Since December 2021, the commercial vehicle parent company Traton Group, which oversees the Scania and MAN brands, has partnered with Daimler Truck and the Volvo Group to build an electric battery charging network for heavy-duty trucks and trailers in Europe.
The commercial vehicle giant’s three-pillar partnership has now completed its final steps and formed a joint venture for charging infrastructure in Europe. This initiative is expected to be important in supporting the European Union’s Green Deal for carbon neutral cargo transportation by 2050.
According to Christian Levin, CEO of Traton Group and President of Scania, the partnership will work rapidly to improve network operations and deployments to provide reliable and convenient public charging for heavy-duty vehicles.
“When we talk to customers about electric trucks, they always ask: where can we charge? To support as quickly as possible, we are working together to start a charging network in Europe,” he said in his official broadcast, Tuesday (12/7/2022).
The joint venture will be a standalone legal entity, operating under its own corporate identity and plans to install and operate at least 1,700 high-performance green energy charging points in highways and logistics hubs across Europe.
In total, the investment disbursed from the partnership has now reached 500 million Euros or equivalent to Rp. 7.8 trillion. This figure is claimed to be the largest charging infrastructure investment in the European heavy duty truck industry.
In addition, the investment is also dedicated as a call to action for other automotive industry players as well as the government and policy makers to cooperate in accelerating the expansion of the renewable energy charging network.
As a clear signal to all stakeholders, the charging network initiated by the three European giants will be open and accessible to all heavy commercial vehicles in Europe, regardless of brand.
“As demand for electric battery trucks and trailers is expected to grow rapidly in the coming years, we will work collaboratively across industries to design and build charging solutions that meet the needs of transport companies and drivers,” said Christian Levin.
Although they will have an equal stake in this joint venture partnership, Traton Group with the Scania and MAN brands with Daimler Truck, and the Volvo Group claim to continue to be competitors in all other areas of the global commercial vehicle industry.
