Rheinmetall introduces curbstone chargers for e-mobility in city centers and metropolitan areas
06 November 2022
At an E-Mobility Conference organized by the VDE, the German Association for Electrical, Electronic & Information Technologies, the Düsseldorf-based technology group Rheinmetall recently presented a novel solution concept for charging electric vehicles: curbstone chargers.
Rheinmetall curbstone chargers blend into the cityscape almost invisibly, offering a solution to the challenges posed by existing charging systems, such as large space requirements, low point density, aesthetic downsides, and high cost. Unlike other charging solutions on the market, the Rheinmetall approach makes intelligent use of existing urban infrastructure.
By integrating charging electronics into the curbstone, it becomes a de facto “charging pole”, but without the drawbacks conventional pole-type charging stations cause for other road users. Moreover, electric vehicles can be charged directly at the curb, with no need to stretch a long cable across the sidewalk.
The Rheinmetall system addresses the lack of charging capacity, particularly in city centers and major metropolitan areas. It was developed on the premise of minimizing as far as possible any intrusion into the public space.
In October 2022, the German government published the Master Plan Charging Infrastructure II , which demands robust action to address the charging infrastructure issue. Particularly in city centers, free space is scarce, meaning that the creation of new infrastructure is possible only at the expense of other road space stakeholders such as pedestrians or cyclists.
Conversely, opting for larger, (fast) charging parks at the outskirts is not an option for many consumers, especially due to cost and time considerations. There is thus a real risk that the rise of electromobility especially in metropolitan areas could falter before it even gets properly started.
In recent months, a team at the Rheinmetall Technology Center has been working intensively on a solution that exploits existing urban infrastructure, though without the limitations imposed by charging point density, as is the case with lantern chargers, for example. The result is a modular curb charger capable of charging 22kW AC, which can be integrated into existing backend systems and charging system infrastructures via an open charge point protocol (OCPP).
During the development process, great priority was given to ease of retrofitting and maintenance. As a result, entire streets and parking lots can be prepared for curb chargers, enabling subsequent scalability as well as synergies with respect to planning, permission, construction, etc.
For this purpose, dummy curbs are installed at the desired charging locations. The electronic module can be retrofitted as soon as the number of electric vehicles assures adequate demand. Retrofitting can be carried out within a few minutes, as can maintenance, for which the electronic unit can be easily removed. The systems are designed in accordance with rough environmental conditions in the road space, assuring a long service life.
In addition to roadside charging, various other potential use-cases can be addressed. These include charging at employer parking facilities, in residential settings with single family homes or apartment buildings, or at business parking lots, thus providing users with a fast, easy, comfortable means of charging their vehicles.
The systems are currently undergoing comprehensive long-term testing before being used in the public space as part of a pilot project. The solution put forward by Rheinmetall has the potential to bring within reach Germany’s goal of having a million public charging points in place by 2030.
There should be some interesting damages and negligence court cases coming up as people trip over these.........:-0
Posted by: Davemart | 06 November 2022 at 04:05 AM
You're so right! There is a typical German proverb for those probably effected from this type of charging facility. " Hans guck in die Luft".
Posted by: yoatmon | 06 November 2022 at 06:49 AM
@Dvae, agreed.
The top image suggests it will be fairly safe.
The bottom one, less so.
The concrete truncated pyramid looks tricky as it is concrete on concrete.
Better colour it yellow or orange.
Posted by: mahonj | 06 November 2022 at 11:36 AM
A law limiting trip hazards and responsibility and requiring a physical barrier safety ribbon is needed.
Posted by: GdB | 06 November 2022 at 04:13 PM
Even in the first illustration, the cord is shown as neatly coiled.
In use, people would let it lay all over the place constituting a trip hazard.
Posted by: Davemart | 07 November 2022 at 01:37 AM
This doesn't appear at all resistant to cord theft & vandalism, and perhaps not to snow & ice either.
I suspect that any pervasive park-spot charging solution is going to end up inductive, assuming questions of standards & coupling losses can be addressed.
Posted by: Bob Niland | 07 November 2022 at 07:37 AM
@Bob:
A couple of years back, I had a very informative discussion with a manager at one of the inductive charging companies, which one I forget now, on Seeking Alpha.
I found him to both address issues seriously, and to have realistic responses about charging losses, which although certainly real enough, are not so high as to be prohibitive, and in any case some wired connections are pretty inefficient, although with more attention to the engineering that is of course capable of being rectified.
Posted by: Davemart | 07 November 2022 at 03:27 PM