09.12.2021
Three case studies to demonstrate how EQUANS is meeting transport challenges
1. Meeting charging challenges for electric bus fleets
How do you manage a fleet of assorted buses, when each vehicle requires different methods and equipment to be recharged, with differing charging times? EQUANS has developed an EV Charging solution for electric bus fleets, called Charge & Go. This solution enables fast charging when a bus makes a short stop on its route, or complete charging at the bus depot within a controlled timeframe. Charge & Go is financed over time as the electric vehicle fleet grows, to allow public authorities to adapt their charging capacity to the increasing size of their electric bus fleet.
To assist local authorities throughout the deployment of their electric public transport fleets, EQUANS operates along the whole of the equipment value chain, from project finance to maintenance of charging stations. In Santiago, the Chilean capital, EQUANS provided a completely integrated public transport solution, comprising the rental of 100 electric buses and the installation and maintenance of 50 charging stations powered by 100% certified renewable electricity. The first phase consists in electrifying the whole bus fleet, with a target of 6,000 electric buses in circulation by 2040.
2. Innovating to support the decarbonisation of freight transport
Can the best road and rail solutions be combined to provide a mobile charging solution for hybrid lorry fleets? The answer is yes, and EQUANS has done it! We have developed the e-Highway concept, in partnership with Siemens and the vehicle manufacturer Scania, to enable hybrid lorries travelling along the road to connect to the electrical grid, by hooking up to a catenary, and recharge their batteries while they are driving. Two 5.5 km sections of overhead lines have been installed along the A1 motorway in Germany, and another section has been deployed in Sweden.
EQUANS also jointly initiated the first electric river barge, coupled with a charging station, where mobile containers filled with batteries are recharged. The primary function of the charging station is to quickly recharge the barge’s battery containers, but it can also provide green energy for industry and the transport sector according to needs. This solution, which is called Zero Emission Services (ZES), was created by ING, ENGIE, EQUANS, the Port of Rotterdam Authority and Wärtsilä.
“ This project shows the tremendous power of innovation at EQUANS, as well as our ability to cooperate and join forces with our partners. This innovative project demonstrates the key role that EQUANS can play to speed up the energy transition. I am very proud to be part of this venture! ”
3. Accelerating the development of public transport in Africa
Following the installation of the first 180 km section of the high-speed railway network in Morocco (320 km/h) and the delivery of a turnkey tram line in Sidi Bel Abbes in Algeria, EQUANS has formed a consortium with Thales to deliver a 60 km two-way section of the Dakar TER regional express network (170 km/h) in Senegal along which the new TER trains will run. This regional express network, the first of its kind in Sub-Saharan Africa, will connect Dakar with the new international Blaise Diagne airport in less than 50 minutes.
In partnership with Thales, EQUANS also worked with local companies like the Senegalese firm CSE, which carried out civil engineering and electrical engineering for the project, as well as setting up and managing the site compound and construction site.