A new problem for energy transition – scarce energy hubs

On August 5, 1888, Bertha Benz and her two sons set off on a 65-mile drive to visit family. At least, that’s what Carl found on a note that morning. Her real goal was to have hard user experience and improve the product. On August 5, 1888, Bertha Benz and her two sons set off on a 65-mile drive to visit family. At least, that’s what Carl found on a note that morning. Her real goal was to have hard user experience and improve the product.

The first car, gasoline was not scarce

After her journey, Carl had enough feedback to improve his vehicle. For example, he had to add more gears and brake linings. There was no need to set up an energy infrastructure, because that was standard at every chemist under the tongue-twisting name ligroin. And every village and town had its own chemist. The city chemist in Wiesloch is now gaining fame as the first petrol station in the world.

Green trucks, energy hubs are scarce

In the meantime, 125 years have passed and the sector is concerned about the energy transition. Whether it concerns battery trucks or hydrogen trucks, both have a poor charging infrastructure. Heavy transport opts for hydrogen, but apart from a few exceptions, there are not many hydrogen filling stations in the Netherlands where you can easily go with a truck.

In addition, refueling with hydrogen takes on average three times as long as refueling with diesel.

The downside of battery electric trucks are long charging times and also few truck-friendly charging stations. For comparison, for an extra range of 250 kilometers you are soon an hour further.

Transport companies work without exception with tight planning and high time pressure. Customers expect this sector to become green, but to actually become green, a few hurdles must first be taken.

If there are too few truck-friendly energy hubs, as the new filling stations call themselves, e-trucking will not take off fast enough due to practical problems. Few charging stations and more and more trucks lead to longer waiting times. Detours take time and postponing a charging session carries the risk that you will come to a complete standstill on the road. That can significantly delay the transition.

Scarcity must be managed

In 2023, the solution seems logical, everyone has a phone, is in the cloud and the Internet of Things connects everything. Whether I am 5 minutes away from 10 hotels or 30 days, there is an app like booking.com that tells me the correct distance, the availability and the cost. If I book somewhere with an app, there is guaranteed space.

How easy is it to have an app that shows the availability of energy hubs, with the option to reserve a time slot? Contact hmak and we will be happy to answer your questions.