With climate targets and the advent of more zero-emission zones, it becomes increasingly urgent for the logistics sector to switch to electric vehicles. This leads to an increasing load on our electricity grid. To better match the increasing demand for powerful charging infrastructure and the supply of electricity, 27 companies and knowledge institutes are now going to work together on Charging Energy Hubs.
Charging Energy Hubs are local, smart energy systems that allow more efficient and flexible use of the electricity grid. Those Hubs are the connecting factor between electricity customers and suppliers. This is where electric mobility and charging infrastructure come together and we use open standards and direct current networks
Three use-case locations
Over the next four years, knowledge and practical experience will be gained with these Charging Energy Hubs at three (public-private) use-case locations. The project will investigate how technological innovations and already existing processes and systems such as renewable energy sources, battery storage, and charging stations can be cleverly linked together. For example, one can store generated energy from solar installations on industrial roofs in an energy storage system and only use it during peak demand or grid balancing problems. This system prevents grid congestion while providing a solid business case for investments in E-trucks and charging infrastructure. Depending on the experiences with the three use-case locations, the Charging Energy Hubs will be further rolled out (inter)nationally and scaled up.
Unique collaboration
On Thursday, April 18th, the kick-off of these Charging Energy Hubs took place: a unique collaboration between 27 companies and knowledge institutions from across the value chain and the energy and automotive sectors. The aim is to accelerate the electrification of the logistics sector through cooperation, research, innovation, and contribute to a more sustainable future for the Netherlands. Heliox, a leading supplier of fast charging solutions, takes the lead in this collaboration.
Michael Colijn (CEO, Heliox): The Netherlands is a major international player in the logistics and eMobility sector. Cooperation between all relevant players in the value chain is crucial, and as Heliox, we are happy to take the lead in this pioneering project.”
