In collaboration with project partners Powercrumbs and A2 Truck Parking, Hedgehog Applications and Green Caravan, through the project “Every E-Truck Deserves a Charge,” have received a €1.3 million subsidy as co-financing for the realization of Europe’s very first large zero-emission and grid-independent charging plaza for e-trucks.
Current charging situation is problematic
To achieve climate goals in the Netherlands and Europe, it is necessary to electrify the transport sector. This year, it is expected that more than 1,000 e-trucks will be on the road, and this number is expected to grow rapidly to 16,000 by 2027. A comprehensive fast-charging network is required for all electric freight traffic, but the rollout is still in its early stages and faces challenges. Grid congestion can cause the application for a heavy grid connection, which is necessary for charging e-trucks, to take several years. As a result, the charging infrastructure for e-trucks and e-vans lags behind the pace at which electric vehicles are hitting the road. This leads to a growing demand for more charging plazas with greater charging capacity, while the power grid cannot handle this additional demand. The project “Every e-truck deserves a charge” offers a solution by storing green energy in a smart energy storage system so that electric freight traffic can be charged independently of the grid.
The Project
The consortium, led by Green Caravan, aims to bypass the overloaded power grid by combining smart innovations. With this first large fossil-free charging plaza, Green Caravan and A2 Truck Parking offer six charging stations and approximately one hundred parking spaces for trucks. Powercrumbs is developing a regional filling station and distribution chain for biogas. Hedgehog Applications is responsible for the development of the smart (fast) charging system in combination with the energy storage system.
Charging e-trucks with green power, at any desired speed
The ChargeBooster from Hedgehog Applications is a smart modular (fast) charging plaza in which intelligent software seamlessly works with advanced hardware. This ensures that (transport) companies can electrify and go green independently of the grid efficiently. The system is modular in design. Due to its scalability, companies can gradually expand and are future-proof.
The smart system, driven by data, ensures a low price per kWh by being able to influence peak loads via remote control. This flexibility and the fact that self-generated energy can be stored, offer high cost-effectiveness for transporters. Moreover, independence through the ability to charge quickly or slowly means optimal planning, allowing vehicles to be on the road as much as possible.
The ChargeBooster system can be powered by a lithium iron phosphate EOS. The EOS can be sustainably charged with green power, such as solar energy. In the project “Every e-Truck deserves a charge,” the ChargeBooster is also powered by Powercrumbs’ biogas generators.
Together, the consortium partners are developing an intelligent charging system capable of managing the availability of local sustainable energy sources and minimal CO2 emissions, without using fossil energy.