European Commission, France
Challenge
Enabling mass market electric vehicles (EVs) is one of the keys to significant reduction of CO₂ emissions. EVs must be both affordable and capable of traveling on long distance trips for peace of mind, but inadequate range negates affordability and vice versa. EP Tender’s battery-as-a-service modular approach allows for the resolution of these constraints.
Innovation
EP Tender is a range extending service for electric vehicles. Incredibly versatile, tenders – as the light trailers are known – are powered by battery, hydrogen, inductive road or gasoline, depending on infrastructure and available technologies. They are attached to the tow bar installed on vehicles. Users are able to book a tender in advance and pick it up on the day they need it just prior to joining the motorway. Once they get close to their final destination, the user simply drops it off at another rental point.
Potential
EP Tender is in a pilot phase until EVs become homologated or officially standardised as a means for towing light trailers. Its impact to date is to demonstrate a viable path to achieving 2030 ambitious EU CO₂ emissions targets with known technologies.
Support from industrial partners and investors is needed to maximise the impact and reach scale of this innovation.