E-Gap: Urban Mobile Fast Charging Service

Every user of an electric vehicle knows the problem: The charging infrastructure in cities is inadequate. If you find a charging station, it is occupied, blocked by an internal combustion engine vehicle, or not functioning. E-Gap aims to address this issue with a flexible, always-available charging solution. The small vans, equipped with a large battery pack including a control unit and charging cable, form a fleet of mobile charging stations. According to E-Gap, each van has the capacity to fully charge three to four vehicles before the battery unit itself needs to be recharged. For this, the battery, mounted on a type of sled, is swapped out with a new, fully charged unit, and the van is immediately ready for use again.

The "to go" charging station

The charging is booked via the free app. The app can geolocate the smartphone and send a vehicle from the E-Gap fleet to the empty EV at an agreed time; alternatively, you can also specify a future location and send the E-Gap van there. The customer sets the duration of the charging or the desired state of charge to be reached and can also track the charging in real-time in the app. The Italians specify the charging power at up to 80 kW. At the end of the charging process, the costs are billed via credit card.

Currently only in Italy, soon in Paris – in Germany first in Munich

The service is already bookable in Milan, Rome, Bologna, and Turin in Italy. Carlo Albero Cima, Head of Network Development, assured us in an interview that the mobile charging system is also planned for Germany in the near future. The first station of the expansion will be Munich in May. Additionally, they are working on extending the offer in Europe. In Paris, it is shortly before the introduction, and in the United Kingdom, the service will first be available in London.