Whether supermarket car parks, multistory car parks or charging parks – the more electric cars there are, the more public charge points are needed. A study by the National Center for Charging Infrastructure in Germany puts the number at up to 840,000 by 2030.
Heidelberg intends to benefit from this rapidly increasing demand. It has delivered the first AC charging stations compliant with calibration law from its subsidiary Amperfied to customers – a milestone on the way to establishing itself as a solution provider for charging infrastructure projects.
The connect.public charging station offers two charge points with an output of up to 22 kW per charge point, making it ideal for public car parks, companies, retailers, hotels and municipalities. Its barrier-free design, which has been certified by TÜV, enables easy access also for people with limited mobility.
“Around a third of car owners in Germany do not have an allocated parking space in the immediate vicinity of their home. They rely on public and semi-public charging infrastructure. Therefore, it’s crucial to expand the charging infrastructure for the public sector now, following the installation of charging stations in private homes,” says Ludwin Monz, CEO of Heidelberg.
To ensure that people without a wallbox at home can also use electric cars, Germany needs high-performance charging stations along the motorways and, in particular, a nationwide network of medium-sized public charging stations in multi-storey car parks and residential areas. With around 100,000 registered public charging stations today, availability is still far from meeting demand.
Davide Ghione, CEO of Amperfied, adds: “connect.public is an important milestone on our way to becoming a comprehensive charging infrastructure solution provider. This charging station, with its ergonomic and barrier-free design, makes charging accessible to everyone, significantly reducing the barriers to electric mobility. Its clever design enables fast deployment and cost-effective operation, reducing barriers for operators.”
First deliveries directly to commercial customers
Since the start of series production, Amperfied has delivered charging stations to customers such as e-mobility provider Deer GmbH, BürgerEnergieGenossenschaft Kraichgau and CEV Technologies.
connect.public is barrier-free and is the first charging station to be awarded the ‘DIN-Geprüft barrierefrei’ (DIN tested barrier-free) mark by TÜV Rheinland. Its ergonomic design allows wheelchair users to easily access and operate the charging sockets, display and RFID identification field.
Operation is simple and intuitive using RFID cards, QR codes or a charging app (depending on the operator). The large 10-inch color display provides additional instructions and shows the current charging status.
In addition, connect.public is ready for Plug & Charge, which makes charging even easier: plug in the cable and the charging station automatically recognizes the vehicle and the associated charging contract.
connect.public is ready for the requirements of the German charging station ordinance (LSV), which stipulates a credit card terminal for ad-hoc charging from 1 July 2024. An optional external card terminal enables ad-hoc charging without registration or an app–contactless and secure with credit and debit cards or mobile payment. The terminal can control any number of charging points and supports common OCPP backend systems. In addition, the connect.public charging station is cost-effective to install and highly compatible with common back-end systems.
Production at the Heidelberg main plant in Wiesloch-Walldorf has been certified by the VDE as compliant with German calibration law (Eichrecht) in accordance with Module D. With Module D, the charging stations can be put into use without the need for final acceptance by the calibration office.
The connect.public charging station can now be ordered directly from Amperfied GmbH and is supplied with or without installation services as required. A customized wrapping of the charging station is available as an option.
