Power2Drive2024: Keba expands - with new KeContact P40 wallboxes

New, Barrier-Free Stand Column for Single and Double-Mount S

If the wallbox is to stand alone or there is no wall available for mounting, there is a robust stand column that matches the overall design and is suitable for both the KeContact P30 generation and the new KeContact P40 / P40 Pro. It can also be used for both single and double-mount configurations, and the mounting height of the wallbox on the stand column meets the EN 301 549 standard for accessibility.

Nowadays Rare: Designed AND Made in Austria

And the question of whether Keba still develops and produces its wallboxes in Austria can be joyfully affirmed by Richter. The processes in development and production have been optimized accordingly to keep the CO2 footprint as low as possible. According to Richter, the KeContact P40 / P40 Pro consistently integrate into Keba Energy Automation's CO2-optimized product portfolio and underscore the commitment of the wallbox manufacturer, which already brought its first CO2-optimized wallbox to the market in 2021 with the well-known Green Edition.

After strolling through the "single-family house" and the "underground garage," we take a look at the other, partly well-known exhibits: Keba brought its complete eMobility product range to broadly depict the world of intelligent, connected charging solutions.

Special Solution for Company Car Charging at the Office and Home

This also includes comprehensive services in an all-around worry-free package, which is also important for companies. Especially since with the KeContact P30 and P40 Pro company car wallbox, there is a tailored solution for company car owners for charging at home. The wallboxes comply with measurement and calibration laws and have a fully integrated electricity meter. Using an RFID card, for example, it is possible to distinguish between private and company cars. The charging data is automatically recorded and can be sent monthly as a PDF and CSV file to an email address or managed via the Keba eMobility Portal. In addition, the wallbox supports smart home integration and the PV surplus function mentioned at the beginning to utilize solar energy.

In conjunction with the KEBA Charging Management Controller KeContact M20, the available energy is distributed intelligently and the use of resources is optimized, which should sustainably reduce costs. This allows even large charging networks on, for example, company parking lots or in underground garages to be easily and safely managed. What Richter unfortunately could not fully demonstrate: A total of up to 200 Keba wallboxes can be operated in one charging network.

Digital Ecosystem – From Portal and App to Hotel & Company Solution

And of course, the Power2Drive event was used once again to present the software services and portals: The eMobility App and the eMobility Portal offer extensive options for configuration, monitoring, and control. The app is the convenient interface between the wallbox and the user, allowing charging sessions to be easily started, adjusted, stopped, and analyzed. The browser-based portal for PC and tablet allows, for example, multiple wallboxes to be managed at different locations, charging time windows to be pre-planned, and roles and permissions to be managed.

Convenient: This Way, the Charging Electricity Goes Directly on the Hotel Bill

What could not be exhibited directly: With the Mobility Solution, the Upper Austrians also offer hotels and companies a simple solution for billing charging services. A clear desktop application enables the management, tracking, and billing of charging processes for guests, employees, and customers. The application creates reports on the charging processes, charged energy, charging duration, and costs, which can be directly listed on hotel bills or payrolls. Payment Terminal eliminates payment barriers One of KEBA's additional trade fair highlights was the KeContact T10 Payment Terminal, which completely eliminates the payment barrier at public charging stations. Besides the charging cards of CPOs, bank and credit cards are also accepted. Thanks to NFC, it's entirely contactless, making mobile payment possible as well.

Charging processes at Keba wallboxes are thus usable and directly billable for all e-car drivers, which improves utilization and profitability for operators. Moreover, the receipt can be conveniently downloaded to the smartphone via QR code after the charging process.

Finally, Richter gave us an insight into the so-called Life Cycle Services, which offer a wide range of services for sales and installation partners and are intended to accompany the entire life cycle of charging stations. This ranges from support in the planning phase through special web seminars and modular training for electricians, marketing support, technical support via various channels, to quick and uncomplicated help if needed through an appropriate exchange service.

Richter places great importance on the professionals on-site, "because they are the ones who install and service our products." Therefore, an electrician service has been set up, through which installation partners themselves can easily and unbureaucratically replace defective wallboxes at their customers' premises with new devices. “This way we save our customers and partners on-site unnecessary stress,” Richter knows from experience. The defective boxes are then sent in, checked at the factory, repaired, and released again as exchange devices. This can eliminate the sometimes lengthy process of troubleshooting on-site, saving time and nerves for the affected customers and electricians. Finally, Richter proudly declared:

“The latest generation of wallboxes from Keba - the KeContact P40 / P40 Pro - incorporates the knowledge gained from 15 years of development and production of innovative, forward-looking charging technologies and the experience from more than half a million wallboxes in the field.”

What Does This Mean?

Visually, the leap to the new, more compact P40 generation was necessary – the previous wallboxes delivered quality, but in terms of appearance and size, their age was subtly noticeable. Of course, the new boxes can also handle company car and PV surplus charging, but in the future, service will become increasingly important, and Keba has adjusted the right screws in this regard!