VW, Daimler, Volvo team up to build truck chargers

The truck manufacturing units of Volkswagen, Daimler and Volvo announced on Monday they will team up to build a network of 1,700 charging points for heavy-duty vehicles in Europe using green electricity.

The initial plan foresees a 500 million euro (US$600 million) investment to drive the five-year project, but the companies said they hoped to bring in additional partners and obtain public funding to build additional charging stations for long-haul trucks and buses using batteries.

The high-performance charging stations will use electricity from renewable sources and be located close to highways as well as at logistic and destination points.

They will also be open to all brands of commercial vehicles.

This is not the first such collaboration between truck and bus manufacturers in Europe. Daimler and Volvo in March announced a joint venture to develop hydrogen fuel cells for heavy trucks.