BP Pulse, the EV charging division of BP, has announced that Europe’s first public charging corridor for medium and heavy-duty electric trucks has been built along a significant logistics route in Germany.
The Rhine-Alpine corridor is one of Europe’s busiest freight routes connecting key North Sea ports in Belgium and the Netherlands with the Mediterranean port of Genoa in Italy connecting through a network of roads stretching in total 1,300km. The new EV charging corridor along this route will have eight e-truck charging stations with ultra-fast 300kw charging sockets.
BP Pulse does not disclose the number of chargers for each station, however, the published press photo shows two chargers, with three connection ports each.
The new chargers have been installed at service stations operated by Aral, BP’s local German retail brand. Each 300kW charging port can charge more than 20 electric trucks daily and can charge up to 200 kilometers (124 miles) in around 45 minutes using ultra-fast charging ports.
There are currently six charging stations along a 600-kilometer stretch of the Rhine-Alpine corridor and another two will be opened at some point in the future. After the final two stations, an electric truck will cover over 600 kilometers across Germany.
270,000 e-trucks will be on the road by 2030
Johannes Pallasch, from Germany’s National Centre for Charging Infrastructure, part of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport said that e-trucks will have a significant role in reducing CO2 emissions in road freight transport. Also stated that “As with passenger cars, the switch to electromobility can only succeed with a reliable and needs-based charging infrastructure. With today’s opening, Aral is taking an important step in this direction.”
It is estimated that there will be more than 270,000 e-trucks on the road by 2030 in Europe. Those trucks on the road will require up to 140,000 public and destination electric charging ports.
Nigel Head, EV truck director for Europe at BP Pulse. “This is a significant moment for E-Trucks in Europe and an important step in our journey towards helping to decarbonize truck transportation. By electrifying this stretch of the Rhine-Alpine corridor with ultra-fast charging, bp is enabling EV Truck charging beyond “back to base” whilst rapidly learning customer insights which will directly inform our longer-term European network and proposition. Ultra-fast charging in the right locations, combined with depot and destination charging, is critical infrastructure to accelerate the electrification transition, unlocking the economic and environmental benefits of low-carbon commercial road freight and transport.”
