The overwhelming, widespread interest in Power2Drive Europe is already evident in the early morning. A lively crowd gathers in front of the entrances. Exhibitors and trade visitors stream onto the grounds, and preparations at the booths are in full swing. The mood is focused, ambitious, and international, with European and Asian exhibitors particularly well represented.
The exhibition halls fill up rapidly. A central highlight is the Power2Drive Forum, where the finalists of this year’s e-Mobility Award are presented, and much more besides. One thing is clear – charging infrastructure and e-mobility are increasingly becoming a natural part of our lives. And smart charging, megawatt charging, and bidirectional charging dominate the current interest.
This year’s special exhibition on bidirectional charging, which is hard to miss, combines vehicle presentations with interactive display walls and showcases practical solutions. It impressively illustrates, both in terms of content and aesthetics, how vehicle batteries can make an active contribution to private home energy management and grid stabilization in the future. If vehicles remain connected for longer, both the grid and the owner stand to benefit – a business model with potential. France is already considered a pioneer in bidirectional charging. In fact, Renault aims to equip all new vehicles with the respective battery technology in 2025. Accordingly, a Renault is also featured in the special exhibition.
Megawatt charging is also grabbing everyone’s attention. No wonder, since Power2Drive lists around 120 exhibitors offering solutions in this field. Megawatt charging refers to charging electric vehicles with very high power, typically 150 kW and above. It is considered a key technology for electrifying heavy-duty transport. The number of battery electric-powered trucks is expected to rise to 20 percent in Germany alone by 2030, which, with 1.2 million trucks on our roads every day, amounts to 240,000 vehicles. At the same time, high-performance charging parks are being built along federal highways, which is a huge undertaking. One speaker at the forum puts it in a nutshell – one megawatt charging unit supplies as much electricity as a small town. By the way, hydrogen-powered engines are hardly playing a role anymore, at least not at Power2Drive.
Smart charging aims to provide electricity precisely at times when it is readily available and inexpensive. Various providers are developing apps and systems for this purpose that are based on grid utilization and electricity prices. Everything happens automatically. All the user has to do is plug their charger into the EV charger, and the software takes care of the rest.
Generally speaking, the focus is shifting from the technology itself to its efficiency, practicality, and user-friendly operation. Convenience is everything now: Just plug it in, charge it up, and you are good to go. Innovative solutions such as charging sockets integrated into sidewalks or design-oriented EV chargers with interchangeable covers demonstrate how charging infrastructure can now be both enhanced aesthetically and designed to be practical for everyday use.
Exhibitors also particularly emphasize the good networking opportunities that Power2Drive offers. The exhibition has become a well-established event in the international industry and, if you ask the CEOs of leading manufacturers such as Keba and Mennekes, it has become “the place to be”. In conjunction with the three other exhibitions organized under the umbrella of The smarter E Europe, Power2Drive Europe has established itself as the central platform for the mobility transition and is now a must-attend event for industry players.