Munich Startup: What problem do you offer a solution for?
Joscha Specks, co-founder and CEO: Freight forwarders are currently investing heavily in their own charging infrastructure for electric trucks. More than 60 percent of this depot charging capacity currently sits unused, because their own fleets charge mainly at night. At the same time, electric trucks can hardly find suitable charging options on the road and have to resort to expensive public fast-charging stations. So the capacity is there; all that’s missing is the bridge between companies: Who can charge when, at what price, and who handles the billing?
That is precisely what we are solving with Depotcharge. You can think of our solution a bit like Airbnb, just not for renting out private apartments, but for using private charging infrastructure. Depot operators monetize spare capacity on their own terms, fleets gain access to a growing network of depot charging points, and we take care of access control, billing, and payment processing.
Munich Startup: What is it that only you can do as of today?
Joscha Specks: We connect depot charging infrastructure from various companies into a shared network, regardless of charging hardware, backend, or vehicle manufacturer. The platform builds on the knowledge gained from our time at Digital Charging Solutions. There, we brought together and billed public charging points from countless operators across Europe in a single network. We are now applying that logic to the depot. Each depot operator decides for themselves when, for whom, and at what price charging takes place, and we handle access and billing between companies, including across borders.
What sets us apart is our route to market: We are setting the industry standard for shared charging through partnerships with transport associations. In Switzerland, we have already achieved this together with the Swiss Commercial Vehicle Association Astag and the Astag Charge service. With the Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Disposal (BGL), we are now rolling out the model in Germany and launching BGL Charge here. Other associations in Europe will follow.
“We Are Both Entrepreneurial Through and Through”
Munich Startup: What was the catalyst for founding?
Joscha Specks: At Digital Charging Solutions, we saw how a European network for passenger cars emerged from many individual charging points. That only worked once access and billing across all operators became simple. With electric trucks, we saw the same problem in a different place: trucks primarily charge at depots, and so far, there has been no cross-company solution there. In conversations with well over 100 logistics companies, it became clear to us that we had not only found a relevant problem, but also knew exactly how to solve it. On top of that: Julius and I are both entrepreneurial through and through and wanted to found a company completely independently once again.
Munich Startup: Was there a moment when you thought about giving up?
Joscha Specks: Of course, and more than once. What was and is crucial is what you do in those moments: get back up after setbacks and during phases of great uncertainty, and keep going. Again and again. Especially in the first year, you’re just pushing things forward without seeing big results. And that during times of great uncertainty. I think that’s part of it, because if everything were clear, the entrepreneurial opportunity would be small and the market would probably already be served.
Two years after founding the company, we are now reaping the initial rewards. Momentum is building and many things are now happening on their own. My advice to anyone who wants to start a business: just keep going, don’t give up, and have fun along the way. Even after numerous setbacks, the first customer and the first investor will eventually come along, and from that point on, everything starts rolling.
Depotcharge Aims to Build a Charging Network for Electric Trucks in Europe
Munich Startup: How will you know in a year that you are on the right track?
Joscha Specks: In a year, we want to be the market leader for shared charging of electric trucks in the DACH region and the Benelux countries. We measure our success not just in numbers, but above all in how the industry perceives us. When freight forwarders think of charging in semi-public spaces, they should think of Depotcharge. At the same time, we will have launched our expansion into additional countries, because our goal is to build the charging network for electric trucks in Europe. And all of that is only possible with the right team. In one year, we therefore want to be a company where top talent works passionately for the cause and enjoys transforming an entire industry together.
Munich Startup: Would you found a company in Munich again, and why?
Joscha Specks: Yes, Munich is the right location for us. Many of the industrial companies we work with are based here, and with trade fairs like Transport Logistic or The smarter E Europe, the industry regularly meets right on our doorstep. On top of that, there is a startup ecosystem that is among the strongest in Europe, with TUM, UnternehmerTUM, and an active investor scene. And finally, we find strong talent here. For Julius and me, there is also something personal. We have built our network in e-mobility over many years in Munich. That helps enormously, especially in the early stages.
Depotcharge was founded in 2024 by Joscha Specks and Julius Wilhelm. Specks studied mechanical engineering at the Technical University of Munich and subsequently worked in strategy consulting for several years. He brings around 13 years of experience in e-mobility. At Digital Charging Solutions, a joint venture of BMW Group, Mercedes-Benz, and BP, he was involved in building the company and served as Chief Strategy Officer. There, he already worked together with his current co-founder Julius Wilhelm, who serves as CPTO at Depotcharge.
Munich Startup: Perfection or speed?
Joscha Specks: Clearly speed, but with a sharp eye for where quality brooks no compromises. In the first year, we bootstrapped Depotcharge. That forced us right from the start to stay rigorously focused on the customer and build only what was genuinely needed. We’ve stuck to that to this day. For our product, execution and pace matter far more than flawless technology anyway. As a marketplace, we thrive on network effects. Every new depot makes the network more attractive for fleets, and every new fleet makes it more attractive for depot operators. In a market like this, size and speed are what count.
At the same time, there are areas where speed must never take precedence over diligence. When we settle electricity billing between freight forwarders across national borders, every invoice has to be tax-compliant. That’s not just a matter of quality; it’s the prerequisite for us to operate at all. That’s why we’ve worked cleanly and built for scale in these critical areas right from the get-go.
