The introduction of battery electric heavy goods vehicles and buses will imply that batteries will need to be charged regularly. Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 does not explicitly foresee how to consider and record time while the battery is charging (given that the technology is new and that these vehicles have not yet been deployed throughout the EU). The question is whether the driver can take a qualified and safe break or rest while the battery is charging. The case is interesting not only from a practical point of view but also because it constitutes one of the very first real case examples of the impact of electrification on EU driving and rest times’ rules.

Temporary guidelines for a common enforcement of Regulation (EC) No 561/2006 in relation to the charging of batteries in electric vehicles