Power2Drive 2024: Rheinmetall unloads from the curb

At the Rheinmetall stand, we were greeted by an extremely cheerful Ulrich Fischer, Head of Marketing Civil Business. He was finally able to report the first two installations, which are expected to be followed by many more. Because the “charging curb” is ready for series production and has been tested multiple times. Also against flooding - which was simply resolved with an overflow and a cut-off relay - and against vandalism. With a very sturdy flap, “which you just can't easily kick and break,” as Fischer explained to us.

Vandalism was, however, the reason why the variant for physically disabled persons was withdrawn, as the mechanism that extended upwards here inexplicably fell victim to vandalism. And to test the water resistance, the system was repeatedly flooded with full buckets of water. Furthermore, via CurbSwap, the installed electrical module can be completely removed from the curb and replaced with a spare module. A quick coupling reconnects the module to the low-voltage network within minutes. 

And extreme temperatures? They were also considered: A cooling concept is intended to prevent overheating at high outside temperatures. In addition to targeted heat exchange, integrated temperature monitoring always ensures the best possible provision of charging power. And according to Fischer, in freezing temperatures, a built-in heating system ensures snow- and ice-free operability of the charger.