HoLa network makes long-distance truck transport suitable for everyday use

What has long been considered a challenge is now becoming a reality: with the opening of a high-performance charging station for trucks at the Shell station in Lehre near Helmstedt in Lower Saxony, a central building block for climate-friendly long-distance transport is going into operation: the HoLa network. For the first time, a connected network of five high-performance charging stations is now available along the Ruhr-Berlin axis - exactly where freight traffic is on the move every day.

The „HoLa - High-performance charging in long-distance truck transport“ project shows that electrically powered trucks can also be used reliably over long distances. The new station in Lehre forms a central hub of this corridor.

Representatives from politics, industry and logistics - including State Secretary Dr. Claudia Elif Stutz from the Federal Ministry of Transport, leading manufacturers of commercial vehicles and companies from the transport sector - came together for the commissioning ceremony.

State Secretary Dr. Claudia Elif Stutz, Federal Ministry of Transport: „For the market ramp-up of e-trucks in freight transport, it is crucial that they can be charged reliably and quickly. With the BMV-funded project, politics, research and industry are working together to accelerate the decarbonization of road freight transport. The consortium is demonstrating how the particularly fast megawatt charging system (MCS) can be used in long-distance transport. The completed MCS corridor between the Ruhr area and Berlin now demonstrates that haulage companies are even more economical and flexible with the use of e-trucks.“

A megawatt charging process was demonstrated live at the event. The technology used by project partner Shell Business Recharge Solutions (SBRS) makes it possible to quickly recharge large electric trucks during statutory driving breaks and continue their journey.

The HoLa project thus demonstrates what can be achieved when politics, industry, research and science as well as the energy and logistics sectors work together: A functioning system for long-distance electric transportation - and a decisive step from pilot project to broad application.

HoLa sets standards for megawatt charging in long-distance transport
The HoLa project aims to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of battery-electric trucks in long-distance transportation under real-life conditions and to pave the way for the nationwide expansion of the charging infrastructure.

Corridor and infrastructure

• Construction of the first continuous high-performance charging corridor along the Ruhr area-Berlin highway axis
• A total of five locations, strategically positioned along central logistics routes:
  • Teaching near Helmstedt/Lower Saxony
  • Lipperland South near Bielefeld/NRW
  • Hamm-Rhynern/NRW
  • Dortmund/NRW
  • Wustermark/Brandenburg (in operation in the coming weeks)

Megawatt Charging System (MCS)

• Use of state-of-the-art charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles
• Charging capacities of up to 1.2 megawatts
• Target:
  • Recharging designed for a 45-minute driver break
  • Range extension for several hundred kilometers

Practice-oriented operation

• Test under real conditions along a central logistics axis
• Participation of:
  • leading truck manufacturers (OEMs)
  • Logistics companies and fleet operators
• Investigation of, among others:
  • Grid connection and energy requirements
  • Loading behavior and user requirements
  • Integration into existing transport processes

Project structure and funding

• Funded with around 10 million euros by the Federal Ministry of Transport
• Supplementary financing via European programs (NextGenerationEU / Recovery and Resilience Facility)
• Implementation as part of the overall „Climate-friendly commercial vehicles“ concept“
• Coordination by Fraunhofer ISI and P3 Group
• Consortium of 13 partners and 12 associated partners from industry, energy, infrastructure and research

Significance for the market ramp-up

HoLa provides key findings for:

• the nationwide expansion of charging infrastructure for heavy commercial vehicles
• the scaling of megawatt charging
• the further development of regulatory framework conditions and business models

The project thus marks the transition from the pilot phase to the broad industrial application and scaling of emission-free technologies in road freight transport.

About the HoLa project
HoLa („High-performance charging in long-distance truck transport“) is a flagship project for the electrification of road freight transport. The aim is to test high-performance charging infrastructure under real-life conditions and create the basis for a rapid ramp-up of emission-free logistics in Germany and Europe. HoLa is being funded by the Federal Ministry of Transport with a total of 10 million euros as part of the electric mobility funding guideline and is being carried out as a technology and testing project as part of the implementation of the overall concept for climate-friendly commercial vehicles. Funding for this measure is also provided as part of the German Recovery and Resilience Plan (DARP) via the European Recovery and Resilience Facilities (ARF) in the NextGenerationEU program. The funding guideline is coordinated by NOW GmbH and implemented by Project Management Jülich (PtJ). The National Centre for Charging Infrastructure under the umbrella of NOW GmbH is also closely involved in the HoLa project. The project consortium comprises a total of 13 partners from vehicle construction, energy supply, network operation, highway management and research. The Fraunhofer ISI is responsible for overall management and scientific coordination.

Johannes Pallasch, Head and Spokesman of the National Charging Infrastructure Control Center under the umbrella of NOW GmbH:
„HoLa impressively demonstrates the central role that megawatt charging plays in the electrification of heavy road freight transport. The knowledge gained from the project has been incorporated into the tender for the truck charging infrastructure on freeways and is thus making an important contribution to the accelerated development of an efficient charging network for heavy goods vehicles in Germany. The National Centre for Charging Infrastructure will continue to support and drive forward this expansion with its expertise.“

Dr. Götz von Esebeck, Head of Technology Strategy & Innovation Traton SE:
„Vehicles are available and the portfolio is constantly being expanded - the decisive factor now is the rapid expansion of an efficient charging infrastructure. HoLa shows how this interaction enables the ramp-up of electromobility in heavy long-distance transport.“

Sascha Hähnke, Managing Director of Remondis Sustainable Services GmbH:
„The HoLa station in Lehre represents the technological gap between the demand for sustainable logistics and the actual operation of electric trucks in long-distance transport. The new HoLa charging station is therefore an important building block on the road to CO2-neutral heavy goods transport in Germany and Europe.“

Melanie Falkenstern, Head of Shell Fleet Solutions DACH:
„With the commissioning in Lehre, we are bringing powerful megawatt charging into real customer use. For our fleet customers, this is a decisive step towards making electric mobility economically viable in long-distance transport.“

Conrad Mummert, Head of SBRS (Shell Business Recharge Solutions):
„HoLa shows that megawatt charging is technically reliable and can be integrated into existing operating processes. The experience gained from the project is an important basis for the large-scale expansion of this technology.“

Photo from left to right: Conrad Mummert (SBRS), Lena Kappler (Fraunhofer ISI), Dr. Götz von Esebeck (Traton SE), Florian Glattes (Shell), Dr. Claudia Elif Stutz (State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Transport), Melanie Falkenstern (Shell), Sascha Hähnke (Remondis Sustainable Services). Copyright: Shell