- The joint aim is to initiate and accelerate the build-up of charging infrastructure to enhance customer confidence and to support EU’s transformation to climate-neutral transportation
- The number of charging points is with time intended to be increased significantly by seeking additional partners as well as public funding
The three leading commercial vehicle manufacturers Daimler Truck, the Traton Group and Volvo Group have signed a non-binding agreement to install and operate a high-performance public charging network for battery electric heavy-duty long-haul trucks and coaches across Europe. The joint aim is to initiate and accelerate the build-up of charging infrastructure to enhance customer confidence and to support EU’s transformation to climate-neutral transportation.
The agreement lays the foundation of a future joint venture (JV) equally owned by the three parties, planning to start operations in 2022. The parties intend to invest together 500 million Euros to install and operate at least 1,700 high-performance green energy charging points close to highways and at logistic and destination points, within five years from the establishment of the JV.
The number of charging points is with time intended to be increased significantly by seeking additional partners as well as public funding. The future JV is planned to operate under its own corporate identity and be based in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The future JV will be able to build on the broad experience and knowledge of its founding partners in heavy-duty trucking.
They said, “The future JV will act as catalyst and enabler for realizing the European Union’s Green Deal for a carbon-neutral freight transportation by 2050 – both by providing the necessary infrastructure and targeting for green energy at the charging points. The joint action of Volvo Group, Daimler Truck and the Traton Groupaddresses the urgent need for a high-performance charging network to support truck operators with their transition to CO2-neutral transport solutions, especially in heavy-duty long-distance trucking. High-performance charging infrastructure enabling long-haul trucking is a cost-efficient way towards significant, fast-to-realize emission reductions.”
Focusing on long-distance transport
Matthias Gründler, CEO Traton Group said, “For the Traton Group, it is clear that the future of transport is electric. This requires the rapid development of publicly accessible charging points, especially for long-distance heavy-duty transport. We are now moving forward together with our partners Daimler Truck and Volvo Group to make this high-performance network a reality as quickly as possible. We now make the first step to accelerate the transition towards sustainable, fossil free transport. The second step should be a strong engagement of the EU for the full scale-up of a charging network across Europe.”
They said that by focusing on customers’ needs, different applications will be taken into consideration. Battery electric vehicle fleet operators will be able to leverage both fast charging tailored to the 45-minute mandatory rest period in Europe focusing on long-distance transport the highest priority of the future JV and also charge overnight.
