Siemens and Heliox have signed an agreement under which Siemens will acquire the Dutch charging infrastructure company. Siemens wants to include Heliox’s charging solutions for heavy electric vehicles such as trucks and buses in its portfolio.

The merger will expand Siemens’ market reach, primarily in Europe and North America, while enhancing its power electronics capabilities, the company’s statement said.

Exactly how Heliox products will fit remains to be seen. With no more than 330 employees, Heliox has been building loading depots for bus fleets since 2017 and the depots in Amsterdam and Glasgow are among the largest in Europe. The equipment has been specially developed for tough requirements. For example, the battery-powered SprintCharge station, which launched in 2019, supports pantograph-dependent buses by boosting ultra-fast charging without disrupting the power grid.

Recently, Heliox launched a consortium to set up similar grid-sensitive charging energy bubs for fleets. The company leads 29 partners, including robotic loader companies. Commenting on Friday’s news of the acquisition, Matthias Rebellius, member of the board of directors of Siemens and CEO of Smart Infrastructure, said they “see digitization and software potential related to energy, depot management and services.”