Heliox in Partnership to Deliver Charging-as-a-Service Across Europe
Macquarie’s Green Investment Group (GIG) has partnered with Heliox B.V. (Heliox) to start delivering electric bus and truck (eBus & eTruck) charging infrastructure across Europe.
Through what’s being referred to as a ‘charging-as-a-service’ model, the partnership will own and fund the construction of charging infrastructure and maintain the facilities on behalf of customers. GIG and Heliox are initially targeting high growth EV markets identified as the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the UK.
Breaking down the barriers to fleet electrification
The partnership will provide fully financed, turnkey charging solutions for the lifecycle of the projects in return for fixed regular payments. By removing up-front costs, the service negates one of the main barriers to fleet electrification, making the cost of charging competitive with traditional diesel fuels, while dramatically lowering the carbon footprint of their fleet.
“The transport sector presents one of the world’s greatest decarbonisation challenges. We’ve got to accelerate the deployment of low-carbon technologies across all segments of the sector”, said Greg Callman, Head of Energy Technology at GIG. “Our pioneering partnership with Heliox helps bus and truck operators decarbonise their fleets cost effectively and rapidly, while reducing diesel emissions and improving the air quality of European cities.”
Heliox is pioneering V2G (vehicle-to-grid) and dynamic charging technologies, which enable charging power between the grid and EVs to be controlled in real-time. This means high-cost peak-demand can be avoided. Heliox implemented the world’s largest bus depot charging network at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in 2018, and was recently selected by First Bus to power its depot in Glasgow, Scotland.
Over the next 18 months, that depot will be reconfigured to enable on-site charging of up to 300 eBuses, transforming it into the UK’s biggest electric charging station. The project was announced ahead of the UN’s Climate Change Conference COP26 which will take place in the city in November.
Image of Heliox eBus charging station and equipment, courtesy of Heliox.
