Three of Europe’s leading commercial trucking manufacturers, Daimler, Volvo and Traton, have agreed to set aside €500 million ($592 million) for the installation and operation of a high-performance public charging network for battery electric long-haul trucks and buses in Europe.
The investment will lead to the creation of at least 1,700 high-voltage, green-energy charging points close to highways, as well as logistics and destination points. The plan is to have all of the stations up and running by 2027.
The agreement is non-binding right now, but the companies say that it is the first step toward a joint venture company, equally owned by all three, that will be based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and will begin operating in 2022.
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The joint venture will seek to create chargers that can recharge trucks within the 45-minute rest period that European truckers are required to take every four and a half hours of driving.
The move follows the introduction of the Mercedes eActros, the company’s first heavy-duty electric truck just a few days ago. With a range of just 248 miles, the company says that it’s better suited to short-haul trips. That’s not far off the requirements that the joint venture has set for itself, though the truck’s 420 kWh batteries take a little over an hour to charge from 20 to 80 percent, so fast chargers will be crucial.
“It is the joint aim of Europe’s truck manufacturers to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. However, it is vital that building up the right infrastructure goes hand in hand with putting CO2-neutral trucks on the road,” said Martin Daum, CEO of Daimler Truck. “Together with the TRATON GROUP and Volvo Group, we are therefore very excited to take this pioneering step to establish a high-performance charging network across Europe.”
