NEWS

www.fleetcar.ie

Volume 19. No. 12 Summer 2022

Volkswagen and bp have launched a strategic partnership that will see the installation of 8,000 fast charge points across Europe by the end of 2024.

The partnership will use Volkswagen’s Flexpole 150kW

Volkswagen and bp to install EV fast charge points in Europe

charging units which have an integrated battery storage system which overcomes the need for high-powered grid connections - one of the key obstacles to the roll-out of fast charging infrastructure. The units, each of which will have two charge points, can be connected directly to a low voltage grid thus removing the need for a dedicated substation. By offering speeds of up 150kW, vehicles can avail of charging that will deliver up to 160km of driving after just ten minutes, depending on the car.

Initial roll-out will be focused on bp’s Aral retail sites in Germany and bp retail sites in the UK expanding to other to-be-specified European countries by the end of 2024. Any EV driver will be able to use the new chargers as part of the bp pulse and Aral pulse network.

OEMs call on EU to copper-fasten proposals for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

Over 100 companies including vehicle manufacturers and energy companies have issued an open letter to EU policymakers calling on Member States not to water down a European Commission proposal on setting binding national targets for hydrogen refuelling infrastructure.

The signatories, who include vehicle manufacturers such as BMW, Hyundai, Iveco, Caetano Bus, Daimler Truck and Volvo, believe that the European Commission’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Regulation (AFIR) needs to have clear targets for building hydrogen refuelling stations in order to tackle climate action.

“We are strongly convinced that a widely available hydrogen refuelling stations (HRS) network, alongside other low-emission refuelling, and recharging infrastructures, will be essential for a rapid transition of the road transport sector,” the companies said in the open letter. “Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles, e.g., hydrogen fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) are particularly interesting for customers with preferences for fast refuelling and for whom flexibility is paramount.”

The companies believe that an integrated and strategic rollout of both HRS and battery electric vehicles (BEV) charging infrastructures will be cheaper than relying solely on one type of infrastructure or restricting specific technologies to specific road transport segments, while a multi-technology approach will grant a transition that is faster, more cost-efficient and serves all consumers and business models.