ECG — 2023-07-04
News from ECG
By 2050 the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) states that zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) will make up 92.3% of the total car fleet on Europe’s roads.
Today in 2023 ZEVs, which comprise battery electric vehicles (EVs) and fuel cell electric vehicles, make up just 4.3% of the total number of cars in use in the European Union.
For those working in the finished vehicle logistics (FVL) industry the next decade involves a rapid increase in the transport of EVs, therefore prepping for the invasion of EVs is paramount to making sure facilities and procedures are ready for the change in the volumes of EVs we are to deliver across Europe.
The latest ECG Business Intelligence report leads a discussion with people at the crux of the issue, learning from them what changes and developments have been made to prepare for the greater volumes of EVs coming in.
In response to whether new infrastructure was needed to prepare for charging EVs en masse, Marc Adriansens, Managing Director at International Car Operators (ICO) says: “Yes, we installed 11 windmills with a capacity of 44 megawatt and 308 charging stations of 11 kilowatt each.”
The charging requirements by different EVs means some use AC while others require DC charging systems - but Adriansens is ready: “Yes, all car products can use the infrastructure here if they require AC chargers. Some brands request DC chargers (i.e. trucks and vans) and for those we are installing 4 DC chargers.” In addition to this immediate measure, ICO are investing further. “We are further investing in 112 charging stations of 22 kilowatt (= 2 x 11 kilowatt) and 2 stations of 200 kilowatt DC chargers as more and more EVs are coming our way,” says ICO’s Adriansens.
Meanwhile, logistics service provider Mosolf also confirms charging infrastructure at its compounds. "Yes, we do have EV chargers on our compounds installed (22 kW and Fast charging stations),” says Tobias Spannbauer, head of OEM sales at Mosolf.
Short sea Ro-Ro transportation provider UECC has specific policies for the carriage of EVs. Jason Cummings, Cargo Handling Manager at UECC, explains thus, “UECC has a policy that all EVs are to carry a maximum 50% charge. We also recommend that the minimum charge is 20%. This is to ensure there is sufficient power to unload the vehicles on arrival in the port of discharge.”
And ‘dead’ EVs with flat high voltage batteries are an enormous hindrance to move, with players across the industry now stating requirements to avoid this situation.
To understand more about how the FVL sector is prepping for the invasion of EVs, please see the full report here.