Electric trucks have special needs when it comes to charging stations. MAN and Eon now want to set up several hundred such charging points in several European countries.
The energy supplier Eon and the truck and bus manufacturer MAN want to set up a public charging network for trucks. The first locations are to be opened this year, the two companies announced. 80 locations are planned by the end of 2025. They are to be built along the existing MAN service network, but will also be accessible to commercial vehicles from other manufacturers.
In total, the plans include 170 locations with 400 charging points, 125 of which are in Germany, with others in Austria, Great Britain, Denmark, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary. The plans now announced are not part of the federal government’s initiative announced just over a week ago to build 350 charging points in Germany. However, there may be some overlap, according to reports.
“We are investing heavily to give the infrastructure for electric heavy-duty transport a decisive boost,” said Eon CEO Leonhard Birnbaum. “Almost all major manufacturers are now focusing on electromobility in their developments. For the final breakthrough, we need a comprehensive, high-performance charging infrastructure that is designed for Europe from the outset.”
MAN boss: 50,000 charging points needed by 2030
“For the mobility transition to succeed, we need around 50,000 charging points for heavy commercial vehicles in Europe by 2030,” said MAN CEO Alexander Vlaskamp. “Of course, as a manufacturer of electric trucks, we are making our contribution to this.”
The charging points from MAN and Eon are to be built primarily in industrial areas with high truck traffic along the motorways. The special needs of the trucks will also be taken into account – for example, the charging points should be accessible so that the drivers do not have to maneuver.
According to the plans, the locations will initially each receive several 400 kilowatt charging points. These could supply an average electric truck with electricity for a range of up to 300 kilometers in around 45 minutes. The locations will later be converted to the faster megawatt charging system MCS.
Source: Stern
