The Watthub renewable energy powered fast-charging facility for electric trucks and heavy machinery, planned along the A15 motorway, will receive a 1,000,000 subsidy from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
The WattHub project, world’s first fast-charging plaza for heavy equipment, is developed by partners Van Oord, Dura Vermeer, Ploegam and Betuwewind, a local energy cooperative in Gelderland. The station, located on AVRI terrain, amidst solar fields and wind turbines, is powered with renewable electricity supplied by Betuwewind.
The motivation for the new charging plaza is the Tiel-Waardenburg dyke reinforcement project, carried out by Van Oord, Dura Vermeer and Ploegam, partners in the Mekante Diek project consortium. The aim is to make the dyke reinforcement project a zero-emissions endeavour. There are, as yet, no fast-charging plazas suitable for heavy equipment and lorries, which is why the companies have teamed up to develop the plaza themselves.
With 39 charging stations and a scheduling system, there will always be enough charging points to go around, with customers being assured that they can charge their vehicles at the reserved time slot. In addition, the plaza will have a charging capacity of up to 600 kW per charging point, a speed not yet available elsewhere in the Netherlands.
Charging plaza for the entire region
Beyond the project itself, the entire region will benefit from this initiative because the charging plaza has more capacity than the project requires. This additional capacity can be used by local businesses and suppliers with similar charging needs. Many local operators are denied a heavy-duty connection by the grid operator, making electrification of their fleet and equipment difficult. The new charging plaza means that these businesses can invest in sustainable equipment and achieve their sustainability targets.
Financing
The EUR 1 million subsidy is made available from the Ministry’s Clean and Emission-free Construction Equipment Subsidy Scheme (SSEB). About 50% of the grant will go towards the construction of the charging plaza and 50% is for research into practical experience on charging, planning and deployment of electric construction equipment.
In addition to the subsidy, members of cooperative Betuwewind have collectively raised more than enough money to make the world’s first electric charging plaza for trucks and heavy construction equipment possible. The required partial amount of €850,000 was more than met by more than 350 members. Work on the construction of the charging plaza has now started and is expected to be completed by mid-June. Source: Van Oord/ Dura Vermeer
