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The chargers of Parkraumgesellschaft Baden-Württemberg mbH (PBW) will soon be managed using the E-Car Operation Center (E-Car OC) software from Siemens Smart Infrastructure.
PBW will manage the charging infrastructure in public parking garages and parking lots with E-Car Operation Center (E-Car OC) from Siemens Smart Infrastructure. The software also allows the administration of power and billing data from charging stations of different manufacturers.
- Client PBW is in charge of public parking for universities and government offices
- Initially, about 200 of a total of 500 charging stations from different providers will be connected to the software, with more to follow quickly
- E-Car OC backend solution enables easy access to the charging infrastructure through different billing and payment systems
The goal is to manage the charging infrastructure in public parking garages and parking lots in a flexible and future-proof manner. The software also allows the administration of power and billing data from charging stations of different manufacturers. This will make it possible to charge electric cars conveniently and flexibly in PBW parking lots – for example, at hospitals or universities – and to pay with a variety of payment systems via Giro-e, using an EC card. Initially, the software will manage about 200 charging stations, with more to follow in the near future.
Electromobility is continuing to gain ground. According to the German automobile association ADAC, around 200,000 electric cars were newly registered in Germany in 2020 alone. If plug-in hybrids are also included, the figure was as high as 400,000. In Germany, more than half of all charging is done at home. However, charging in public spaces, for example at work or while shopping, is increasing sharply. Until now, the fact that different providers use different payment systems has been a major hurdle for charging in public spaces. The E-Car OC backend system allows PBW to offer its customers different payment systems (e.g. Giro-e) and provide roaming access to additional charging points beyond the region. In the future, the smartphone app associated with the backend could show customers the charging stations currently available as well as their individual charging status.
“The software allows our customer PBW to manage different charging infrastructures and billing systems in their parking garages using one software platform,” said Sabine Erlinghagen, CEO Digital Grid at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. “As a result, we’re helping to make charging in public spaces easier and more convenient for owners of electric vehicles.”
The software makes it easy for PBW to integrate new and existing chargers regardless of manufacturer. Because the software is continuously expanded with the customer in mind, it is a future-proof solution for PBW: For example, the charging infrastructure ChargeHere, an innovation of the energy company EnBW, was connected to E-Car OC as an easily scalable charging solution, especially for electrification of larger parking areas.
In addition, the E-Car OC central data platform serves as a basis for research projects in the field of load management, such as the predictive charging project eLISA-BW (smart control and adaptation of e-charging infrastructure in Baden-Württemberg) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Baden-Württemberg Center for Solar Energy and Hydrogen Research (ZSW). In line with the motto “intelligence instead of copper,” its goal is to regulate the charging power so that vehicle charging is completed on schedule before the next booking window without exceeding the power level of the grid connection.
From their offices in Stuttgart and Karlsruhe, PBW manages 200 small, medium-sized and large parking garages as well as outdoor parking lots with a total of 22,000 parking spaces in 50 cities. About 500 chargers are currently available in 90 locations.
For more information about Siemens Smart Infrastructure, please see www.siemens.com/smartinfrastructure
For further information on E-Car OC, please see https://new.siemens.com/global/en/products/energy/energy-automation-and-smart-grid/grid-edge-software/e-car-oc.html
For further information on e-mobility, please see www.siemens.com/eMobility
