Electric dreams a reality with HIAB and JOLT

JOLT ENERGY GROUP projects that their mobile charging stations for electric vehicles will be an integral part of cities and urban centres in Europe and US over the coming months and years. Each and one transported and carefully put in place by a HIAB loader crane. 

By 2025 it is estimated that 30% of all new EU car registrations will be electric vehicles. The problem is that there is not enough power in the electric grid for charging all the new vehicles. Updating the power grid is not done quickly or cheaply. JOLT has a ready made solution that will be trialed in Nürtingen near Stuttgart in southern Germany. Their network of charging stations will make life easier for electric car drivers who can access new charging stations in multiple locations throughout town. 

Their MerlinOne flexible charger is independent of the power grid and ready to be transported to the urban centres where the drivers are. Once it has used up its own battery life, it can be transported to a charging centre to power up before it is put back on the streets. JOLT’s headache was finding a solution for how to transport the chargers as they had very clear demands about what they needed to achieve.

New business ideas need new solutions, but Hiab could draw upon years of experience from FrameWorks solutions that are used to install HIAB loader cranes on truck bodies. The new truck met all demands and exceeded expectations, as this partnership is the pinnacle of how Hiab intends to be the ideal business partner for developing the right solution to a business challenge. 

The loader crane would have to be precise and quick in urban centres, yet be easy enough to operate for novice operators and of course reliable. HIAB X-HiPro 232 loader crane was the perfect choice as it comes packed with SAF (Semi Automatic Folding) & SAM (Semi Automatic Motion) for handling the movements and automated functions that assist the operators to increase productivity and avoid accidents in confined urban areas. 

This was only part of the challenge. The chassis itself needed to be developed to protect the charging stations from accidental damage. Using FrameWorks technology HIAB created a new hooking locking system that eradicates the need for straps or chains to secure the charging stations. The cranes can easily be installed on new trucks without the use of welding for easier installation and maintenance using FrameWorks.

This video explains how all these advanced crane features makes flexible charging in urban areas possible.