This new e-highway is the fruit of a collaboration between the international energy and e-mobility company E.ON and the Danish e-mobility provider CLEVER. The network is shy of the IONITY capacity but will, nonetheless, have 180 “ultra-fast” chargers stretching across 7 countries, from Norway to Italy over the next three years, with room for more.
Technically speaking, the stations will be capable of offering 150 kW, slightly more than Tesla’s 120 kW Superchargers. However, it won’t match IONITY’s 350 kW max capacity — at least, not yet. (Note that 350 kW charging would require that EVs get substantially more capable underlying architecture.)
To date, E.ON has only partnered with CLEVER for the first 160 charging stations. The last ones will be provided by the Norwegian service chain YX. And if 180 still leaves you feeling iffy, both companies are saying that, depending on results, the deal could get up to 400 stations throughout Europe.
The project will happen in a few steps. The first stations will be installed in Germany and Denmark, each with 2 to 6 chargers. E.ON claims each charger will give you a full charge, good for a range of 248 miles (400 km).
Level 2 charging at 240 V takes on an average 6 to 7 hours to fully charge a regular EV with an average 40 kWh battery pack. Level 3, such as CHAdeMO, runs at a peak of 62.5 kW with 500 V and 125 A for the first 80% of the charge, taking about 40 minutes and then dwindling to a Level 2 charge for the remaining 20% of the charge.
The best part about “ultrafast charging” is that it would give you a full charge in 20–30 minutes at 350 kW. We should probably also say that both CHAdeMO and CCS are planning to upgrade their systems to 350 kW, with Tesla reportedly having similar plans.
Here’s a quick fact sheet on the project:
- The first wave of the project will cover 180 sites in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, and Norway.
- CLEVER and E.ON receive support from the EU (CEF program) — €10 million from 2017–2020.
- YX in Norway is a facility partner to the project.
- The sites will be placed every 120–180 km along motorways.
- The sites will offer 150 kW charging, with potential for upgrade to 350 kW.
- The first sites are under construction in both Germany and Denmark.
- The ultrafast charging stations will initially enable charging of a full 400 km range battery in only 20–30 minutes, and charging time will be further reduced as charging capacity is increased and vehicle technology develops. Charging time depends on the specific car.
- The sites will be equipped with 2–6 chargers each.
- The stations will offer charging with CCS (European standard for fast charging).