e-Gap: Vans Transformed into Mobile Charging Stations

A mobile and on-demand charging service: this is the bet that the Italian company e-Gap is making.

Charging an electric vehicle can be complicated when relying on public installations. Despite the increasing number of charging stations, the situation remains sometimes tense, especially in urban areas.

Based on this observation, the Italian company e-Gap has developed a on-demand charging system that operates with vehicles transformed into mobile charging stations. Launched in Italy in 2019, this service is now available in Paris. It is set to expand to Lyon and Bordeaux shortly.

The idea is simple: the customer logs into the e-Gap app and then “orders” their charge, indicating where their vehicle is located and the preferred timeframe. Then, a company van arrives on site to perform the charging.

e-Gap uses several types of electric vehicles. In France, its service works only with Peugeot e-Expert and Toyota ProAce Electric models. The additional battery, installed in the rear compartment, has a capacity of 75 kWh. The maximum charging power peaks at 80 kW.

A recharge that costs quite a lot

The price varies depending on the duration of the recharge. The speed of intervention also has an impact, but to a relatively small degree. For example, a 60-minute recharge for a vehicle parked in the 13th arrondissement costs €36 if the customer requires it within an hour and a half of the order. Choosing a longer delay — that is, a recharge within 6 hours after the order — reduces the cost by €3.

Each plan comes with a limit of recouped capacity: 10 kWh for 30 minutes of charging, 20 kWh for 45 minutes, and 30 kWh for 60 minutes.

From a purely financial perspective, traditional charging on a fixed station is logically more attractive. In Paris, Belib’ offers fast charging (up to 50 kW) at €4.8 per quarter of an hour, which equals €19.2 per hour. However, their stations do not come to your vehicle like e-Gap’s vans do.

Also read: Electric car: recharge 200 km in 5 minutes, Xpeng did it!