Only one charging card needed at any charging station operator: what’s still a pipe dream in most European countries is already coming true in Portugal. There, numerous providers have opted to merge under one umbrella company – Mobi.E, S.A. The biggest advantage to users is that their power provider’s charging card or app can be used network-wide with no restrictions on service quality. To make this happen, however, you need charging stations that can be seamlessly integrated into the network.
Universal solutions focused on user needs for hindrance-free charging
The electric mobility networks of many countries are highly segmented. Most commonly, every charging station operator has its own private network with proprietary solutions. This is why there’s no incentive for the producers of charging stations to develop devices that can be readily integrated into any system. Christoph Erni, CEO and founder of Juice Technology AG, explains: “Island solutions do nothing to advance electric mobility. It really is an imposition when charging network operators force users to carry five or ten different charging cards around with them just to purchase electricity for their e-cars. Rather, what’s really wanted are universal offerings oriented to what users need. In Portugal, Mobi.E is successfully turning this vision into reality. We’re delighted to take part in this lighthouse project.”
Erni underscores the pioneering role of his technology company: “User friendliness was the driving force behind the founding of Juice, and is an integral component of all our solutions. With charging stations that, in 2019, were the first to allow payment by credit card or Apple Pay and Google Pay and which can be activated simply by RFID reader or Plug and Charge protocol, we’ve been well ahead of the curve in these developments. After all, electric charging needs to be easy and function reliably – and that’s exactly what Mobi.E promises, and why our chargers fit perfectly into their concept.”
In proofing, the JUICE CHARGER me unit from Juice Technology successfully passed a series of compatibility and integration tests, and thereby qualified for the Mobi.E network.
An exemplary role model for other European countries
Portugal’s Energy and Climate Plan 2030 calls for the mobility and transport sectors to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent. The Mobi.E concept will help drive the process of transition to sustainable mobility by enabling everyone to charge their electric vehicles from any charging station on the network, irrespective of the charging stations’ operator or owner – whether public or private.
Luís Barroso, CEO of Mobi.E, puts it this way: “Mobi.E network is now reaching its goal of covering all of the Portuguese territory, for the coming years we want to continue to create the conditions to maintain a high rate of growth in our network and increase the level of integration with foreign networks. To this end, it is crucial for MOBI.E to continue to arouse the interest of companies that want to develop their activity in the area of electric mobility in Portugal, so the entry of foreign companies such as Juice give to us great expectations in terms of growing and internationalization of the Mobi.E network.”
The Mobi.E network has over 2,485 charging stations, three quarters of which are AC chargers, offering a total of 5,100 charge points. Today, the network has 58,500 users.
Facts and figures at a glance
JUICE CHARGER me: The wallbox comes completely preconfigured and ready for immediate use (as a plug-and-play device). Once connected to the charge socket, the charging station automatically recognises every Plug-and-Charge-enabled vehicle compliant with the ISO 15118 standard, and begins charging immediately. A radio-frequency identification (RFID) reader is integrated for all vehicles that don’t yet support the ISO 15118 standard. Each unit comes equipped for locally dynamic charging management for up to 250 charging stations in master-slave operation. The cloud-based infinitely scalable smartJUICE system for omni-dynamic charging and load management is also available. A version fitted with an electricity meter certified to the European Measuring Instruments Directive (MID) is available for operation with charging and load management.
