Atlante Co, a unit of the NHOA Group affiliated with Taiwan Cement Corp. (TCC), has received 22.7 million euros in funding to build 215 fast-charging stations in Europe for electric vehicles, TCC said Monday.
The funds were awarded under a European Union subsidy scheme called Connecting Europe Facility for Transport (CEF Transport), which co-finances investments in the completion and modernization of the trans-European Network for Transport, according to TCC.
Under the program, Atlante has been awarded two contracts for the installation of 215 EV fast-charging stations — 70 in Italy, 55 in France, 55 in Spain and 35 in Portugal — at a cost of 22.7 million euros (US$22.69 million), TCC said.
The 215 stations will have a total of 1,400 parking spaces for electric vehicles, which will be located in safe and secure sites on the trans-European Network for Transport (TEN-T) and will be integrated with the national grids, creating one of world’s largest virtual power plants, the company said.
The stations will all be fully powered by renewable energy, with on-site battery storage and on-site or off-site solar energy production, TCC said.
The creation of a fast and ultra-fast charging network will allow EV drivers to charge their electric vehicles in a matter of minutes, as easy as a stop at a gas station for vehicles that use fossil fuels, it said.
The EU is aiming to reduce its carbon emissions by 90 percent by 2050, and to that end, it is urgently seeking to transition to alternative and lower-carbon fuels, as transportation contributes to 70 percent of its total emissions, according to TCC.
Through the EU’s Alternative Fuels Infrastructure Facility (AFIF) proposal, a total of 292.5 million euros in funding will be awarded for 24 projects across Europe, ranging from the installation of EV charging stations and hydrogen refueling stations to the electrification of ground handling services at airports, TCC said.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel