SBRS, Shell’s heavy-duty charging solutions subsidiary, and Belgian transport firm Remitrans have partnered to open the first semi-public truck charging station in Europe. The two 400 kW fast-chargers are open for the public during the day, but only available for Remitrans’ vehicles during the night.
Semi-public chargers are nothing new. For electric cars, these solutions have been available for years now, boosted by some help from notably the Flemish government. But for e-trucks, semi-public chargers are still a rarity – even public chargers are still uncommon, as the electric truck market develops. But Shell and Remitrans have secured a scoop with the first semi-public truck charger in Ath.
Two CCS chargers for trucks in Ath
SBRS and Remitrans call it a “first for Wallonia – and Europe”. A funny distinction, but there we are. The two 400 kW CCS chargers (so no Megawatt charging yet) will be open during the day, from 6 AM to 6 PM at the Remitrans depot in Ath, while the trucks are out making deliveries.
During the night, they become closed off to the public, allowing Remitrans to use them for their own vehicles. In addition to the two semi-public charging points, Remitrans has also installed a private 180 kW charger for round-the-clock use.
Generating revenue while the trucks are away
“This partnership with Remitrans illustrates our commitment to providing innovative and practical solutions that respond to the real needs of our customers and the industry”, says Jannes Colaert, Country Chair Belgium at Shell. “Our approach is not based on a large-scale, uniform rollout of charging points, but on the creation of genuine charging clusters built around existing demand.”
For Remitrans, the advantage of having a semi-public charging station is the extra revenue potential during idle times. “Thanks to the semi-public model, we can optimize the use of our infrastructure while creating a new source of income when our trucks are on the road”, adds Frank Coppens, Logistics Manager at Remitrans.
“Smart charging enables us to better manage our consumption and reduce our energy costs
without compromising our operations. By working with Shell and SBRS, we have found a concrete balance between economic performance and sustainability, which is exactly what we are looking for in our transition to electric.”
Riding electric since 2023
Remitrans first started using a Volvo FH Electric in 2023. Presumably, the electric fleet has since grown, but the company’s main focus for decarbonization has been LNG (liquified natural gas) trucks. Over 25% of their fleet runs on LNG, and they even have a… semi-public LNG pump at their Ninove headquarters.
