One of Europe’s largest truck stops is about to be electrified
bp’s EV charging brand, bp pulse, will electrify one of Europe’s largest and busiest truck stops to power up electric heavy goods vehicles (HGVs).
Ashford International Truckstop is in Kent, England. The 21-acre Ashford International Truckstop currently offers 660 parking bays and convenience services for HGV drivers, and it’s got restaurants, shops, bars, and a gym.
It’s close to Dover, the UK’s busiest ferry port, and LeShuttle Freight via the Eurotunnel terminal in Folkestone. Around 3.5 million HGVs travel across the English Channel via the port of Dover and Eurotunnel annually.
So bp pulse’s acquisition and plan to electrify the vital truck stop will position it to better meet the needs of UK and European HGV operators transitioning to EVs.
Stefan von Dobschuetz, general manager bp pulse Europe, said:
For fleet operators to consider going electric, they must be confident that the infrastructure is in place to support them.
That is why we are thrilled to have secured the land to a crucial site near Dover as we strive to meet the evolving needs of HGV operators transitioning to EVs.
We look forward to working with national energy infrastructure partners to facilitate timely power connections for our ambitious project.
bp pulse could install EV chargers that are suitable for both fast charging and overnight charging.
The company says Ashford International Truckstop has the capacity to host around 20 megawatt chargers, 10 x 400 kW chargers, and 125 x 100 kW chargers, depending on power connection availability and how quickly the road freight sector electrifies.
A megawatt charger has the potential to fully charge an HGV in up to 45 minutes, enabling an onward range of 310 miles (500km) in a single charge, depending on conditions.
bp pulse will lease back the site to Ashford International Truckstop, which is currently owned by real estate firm GSE Group, to operate the existing site facilities and secure parking. bp pulse will operate and manage the EV charging infrastructure.
bp pulse’s bigger-picture plan
In 2022, bp pulse announced it would invest up to £1 billion in the UK’s EV charging infrastructure and up to €100 million in Germany’s EV charging infrastructure by 2030.
In January 2023, bp launched Europe’s first truck charging corridor along a 600 km (373-mile) stretch of the Rhine-Alpine corridor across Germany. bp has 21 operational Aral pulse (bp’s brand in Germany) EV truck stops in Germany. That enables an electric truck to cover over 750 km (466 miles) across multiple routes throughout Germany.
The first megawatt chargers are expected to be in place at Ashford from 2026. Once they’re online, it will establish a link between the UK and German charging corridor to encourage HGV operators further to shift to electric.
Read more: Daimler, Volvo, Navistar form a ‘supergroup’ to ramp up electric truck charging infrastructure
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Stories we discuss in this episode (with links)
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A fully-electric 10,000 ton container ship has begun service equipped with over 50,000 kWh in batteries
Chinese state-owned company COSCO Shipping has launched what it calls the “world’s largest” river-to-sea electric container ship. The Green Water 01 is a 10,000-ton+ fully electric vessel that sets a new benchmark in sustainability in the marine logistics industry.
China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, or COSCO for short, is a state-owned multinational conglomerate headquartered in Shanghai specializing in marine transport. Not to be confused with Costco, COSCO Shipping was founded as a subsidiary in 2016 following an approved merger between COSCO and China Shipping.
The COSCO Group is the largest liner carrier in China, transporting hundreds of container vessels daily while also providing ships to Chinese automakers to help them export their electric vehicles to new markets overseas, including Europe.
To adapt to the times, COSCO has developed a massive, fully electric container ship, which has now officially begun service in China.
COSCO’s electric container ship begins service in China
According to a WeChat post from COSCO Shipping, which features reports from China’s CCTV, the company’s Green Water 01 electric container ship arrived safely and was berthed in the Port of Yangshan by the local maritime safety administration.
The Green Water 01 sails at a total length of 119.8 meters, a molded width of 23.6 meters, a molded depth of 9 meters, a design draft of 5.5 meters, and a maximum speed of 19.4 km/h (12 mph). COSCO Shipping says the Green Water 01 electric container ship presents multiple firsts for the marine industry, including total length, width, container capacity, deadweight tonnage (10,0000 tons), and battery capacity (50,000+ kWh).
Speaking of batteries, the electric container ship is powered by a large-capacity battery combining for over 50,000 kWh. However, COSCO says the number of battery modules can be configured depending on the length of the voyage at sea. For example, additional 20-foot battery boxes offering 1,600 kWh of electricity can be loaded onto the container for extra range.
This ship’s captain, Wang Jun, told CCTV that when the Green Water 01 is equipped with 24 battery boxes, the electric container ship can complete trips that consume 80,000 kWh of energy, equivalent to approximately 15 tons of fuel for a similar journey in a traditional container ship.
COSCO Shipping also shared that the new Green Water 01 can save 3,900 kg (8,600 pounds) of fuel for every 100 nautical miles traveled, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 12.4 tons. Following the successful launch, the Green Water 01 has commenced weekly service between Shanghai and Nanjing.
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