45 million euros in financing from European funds: E.ON, Eldrive and ZSE expand European charging infrastructure for trucks and electric cars

A consortium led by E.ON is receiving €45 million in EU funding to expand the charging infrastructure for electric cars and commercial vehicles in Europe. The DRIVE-E project is one of 39 innovative projects recently selected by the European Union to develop alternative fuel infrastructure. A total of 1,400 new public charging points will be installed by the end of 2027, of which 430 will be for heavy commercial trucks, each with a capacity of 350 kW or more. The project will be implemented in 13 EU countries and will make a significant contribution to the electrification of European freight and passenger transport.

The DRIVE-E project partners are E.ON, ZSE and Eldrive, who will jointly build a network of charging points for cars and light and heavy commercial vehicles along the main trans-European freight routes. This will include dedicated truck charging locations as well as mixed truck and passenger car spaces. Another objective of the project is to complement and expand the existing network for light commercial vehicles in areas where there are gaps in infrastructure.

The charging points will be located in over 250 locations in Germany, Austria, Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia.

Decarbonising freight transport in Europe

The project is co-financed by the European Union under the Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) II programme. It is a key element in the EU’s ambitious drive to expand charging infrastructure across the entire trans-European transport network, thereby contributing to making freight and passenger transport in Europe more efficient and sustainable. The second phase of AFIF (2024-2025) was launched in February 2024, with a total budget of 1 billion euros.