Market Overview of Charging Systems: A Guide for Electric Vehicles

The interest in private Wallboxes in Germany is steadily increasing. Accordingly, the number of providers is rising as well as the variety of products. An overview is provided by the new independent "Market Overview Charging Systems" by Power2Drive Europe, the international trade fair for charging infrastructure and electromobility, in cooperation with cosmix, Europe’s largest platform for charging infrastructure. Since May 31, 2021, the market overview with around 110 products is available for free download. A presentation of the overview will take place on June 15, 2021, as part of the Power2Drive webinar "Insight on Charging Systems – Market Overview and Funding."

The share of private charging sessions will continue to dominate over the next ten years, likely around 80 percent, according to the National Control Center for Charging Infrastructure in Germany. Charging facilities at home, at employers, and shopping centers will be in even greater demand. The German federal government supports this and relies on forward-looking criteria such as the controllability of the charging solutions and the use of electricity from renewable energy. The funding program is very popular: Since the program started at the end of November 2020, 385,000 applications for the funding of 470,000 private charging points have been submitted, so the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure has already topped up the program for the third time in early May. The implementation of the EU directives on building energy efficiency and the Condominium Act (WEG) makes it easier for tenants and owners to install charging technology.

Charging infrastructure in public spaces is systemically relevant

From a long-term perspective, charging technology in both the private and commercial segments will primarily be AC-based. High-power DC systems will also play a role in commercial fleets and will even form a comprehensive network in public spaces. DC systems allow charging times to be kept short and charging points to be used effectively. 150 kilowatts or more are the norm. Charging technology on the street is currently mainly financed and installed by energy providers. In addition, the number of providers of mobile high-power systems, for instance for temporary events, is increasing. These systems combine buffer storage with DC charging points.

Similar to gas stations today, operators of charging infrastructure and their service providers will play a central role in mobility—and thus become systemically relevant. Electricity will become the equivalent of fossil fuels in the future and will ideally be generated on-site with renewable energy. The green charging current links the energy and mobility sectors. Thus, it is all the more important to distribute the available electricity in a sensible and efficient manner, taking into account the networks, buildings, vehicles, as well as the standing and charging times. Intelligent charging systems with appropriate energy and load management, as well as simple payment functions for billing the charging current, are necessary. This is particularly crucial for a larger number of parking spaces—for instance, in companies for their pool vehicles, employees, and guests.

"Authorization and payment for e-mobilists must work as easily and transparently as contactless payment in the supermarket today," says Jan Hammerschmied, Head of Charging Infrastructure at cosmix.

Market Overview Charging Systems makes solutions comparable

Guidance in this dynamically growing area is provided by the "Market Overview Charging Systems" of the Power2Drive Europe trade fair, which has been relaunched in cooperation with cosmix, the charging infrastructure platform. The market overview is structured to offer all interested parties, from experts to newcomers in the field of charging infrastructure, an overview of the technical data. The market overview answers questions such as: Which plug, how much charging power, and how many charging points are supported? Is there intelligent charging management? How can the charging station or wallbox be integrated into a building, energy, or fleet management system? The overview divides 110 products from national and international manufacturers into charging stations and wallboxes, both in the AC (normal charging stations) and DC (fast charging stations) sector. The products are characterized based on categories such as charging points, charging power, charging connection and management, as well as connectivity to the backend—which means the communication between charging stations and management system and the network connection.