Leading the charge: Kempower provides charging infrastructure to Ekleo, a pioneering French transportation company
When French road transportation company EKLEO decided it wanted to take its commitment to sustainable logistics to the next level, the commissioning of a charging site for its electric trucks was the natural choice. By building an electric heavy vehicles fleet with vehicles from Scania, Volvo and Mercedes and installing Kempower charging infrastructure in partnership with Providiris at its logistics site, EKLEO became one of the first French transportation companies to commit to the electric truck transition.
The electric truck transition is reaching a high point – Kempower expects the commercial vehicle DC charging market in Europe and North America to have a 37% compound annual growth rate up to 2030. As the electric truck revolution builds, the most pioneering companies are already embracing the benefits of an electric truck fleet. EKLEO, a French road transportation company which places sustainability at the heart of its operations, decided to become a leader in the movement and build its own electric truck fleet and charging site.
With a fleet of two Scania electric trucks, two Volvo electric trucks and two Mercedes electric tractors, EKLEO worked with Providiris to build a charging site at its center located in the Centre-Val de Loire region offering four charging points each delivering up to 300 kW, where the vehicles can charge before long-haul journeys.
The site now acts as an example for other smaller transportation companies looking to lead the green transition and fulfil green values. The project shows that, with a clear strategy and sensible resource allocation, committing to the e-mobility transition is possible for any transportation company, no matter its size.
Proudly leading the e-mobility transition
EKLEO is a true pioneer in the e-mobility space and has demonstrated its commitment to sustainable transportation for several years. Already back in 2015, EKLEO signed the ADEME (The French Agency for Ecological Transition) Objectif CO2 charter, which compels transportation companies to pledge to work towards an overall CO2 emissions reduction goal over a period of three years. Thanks to its emission reduction efforts since then, which include becoming one of the first transportation companies to acquire and operate an electric distribution truck in 2021, EKLEO received the “Objectif CO2” label from ADEME’s Voluntary Commitments for the Environment (EVE) program in 2023.
In late 2023, EKLEO decided to take its sustainable commitment one step further and commissioned an electric supercharging station dedicated to truck charging for its growing heavy vehicles fleet, which currently consists of two electric trucks and two electric tractors. The emissions savings benefits have been significant: in the first six months of 2024, the company covered a total of 42,837 km using electric vehicles, saving 46,264 kg of CO2 emissions. Each trip taken by an electric truck from EKLEO’s fleet emits up to six times less greenhouse gases compared to a diesel model.
We firmly believe that equipping ourselves with electric trucks is a meaningful step for the planet as well as for the people who live on it. his initiative strengthens our ambition to achieve 30% of all kilometers covered by EKLEO trucks being zero-emission by 2027, while supporting our profitability and environmental responsibility objectives.”, said Kévin Lenoir, CEO of EKLEO.
High charging performance for a productive fleet
The site’s charging setup consists of a 1000 kVa which delivers power to two double-armed Kempower Station Chargers, resulting in four charging points on site. Each charging point can provide up to 300 kW and is able to fully charge an electric truck in just 1.5 hours.
During a recent route, one of EKLEO’s electric trucks completed a 491 km journey without stopping to charge, setting a range record for an electric heavy goods vehicle in France. The Mercedes Actros e-600 completed the round trip while carrying a load of 21 tons. The success of the trip shows that EKLEO is able to commit to reducing its carbon footprint while maintaining high-quality service for its clients.
With EKLEO fully committing to its green values with the new site, it was essential that the charging infrastructure also offered high performance and delivered financial returns. Kempower chargers maintain a 99% uptime, due to a modular design. This means that if one modular unit fails, it will not affect the function of the other chargers. The chargers also employ dynamic power sharing, meaning power is distributed across the sites’ dispensers according to need, allocating the optimal amount of power between all trucks being charged at any one time. This minimizes charging times for truck drivers, who are limited by maximum break periods, and cuts idle power wastage, making it highly cost-efficient.
Preparing the truck charging site for seamless scalability
The site is built to grow with the evolving electric truck transition. Currently, EKLEO owns four electric trucks but holds plans for a larger fleet in the future as the transition progresses.
The current grid connection offers 1000 kW, enough to serve the two 350 kW chargers, leaving plenty of space to expand the site by adding more chargers as EKLEO’s fleet grows. EKLEO has plans to equip another site with EV charging infrastructure in 2026, to meet its goal of 30% of all kilometers covered by EKLEO trucks being zero-emission by 2027.
The scaling of the charging infrastructure will be seamless due to Kempower chargers’ modularity. The compact size of Kempower’s chargers means they take up little space, leaving room for future additions to the site.
We are incredibly proud to work with EKLEO as they are an example of a mid-size company that chose to take the lead in the e-mobility space and is now reaping the rewards,” said Cédric Moret, Head of Sales France at Kempower.
“EKLEO’s success shows that preparing for the electric truck transition is possible for any transportation company – EKLEO decided to walk the talk and deliver on the sustainability values that are so important to its team. The result is a productive truck fleet that is a pioneering symbol of the e-mobility transition.”, continues Moret.
“We are particularly honored to have supported our client in deploying an innovative and high-performance charging infrastructure for their fleet of electric heavy-duty trucks,” added Éric Ronco, President of Proviridis. “This project perfectly demonstrates our commitment to providing sustainable energy solutions tailored to the needs of the transport sector. The success of this installation is the result of a strong strategic partnership, proving that the energy transition is both a tangible reality and a significant benefit for all.”
