and has proven with the ASTAG cooperation in Switzerland that the model works.” ![](https://www.htgf.de/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Depotcharge_Gruenderteam-Joscha-Specks-und-Julius-Wilhelm-1620x1080.jpg) Founding team of Depotcharge: Joscha Specks and Julius Wilhelm (Photo: Depotcharge; edited with AI) **About Depotcharge** Depotcharge operates a manufacturer-neutral network for shared depot charging infrastructure in electric road freight. Logistics companies open unused charging points at their sites to other fleets and generate additional revenue from existing infrastructure, while Depotcharge handles access control, invoicing and payment processing. The company was founded by Joscha Specks and Julius Wilhelm, who together bring more than 20 years of experience in e-mobility and previously helped build Digital Charging Solutions, a joint venture of BMW, Mercedes-Benz and BP Europa SE. Depotcharge is active in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Benelux countries. The operating company behind the Depotcharge brand is Evolve Energy GmbH. **About Bundesverband Güterkraftverkehr Logistik und Entsorgung** BGL e.V. is the leading association for road freight transport, logistics and waste disposal in Germany, with offices in Frankfurt am Main, Berlin and Brussels. It represents the professional interests of currently around 7,000 companies organised in its regional associations. These companies operate primarily in road freight transport, logistics, forwarding, warehousing and waste disposal. **About HTGF – High-Tech Gründerfonds** Germany and Europe need a New Wirtschaftswunder, we are laying the foundations. ​We are Germany’s most active VC investor, funding deep-tech, life sciences and digital tech companies that secure technological sovereignty and build industrial strength. From the initial idea through to international scaling, we support bold founders as a multi-stage VC platform – seamlessly, reliably and for the long term. ​ 350 active start-ups, 200+ exits and 5 unicorns. Over €10 billion in follow-on funding mobilised.​ Together with DTCF, we represent more than €3 billion in fund volume – and turn German and European innovations into global tech champions.​ More information at [HTGF.de](https://www.htgf.de/en) or on [LinkedIn](https://de.linkedin.com/company/high-tech-gruenderfonds).