Munich/Pforzheim, June 25, 2020: According to current figures from EV-volumes, the European market for plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles grew by 44 percent in 2019 compared with the previous year. The German government’s current stimulus package takes the expansion of charging infrastructure into account and should prove useful in promoting further growth in this area.
The market’s agility is also apparent in the current market overview from Power2Drive Europe – the international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility. This overview presents the e-mobility charging technology available on the European market and is published in coordination with the trade publication photovoltaik in both English and German. The latest version lists 89 suppliers of AC and DC charging solutions with over 150 products in total, as well as solar carport suppliers. The range of IT products for managing commercial and (semi-)public charging grids has also been significantly expanded since the previous year. And that’s not all – the number of available high-speed charging stations is rising, too. The market overview is available for download free of charge and will be presented as part of a webinar on June 30.
The new market overview presents around 150 charging stations, wall boxes and versatile charging cables that are currently available – a notable increase compared with the previous year, when only about 90 products were listed. There is also a focus on apps and software. The market report includes information on products and systems for domestic or commercial use which are available for order and delivery.
There is a clear trend toward greater charging power for both free-standing and wall-mounted charging stations. For “normal” AC charging stations, 22 kilowatts (kW) of charging power has become standard. Single-phase wall boxes offering less than 11 kW can still be purchased, but manufacturers are beginning to pull them from their product portfolios.
For high-speed DC charging systems, too, the main focus is on greater charging power and shorter charging times. At the same time, many suppliers – international businesses in particular – have begun combining their AC and DC product platforms, turning charging stations into true all-rounders which support nearly every connection standard. However, only very few suppliers support the Schuko socket as a charging connection, although it is the standard household wall socket in much of continental Europe.
The number of high-speed DC charging stations registered for the market overview has risen significantly. These stations offer charging power of 50 to 500 kW, and those toward the higher end of the range are often offered together with large electricity storage containers to form a system which protects the grid connections from short-term peak loads. In fact, charging systems are increasingly being integrated with high-performance storage devices to reduce the negative impact of these peak loads. These combined systems are delivered to customers either separately or as a single package.
The market overview also shows that manufacturers and technology distributors are placing increasing value on the ability to integrate charging technology as simply as possible into existing electrical systems in homes and businesses. This primarily includes IT integration across various communication standards. The same trend is emerging that the solar industry already saw for solar inverters and storage batteries – more and more protocols are being integrated into the systems to enable seamless implementation across the globe.
Another key IT development is the increasing complexity of the functions available, as reflected in charging technology management systems. This includes the requirements of German calibration law and international standards for payment and invoicing systems, as well as dynamic load management and the management of charging point opening hours and access permissions.
When it comes to payment systems, charging cards for individual suppliers are being superseded by debit and credit cards, so that customers can pay to charge their cars just like they pay for their groceries. Individualized systems have proven to be a hindrance in terms of international accessibility. Only large multinational energy distributors are successful in promoting their own systems and setting prices.
Power2Drive Europe’s market overview will be available for download in English and German on June 30, 2020. Under the motto “Charging the future of mobility”, Power2Drive Europe is part of The smarter E Europe, the innovation hub for new energy solutions. The webinar “Charging Systems: Market Overview and Trends 2020” will mark the publication of the market overview as part of the event series “The smarter E goes digital.” On June 30 at 11:00am, Philippe Vangeel, Secretary General of the European e-mobility association AVERE, will contextualize the latest developments on the European market and explain why the e-mobility sector is less affected than other industries by COVID-19. If you are interested, you can find all the details about the webinar at www.powertodrive.de/news & press /webinars.
You can also join futurologist and trend researcher Lars Thomsen for his Power2Drive Innovation Day keynote speech on July 1 to find out about the future of mobility and leading manufacturers’ charging infrastructure systems.
Image source: © Solar Promotion GmbH