GT Solutions electrifies road transport with Virta

Committed to an ambitious ESG policy for 15 years, French road transport company GT Solutions aims to reduce the environmental impact of its activities by cutting its GHG emissions by 15%.

A key milestone has been reached with the opening of its first high-power recharging station at Garonor, Aulnay-sous-Bois, thanks to a partnership with Virta and Kempower.

GT solutions decarbonises its fleet

Transporter company GT Solutions is stepping up its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and cut its GHG emissions by 15%. Investing in alternative energy vehicles - particularly electric vehicles - is one of its priorities.

After equipping its fleet with CNG trucks (121 trucks by 2024), the company is now accelerating the acquisition of electric carriers: vans, flatbed cranes, and fridge and tow trucks. Their fleet has tripled in 2024 from 30 vehicles, with the support of Ademe through projects and subsidies. These carriers come from manufacturers Renault Trucks France and Volvo Trucks, with whom GT Solutions has a partnership.

Birth of the IRVE project

This transition to electric vehicles requires the installation of high-performance recharging solutions at logistics depos. It was against this backdrop that Virta was approached by GT Solutions for a truck recharging project at the Garonor site north of Paris.

"As a fleet operator, our objectives for the charging site were twofold - we needed the depot to be adequately equipped for the electrification of our fleet without losing valuable space for our trucks, which is essential from a commercial point of view," commented Romuald Chemin, technical director at GT Solutions.

This collaboration led to the installation of an ultra-powerful charging station with 6 chargers from DC terminal manufacturer Kempower.

A complex worksite

The project took 18 months to complete, from design and civil engineering to commissioning. Virta supervised all stages, acting as GT Solutions' sole point of contact.

"Virta's expertise in truck charging, combined with its international experience in managing complex logistics projects, made it possible to meet the challenge of installing a charging infrastructure on this site." declares Guillaume Noblet, Director, Virta France.

This integrated approach made it possible to manage the site's many technical constraints, including the reduced size of the loading docks and civil engineering restrictions (cable routing had to be carried out from the outside due to certain technical limitations of the buildings).

The configuration of the site meant that we had to find chargers that were both powerful and space-saving. Kempower's liquid-cooled satellite charging stations, with outputs of up to 400 kW, seemed perfectly suited to the site's needs.

The site's configuration required chargers that were both powerful and space-saving.

"Given the enormous size of the trucks and the need to conserve as much space as possible in the depot, it was essential that we planned the project with exceptional attention to detail and efficiency," said Cédric Moret, Kempower's sales manager for France.

Thanks to its know-how and 9 patents held in energy management, Virta was able to provide a solution tailored to GT Solutions' capabilities, distributing available power in real-time across all vehicles.

The electric fleet mainly makes logistical journeys on the last mile. Trucks are recharged mainly at the depot overnight with high-power chargers that are capable of charging a standard truck from 20% to 80% in less than an hour. Each truck is equipped with an RFID badge for detailed tracking of energy consumption.

The Garonor site will be officially commissioned in October 2024, with the delivery of the brand's first electric trucks. And megawatt recharging will be offered by the end of 2024.

The Garonor site will be officially operational in October 2024, with the delivery of the brand's first electric trucks.

With a view to standardising recharging services, Virta has also been commissioned by GT Solutions to take over the supervision of existing charging stations at all sites in France.

A strategic partnership

The project comes at a time when the world of heavy goods vehicles is lagging behind the automotive sector. Only 1% of new trucks registered in 2023 were electric. But electrification is accelerating with the announced tightening of rules surrounding EPZs. On the European Union side, the objective is to reduce CO2 emissions from heavy vehicles by 90% by 2040. 

"This project is part of Virta's wider strategy to reinforce its authority in the logistics sector and support companies towards more sustainable mobility," explains Guillaume Noblet, Director, Virta France.

On the international front, Virta has also just launched a large-scale project with logistics provider HEDIN (Sweden), building an MWC (Mega Watt Charging) charging station. These new stations enable trucks to recharge in just a few minutes during breaks for drivers on long journeys.

About GT Solutions 

Created in Bordeaux 78 years ago, the family-owned company GT Solutions started out in the rental of industrial vehicles with drivers. The company, currently run by the founder's great-grandson, has 2000 employees and sales of €230 million. Employees hold 5% of the capital.

www.gt-solutions.fr

About Kempower

Manufacturer of reliable and ergonomic DC fast charging solutions for electric vehicles. Our products are developed and manufactured in Finland and the USA, with the majority of our materials and components sourced locally. We cover all areas of electric mobility: from electric cars, trucks and buses to special machines and electric boats. Our first-class, modular and scalable charging system and cutting-edge software are designed by electric vehicle drivers to deliver the best user experience to our customers worldwide. Kempower is listed on the Nasdaq Helsinki Stock Exchange in Finland. 

www.kempower.com

About  Virta

Virta is a pioneer in the development of intelligent electric vehicle charging services. Its supervision platform is used by over 1,000 private and public companies and organisations in the logistics, retail, hospitality, real estate, parking, service station, automotive and energy sectors. Its customers operate more than 112,000 chargers in 35 countries, forming the "Powered by Virta" network. Thanks to roaming, electric motorists can access more than 516,000 charging points in over 65 countries. The company holds 40 patent families focused on energy management capabilities, which are essential to the future ecosystem of connected energy and mobility.

https://www.virta.global/fr

Contact and inquiries

For GT solutions  

Southern Hemisphere Agency

Corinne HENNEQUIN 

+33 (0)607474875

c.hennequin@agencehemispheresud.com

For Kempower

Nicoletta TROMBINI

Marketing Communications Manager South Europe
Kempower  

+34 (0)608441663

nicoletta.trombini@kempower.com| LinkedIn 

For Virta

Esa-Pekka NYKÄNEN

Communications and Brand Director

+358 (0)40 595 3135