European charging network operators with GreenWay and IONITY at the forefront will implement a project to build fast chargers, the purpose of which will be to facilitate travel around Europe for electric drivers. The EXPAND-E consortium, created by the companies, will receive EUR 70 million from the European Commission for the construction of 2,000 charging stations. This is the largest project of this type co-financed by the European Commission so far.
The leaders of EXPAND-E (Expanding Performance and Network Density - Electric) are GreenWay and IONITY, and it also includes the following operators: Renovatio, K-Auto, Fortis, and Grid Telecom. Their three-year project includes the installation of new or extension of existing charging stations in over 450 locations in 22 European Union Member States.
A network from sea to sea
The aim of the EXPAND-E consortium is to expand the European electric vehicle charging network with new devices in the area from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and from the Black Sea to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as to fill the gaps in the coverage of the TEN-T road network with charging infrastructure. In total, 2100 charging stations with high-power (150-350 kW) will be deployed as part of the project in more than 450 locations for electric light vehicles (LDV) and heavy-duty vehicles (HDV). All charging stations will be publicly available 24/7 and also roaming.
Clean transport infrastructure - CINEA support
The EXPAND-E consortium project will be implemented with financial support from the European Commission. By the decision of CINEA - the European Executive Agency for Climate, Infrastructure, and Environment - the EC will allocate EUR 69.11 million for its implementation. In total, in this round, the European Commission selected projects with a total value of EUR 290 million for funding.
- This project is extremely ambitious in its size and scope and will play an important role in providing reliability and assurance to EV drivers traveling between countries in Europe as well as kickstarting the market for HDV charging by building out HDV corridors. I appreciate the confidence of the EU in our ability to lead this coordinated effort along with IONITY. - Peter Badik, Managing Partner, GreenWay.
- We are very pleased with the EU's decision to select the EXPAND-E Project for funding. We were able to build a strong consortium with key players, especially in regions that have not received a lot of funding before, to deploy additional high-power charging stations all over Europe. The expansion of the pan-European HPC infrastructure for passenger cars and, for the first time, also commercial vehicles, along the TEN-T road network, is an essential part of EV adoption and indispensable in achieving our climate goals.- Dr. Marcus Groll, Managing Director, IONITY.
More chargers also in Poland
In connection with the implementation of the EXPAND-E project, GreenWay plans to build in Poland by the end of 2025 about 260 charging points with a capacity of 150 kW for passenger cars and 10 charging points with a capacity of min. 350kW for vans and trucks. They will be located along the main and auxiliary transport corridors of the Polish part of the TEN-T network.
- The EXPAND-E project is a look at the charging infrastructure on a large European scale. Such a perspective is necessary to maintain the steady growth of the network and to fill shortages where access to charging services is still limited. This is extremely important both for drivers and from the point of view of the requirements of key EU regulations in this area - Rafał Czyżewski, GreenWay Polska.
