- The European Union has granted €70.3 million to a megawatt charging system (MCS) network project being led by E.ON, Voltix, and GreenWay.
- This project is expected to result in megawatt charging system stations being installed in 55 locations across nine European countries, totalling 330 MCS points.
- These new publicly accessible charge points will be key for allowing the future adoption of electric trucks and other electric heavy duty vehicles to flourish.
More Megawatt Charging Systems coming to Europe thanks to new funding
This new project, called ‘HDV-E’, has been co-financed by the European Union through its Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Facility, which funds projects such as EV charging infrastructure.
Each new charging point installed under this new project will have a charging capacity of at least one megawatt, allowing vehicles such as electric HGVs to be charged in record time. Megawatt charging gives the opportunity for hundreds of miles of battery range to be added in under an hour, and when these charging periods are aligned with mandatory driver breaks, it enables electric trucks to feasibly take on long-distance journeys. That’s why a wide rollout with frequent locations will be key to drive eHGV adoption, which is still lagging behind the electric adoption rate seen in passenger cars and smaller commercial vehicles such as vans. Projects such as HDV-E will be crucial to realising this goal.
MCS points constructed under the HDV-E project will be located in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Spain, France, The Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, and Hungary.
Timo Sillober, CEO of E.ON Drive Infrastructure, commented:
“Only with charging power in the megawatt range can e-trucks deliver what diesel trucks do today. With HDV-E, we are building the infrastructure that makes this possible. This is how climate goals become reality on Europe’s roads.”
Louis Du Pasquier, Managing Director of Voltix, added:
“The question is no longer if decarbonized trucks will be electric in Europe, but when. The deployment of a reliable network of high-power charging stations dedicated to trucks on main European roads is one of the necessary keys to accelerate the transition to electric trucks. The HDV-E project will contribute significantly to release this constraint.”
Peter Badik, Founder and Chairman of the GreenWay Board, said:
“Bringing megawatt and ultra-fast charging to electric heavy-duty vehicles is a major step toward a cleaner transport system. At GreenWay, we’re thrilled to be working on this next stage of e-mobility and to support logistics partners throughout our region as they move toward long distance zero-emission operations.”
