Traton launches subsidiary for truck charging services
As electric commercial vehicles ramp up, the need for charging facilities outside depots is increasing. “Charging the vehicles is a challenge for drivers, especially in long-haul operation, because the charging operator landscape is fragmented, and the availability of charging locations varies by region,” says the truck manufacturer of the Scania, MAN, Navistar and Volkswagen Truck & Bus brands.
Traton Charging Solutions will put together a package for customers comprising the conclusion of a contract, invoicing, route planning and usage information. Operators of electric commercial vehicles will be enabled to charge “seamlessly.” More concretely: “Traton Charging Solutions currently enables the most extensive network of public charging locations in eleven European countries.”
To this end, charging point operators will be linked with mobility service providers of the Traton brands under the umbrella of the new subsidiary. The initiators expect the solution to be “the perfect fit for multi-brand fleets.” That is an important keyword because the service is accessible to all brands.
“For electric commercial transport to be adopted at scale, charging solutions need to be both accessible and affordable,” says Petra Sundström, Managing Director of Tration Charging Solutions. “Our mission is to connect the best charging locations on the road with the best brands and to help drivers find them. In doing so, we provide the back-end capabilities for our brands’ charging services so that their customers can benefit from the best charging access in Europe.”
The Traton brands Scania and MAN, which are active in Europe, will offer customers concrete access to charging stations in eleven countries. The Traton Group does not mention an absolute number of charging points. Initially, the service will be rolled out via Scania. Customers of the Swedish brand can access the new functions via the so-called Scania Charging Access. “This Scania service ranks charging points according to how suitable they are for trucks,” it says. And: “Regardless of who is operating the charging points within the network, customers only receive one consolidated invoice, from Scania. The service comes without any sign-up or monthly fees; the customer only pays one predictable price when the service is used.”
One of the first charging network operators to come on bord is Milence, a joint venture between the Traton Group, Daimler Truck, and Volvo Group. Milence wants to build and operate at least 1,700 high-capacity green power charging points on and near motorways and at logistics hubs in Europe. “Cooperation with Milence is a logical step in our journey to make charging simple and efficient. At the same time, we are in an advanced stage of discussions with many other key players in the charging industry around Europe. Other important partners will be announced soon,” says Petra Sundström.
Traton does not have the field to itself, of course. Competitors in the truck market are also aware of the challenges of public charging. Volvo Trucks, for example, recently launched a new service in Sweden to make it easier for hauliers to find public charging stations. Later, this will also be launched in other European countries.
0 Comments