The concept of a charging station in the curb was born. Its advantages are obvious: the system does not take up any additional space, does not stand out in the street scene, and therefore does not affect historic cityscapes. In addition, concerning the construction, it is easy to integrate into the curb. This is quite the opposite of the actual pavement, under which there are already quite a few supply lines, which is why in some places no more charging stations can be installed. Furthermore, the system can be quickly replaced if servicing is required. Conclusion: embedded charging stations for electric cars in the curb are particularly useful in narrow inner-city areas where every square metre counts. No “charging station avenue” disturbs the view or hinders progress on the pavement. Meanwhile, drivers of electric vehicles can recharge their cars without bothering other road users.

Said and done

After a development period of just two years, the system finally passed the type testing and the first systems were handed over for use in various pilot projects. The first roll-out partner was TankE, a car charging service provider based in Cologne and part of RheinEnergie AG.

At the opening of four curb chargers, Ascan Egerer, Cologne’s deputy for Mobility, emphasised the forward-looking concept of this technology. He pointed out, not without pride, that this innovative charging technology is being used for the first time in the world in the city of Cologne. The new charging points are located in the area of Dürener Strasse, a densely populated district of residential and commercial buildings in the Lindenthal quarter.

Wide interest

In addition, numerous other cities in Germany and beyond are also already in the starting blocks for the introduction of this uncomplicated form of charging electric cars. Christoph Müller, Head of the Power Systems division at the Rheinmetall Group, even reports about the worldwide interest in the new curb chargers. From Spain to Finland, a large number of enquiries about the new technology have now been received particularly from his core market of Europe.

Federal Ministry monitors

It is understandable that the National Coordination Centre of the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is also closely monitoring the development of the various pilot projects for curb chargers. A number of communities in Germany still do not have a single public charging point, due, among other things, to the aforementioned space problems and additional aesthetic reasons. The new system, as Müller explains, has one of the key advantages that “it ultimately uses the infrastructure that is available practically everywhere in the road space, and it can be applied quickly and very easily without requiring additional space”.

For the head of around 10,000 employees in the civil activities of the Rheinmetall Group, ‘a clear commitment to climate neutrality and a further step in the transformation towards electric mobility.” But that’s not all, because Müller’s company is also developing other future technologies for mobile or stationary use, including components for fuel cell technology.

Ready for innovative solutions

This is no coincidence, as Rheinmetall can look back on more than a hundred years of development history in the field of classic combustion engines and draws from this experience when developing new technologies.

The curb chargers now in use in Cologne provide an electrical output of 11 kW, but their technology is also generally suitable for 22 kW charging power. “The charging power offered by the systems depends primarily on the locally available connection power,” explains Dr Felix Stracke, responsible for the development of the innovative chargers with his team at the Rheinmetall Technology Center (RTC).

Stracke has been operating the system in live test mode at its company headquarters in Neuss for over a year and has received very positive feedback from users and the high media presence of its curb chargers. For example, a survey of 3,500 respondents on the heise online portal showed that 88 percent were in favour of this form of charging. This is encouraging for the future.

The development continues

Of course, a number of challenges had to be overcome on the way to the product. For example, the developers wanted to ensure the highest possible level of user comfort with the system-related vertical plug guide. They also had to deal with questions such as how recognisability and functionality could be ensured in the event of heavy rain or even ice and snow. And even a 40-tonne truck should not be able to damage the curb chargers.

Nevertheless, Stracke and his team are not resting after their first success, but are already working with the Pierburg operating unit on an optimised version for large-scale production. Possible improvements mainly concern the internal workings of the chargers, where the electronics are being simplified, the materials used are being partially adapted, and, ultimately, the final assembly in the factory is being made easier. Stracke’s clear credo: “To be successful with our curb. chargers, the charging experience for the customer must be as simple and convenient as possible, and the operator must be able to make money with it.” To achieve this, customers, operators, and cities were involved in the development process at a very early stage in order to bring a product to market, taking the interests of all parties into account. For example, the charging module can be removed in just one minute. This means that pre-equipped streets can be very quickly equipped with functioning curb chargers. The developers – according to the unanimous feedback – are absolutely in tune with the times.

The teamwork we all wish for

Since last year, the RTC employees have also been working very closely with their colleagues from the Pierburg operating unit. Berthold Franz, head of the responsible business unit Air Management, says: “Together with the specialists from the RTC, we are working on the series version as part of an integrated team approach. We are also working together to push ahead with the certification of the development and initiate or support pilot projects with customers.” As the large-scale roll-out progresses, the new product will be fully integrated into the portfolio of its business unit. In view of the very positive response throughout Europe, the Neuss-based company can rightly assume that it has succeeded in developing a promising innovation.

Stephan Segbers, who is responsible for sales and energy procurement for TankE at RheinEnergie AG, also thinks in an entirely consumer-oriented way. According to him, charging electric cars must be uncomplicated, comprehensive, and user-friendly, and users must believe that they can charge their electric cars anywhere. For him, these are the prerequisites for the widespread acceptance of electric mobility. And given the German government’s goal of putting around 15 million electric cars and one million charging points on the road by 2030 in what will then be the leading market for electric mobility, this form of charging is likely to be in even greater demand in the future.

And what about the price of the of the curb chargers? According to the experts, it will be more than competitive in the end, even if two systems are needed to replace a charging station with a double connection. So let’s get charging!