Our world is mobile. Nothing works without cars, trains, trucks, planes and ships. The global volume of traffic has increased sharply in recent years, and with it the emission of CO2 and other gases that are harmful to the climate and health.
The reduction of CO2 emissions can therefore only succeed if new solutions are also sought in the transport sector. Bender offers various products and solutions in the field of electromobility.
More climate protection, the optimal use of renewable energies, less dependence on fossil fuels: Electromobility is a central building block for achieving the climate targets. The first steps have already been taken. Electromobility plays a key role here. Because in the coming years Germany is to develop into the lead market for electromobility. This is to happen primarily through innovations in the areas of drives, range and charging infrastructure. The technologies should be in line with climate policy goals and achieve the target of seven to ten million all-electric vehicles in Germany by 2030, as set out in the coalition agreement. The goal must now be to further develop the technology and make electric mobility a real alternative for even more people.
A needs-oriented and user-friendly charging infrastructure is crucial for the acceptance of electromobility. However, the expansion of the charging infrastructure is still in its infancy in some areas of Germany. Although there are more and more charging stations for electric cars at most major motorway filling stations, the expansion is lagging far behind, especially in rural areas. In addition, there are charging stations that cannot be used by every type of car, as well as non-transparent payment systems. According to Statista, the largest expansion of charging stations took place in 2021, when a total of 7,300 charging stations were put into operation. But according to forecasts, there will be a demand for over 250,000 charging points in just three years. And the trend is rising.
However, in order to make the use of electric cars more attractive for consumers, it is not enough to simply expand the charging infrastructure. Electric vehicle charging must be needs-oriented, simple and affordable [LINK].
The charging station ordinance, which was revised by the Federal Government in 2021, strengthens user-friendliness and creates the basis for a uniform payment system. The aim is to use information and communication technologies to make the interface between electric vehicles, charging stations and energy suppliers smooth and open to the system.
At the same time, the charging facilities must be efficiently fed into the electricity grids and the charging infrastructure must be expanded.
At a charging station, the power resources are limited. Especially in cities, the demand for electricity for electric cars is very high at certain times of the day. If this electricity demand were always covered 100%, then in the worst case scenario, additional cars could not be charged immediately. Intelligent control of resources and energy flows is therefore a basis for efficient and economical operation of charging infrastructures.
Load management of the cars to be charged is the solution here. With so-called dynamic load management, the available power is measured at the grid connection and distributed to the individual cars. Through this process, the electricity is used in the best possible way and not wasted. Which in practice means that if only a few electric cars are charged, this can be done at full power. If, on the other hand, the electricity capacities are exceeded, load management comes into play.
A resource that in the long term saves our energy and thus the environment.
Electromobility is not alone in having many positive environmental properties. Vehicles with fuel cells are also locally emission-free and climate-neutral, provided the hydrogen is generated with renewable electricity. In this process, only water and heat are generated, no pollutants. This is why hydrogen-powered vehicles are so-called zero-emission vehicles.
But synthetic fuels can also make diesel and petrol cars climate-neutral when produced with electricity from renewable energies, even if the problems with keeping the air clean while driving then remain.
It is becoming clear that electric vehicles alone cannot save the climate. However, they can make an important contribution to improving climate and environmental protection. This applies in particular to climate protection, where an electric car is already showing clear advantages. This lead will continue to grow as the share of renewable energies in power generation continues to grow.
The future of air travel is electric. The aim is to manufacture aircraft in a more resource-efficient way and to make flying quieter and more eco-friendly. In the Clean Sky Programme initiated by the EU, the foundations for climate-friendly flying are to be researched. This summer, the IMITAES project, which deals with electrical safety, was launched as part of this programme. Bender is instrumental in this.
The environmental balance of today's electric vehicles is better than that of combustion engines. Battery production in particular is not optimal in terms of energy consumption and use of raw materials. Despite battery production, electric vehicles become greener than combustion engines after an average of 8.5 years.
What is certain is that electric cars alone cannot save the climate. But they are an important piece of the puzzle, because the climate targets cannot be achieved without electric cars.
The electricity mix is decisive for whether an electric vehicle performs better in the climate balance than a combustion engine. An electric car does not emit any CO2 itself when driving, but power plants emit greenhouse gases when providing the charging current. For this reason, electric vehicles without renewable energies would significantly worsen the climate balance. Fortunately, more and more renewable energies are being used to generate electricity.
In theory, it is possible to charge an electric car using a standard household socket. However, this is not recommended for safety reasons, since regular outlets are not designed for high-capacity charging for long periods of time.
In principle, an electric car can be charged at all charging stations that are compatible with the charging cable and the charging card.
The charging process of an electric car can be divided into several steps:
1. Activation of the charging station
First, the charging station must be activated with a charging card or an app. This is where the authentication takes place.
2. Connection
Just as with conventional refueling, the car must be connected to the charging station using a charging cable.
3. Charging process
The length of the charging process depends on the performance of the electric car. The power consumption can be viewed on the meter while refueling.
4. Ending the charging process
The charging process can be ended via the app or the charging card.
5. Payment
When billing the refueling process, you get a detailed overview of the start and end. The amount of electricity consumed is also displayed. Payment can be made either via the app or the charging card. At some charging stations, payment by EC or credit card is also possible.
There are two different charging options in electromobility. We distinguish between AC and DC charging.
