L-Charge, a startup company based in Russia, has already commissioned mobile charging stations in several countries around the world and will be adding the United Kingdom to the list soon, CEO Dmitri Lashin said in an interview to Reuters.
The company website says generator trucks are already running in Moscow, Amsterdam, Munich, Dubai and Barcelona. They are basically vehicles running on mass-market truck chasses and converting natural gas or hydrogen into electric power suitable for charging EVs. Five minutes spent with the charger plugged in should be enough for 100 km (62 miles) of range for most cars, and the highest charging power is only limited by the capabilities of the EV being charged.
A single truck can charge up to four vehicles simultaneously. L-Charge believes that, as zero-emission transports becomes increasingly popular in developed countries, such mobile charging stations will be in high demand due to lacking permanent infrastructure. Lashin claims it is also the first mass-market solution of its kind worldwide.
According to him, customers in Europe pay around €0.8 per kilowatt-hour of power, which is 1.5-2 times as affordable as other charging options.
Right now, L-Charge is looking for an investor willing to help it produce up to 2,000 mobile chargers per year. The company attracted $1,500,000 in investment earlier this fall.