Taking a leaf out of the book of successful electric car maker Tesla and its early decision to establish is own vehicle charging network, Swedish truck maker Scania has announced it has established a new company to specialise in private and semi-public charging solutions.
The new company, to be known as Erinion has been positioned as a strategic move by Scania that it says will see 40,000 new charging points installed at customer locations while claiming that it will also strengthen the Scania Group’s e-Mobility offer in the future transport ecosystem.
According to Scania, Erinion, will provide solutions for depot and destination charging, with the aim of accelerating electric truck adoption in line with Scania’s “purpose of driving the shift towards a sustainable transport system”
The company claims that Erinion’s solutions will ’empower customers to seamlessly transition to zero-emission fleets with premium uptime’ , and that it will be a key factor in achieving Scania´s declared ambition for 50 per cent of its sales volume to be electric in Europe by 2030.
Scania says that Industry studies suggest that depot charging will be the primary source of energy for both short and long-distance transport operations and as a compliment to public charging networks, depot and destination charging will offer dedicated charging infrastructure at the customer’s home depot or other pre-defined locations.
The company said that this has a lot of advantages, including more predictable charging schedules ensuring fully charged vehicles, increased uptime and, ultimately, maximum operational efficiency and cost savings through predictable along with stable energy costs that are matched to each customer’s specific operations.
Scania said that by providing predictable energy costs and tailored solutions for each customer’s operations, depot and destination charging also enables optimised charging power levels and schedules, while improving battery life and overall vehicle efficiency.
The company also added that because depot charging often occurs in off-peak hours/or downtime, it will mean lower and more controlled electricity rates, while destination charging can occur on an opportunistic basis while a driver is resting or delivering goods.
Scania says its research, validated by pilot programs with customers, reveals a potential for significant cost savings with the enhanced charging solutions. The company says its customers can expect reductions in investment needs by up to 50 per cent along with operational savings of up to $ AUD25000 (15,000 Euros) per truck each year.
Scania said that depot charging is becoming increasingly advanced today and that it goes beyond providing chargers, grid connections and handling installation.
The company reckons that the new company, will enable its transport customers to take advantage of advanced integrated software and hardware, as well as operational services and support. It says purpose-built, modular solutions can and will be offered through a standard ‘re-seller model’ ie: with cash payments, or as a hybrid-flexible pricing model that will let customers combine down payments, leases and rolling fees for service and maintenance.
Scania says that initially, the new company will establish its presence in Sweden, Norway, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France and Germany, while it says a global rollout will follow in due course.
The company claims the brand-agnostic approach ensures that businesses of all types, regardless of vehicle brand, can benefit from Erinion’s charging infrastructure and operational services.
It estimates that by 2030, it is projected that around 230,000 electric trucks will be on European roads and to support this growth, Erinion says it plans to install a minimum 40,000 charge points at customer locations before 2030.
“With our solution, customers get peace of mind and can focus on their core business, while a specialised charging unit takes care of the hardware, software, financing and operational services required to operate charging at scale with superior quality and cost efficiency,” said Scania Group’s head of energy and infrastructure, Jonas Hernlund,
“In the transition, the transport system will be redefined. Our new depot charging solutions company is a great example of an initiative that will play an important role for our customers in the future transport ecosystem when transitioning to electric transports,” added Scania’s executive vice president and head of ventures and new business, Gustaf Sundell.
