Nimbnet - Accelerating heavy-duty vehicles electrification in Sweden

Heavy-duty vehicles are responsible for more than 1/4 of the EU’s road transport emissions. Electrifying the heavy-duty sector is key to phasing out fossil fuels. That’s why Nimbnet started a collaboration with Virta to build an EV charging network across Sweden to support the growing number of electric trucks.

Nimbnet is a young but ambitious company, a technology-agnostic consortium of industry veterans and partners with unique expertise in different areas and industries. Nimbnet aims to promote electrification by building a nationwide network of EV charging stations adapted for heavy-duty electric vehicles.

Electrification for the climate

It's clear that Nimbnet's employees are driven by more than just seeing EV charging as a potential source of revenue; they see the chance to help change the world for the better. Torbjörn Nordling, co-founder and project manager at Nimbnet, shares a personal motive for being involved in this project:

"I thought of my children asking me one day if I was aware of the climate crisis. At that moment, I will be able to say that I tried to contribute by reducing CO₂ emissions from heavy-duty transportation, which accounts for about 22% of all CO₂ emissions from road traffic in Sweden."

Photo 1: Torbjörn Nording, co-founder and project manager at Nimbnet, in Nordmaling, where Nimbnet's first charging station will be built.

Nimbnet's choice: DC charging stations and a global ev charging platform

Nimbnet realised early on that they needed hardware. but also software to handle smart energy management with solutions like Dynamic and Adaptive Load Management (DLM and ALM), Congestion Management, Capacity Maximiser and more.For the hardware part, they’ve opted for Nordic’s leading charging technology provider Kempower, which supplied suitable DC charging stations.

After extensive research during the autumn of 2022, Nimbnet found Virta, and after initial discussions, realised they would gain access to a global EV charging platform with several additional services. That’s when Nimbnet chose to cooperate with Virta.

Nimbnet receives financial and informational support from The Swedish Energy Agency's regional electrification pilots to install EV charging infrastructure in four locations. The locations are among the twenty in the country with the highest expected power demand from transportation and were chosen based on simulations made by the Samgods model, developed by the Swedish Transport Administration.

"We see this as a joint race, and our goal is to show the way forward, together with other charging operators, vehicle manufacturers, energy companies and transporters," says Torbjörn.

Ultra-fast charging - from Gothenburg to Nordmaling

Since Nimbnet's EV charging network will be nationwide, the Evolve package of Virta’s charging solution became the obvious choice for Nimbnet. A big reason for this decision was the possible customisation of the solution to Nimbnet’s own brand.

In the initial phase, four locations are considered: Gothenburg, Sundsvall, Söderhamn and Nordmaling. Nordmaling will be the first one to have the charging stations installed.

"The municipality of Nordmaling will be the first on our charging station map. The stations are planned to be installed during the summer of 2024,” explains Torbjörn.

Photo 2: Nimbnet's planned charging stations in the Nordmaling municipality illustrated in red.

Nimbnet has chosen to install the Kempower C503 with adaptive voltage range and liquid-cooled satellites to offer world-class ultra-fast charging with 350 kW of continuous power for all vehicles. The vehicle's ability to receive power becomes the only limiting factor.

Once megawatt charging is standardised and more manufacturers roll out heavy-duty electric vehicles, Nimbnet is ready to upgrade  and install new charging stations that support the standard.

Although Nimbnet mainly focuses on heavy-duty transport, private EV drivers are also welcome to charge at the stations. Nimbnet sees EV charging as a right for everyone, regardless of vehicle type.

Professional drivers' need to plan their charging according to their schedules. Nimbnet answers this need with a dynamic reservation system where specific locations are simultaneously opened up for drop-in charging.

Advice for future charging operators who want to create a commercial charging network

The electrification of heavy-duty sector can be more complex than of passenger vehicles. When asked what advice he would give to those considering starting a similar journey and building a large charging network for heavy-duty vehicles, Torbjörn answers:

"There are so many details that need to be in place before someone can start charging at a station, so my advice is to partner with someone already familiar with this business instead of starting from scratch and trying to reinvent the wheel."

And that's where Virta comes in. Discover how our charging solutions answer your needs.