Meet Roel Vissers, our Director of Strategic Partnerships & Public Affairs, whose role will be key in making sure that CV Charging Europe is working with the right partners in different industries and countries.
What is your new role in the organisation? ​
My role within CV Charging Europe is Director Strategic Partnerships and Public Affairs. Strategic partnerships and public affairs might seem quite different, but in our case, they have a lot in common as we partner and work with different industries and governments. In essence, I will be looking for the perfect partners who share our values and will help us to accelerate the roll out of our network and improve our customer offering. This could be technology, supply of energy, location owners, launch customers and I’m sure many things that I haven’t even thought of yet.
Why did you join CV Charging Europe? ​
There are many reasons. But the main reason is to support the energy transition and reduce the environmental footprint of heavy-duty transport in Europe. In the past few years, we have been electrifying passenger transport, which was exciting, but electrifying heavy-duty transport will be a totally different ball game. I like to make impact, I like to work in a high-quality team, I like to be part of a company with the right values and purpose.
What do you expect is going to be the biggest challenge?
​The biggest challenge will be time. Technology is ready to electrify trucks on relatively short notice, but this will not happen without the required public charging infrastructure. We need to build a network, which involves obtaining building permits and getting grid connections within months. Normally, this tends to take years. But we – as Europe – cannot accept years of delay, so we must find a way.
What are you most looking forward to in your new role?
​Meeting many partners and people with the same mindset, goals, and purpose, and to jointly outperform even the most optimistic forecasts on electrification of trucks in Europe.
