Rheinmetall, the City of Cologne and TankE GmbH have embarked on a pilot project to install curbstone charger infrastructure in public streets. (Earlier post.) The objective of the project is to integrate and pilot test Rheinmetall curbstone chargers in two different parts of the city to validate their acceptance and their urbanistic and design advantages. The city recently signed a letter of intent to this effect. The pilot project is slated to begin this summer.

Integrating the charger electronics into a curb stone turns it into de facto “charging pole”, though without the associated limitations.

Charging infrastructure plays a key role in the transition to electromobility. The German government’s ambitious target of 15 million electric vehicles by 2030 can only be attained if charging capacity keeps pace with the country’s expanding fleet of e-vehicles, since in future many more people who lack access to private parking spaces and charging stations will have to make the switch to e-mobility as well. It is estimated that Germany will need around a million public charging stations by the year 2030.

This imperative bumps up against the lack of space in urban areas for fast, flexibly scalable, low-cost installation of readily accessible public charging stations. Conversely, the solution developed by Rheinmetall makes intelligent use of existing urban infrastructure while simultaneously assuring an identical level of charging performance, effectively transforming curb stones into charging poles. By the same token, this remarkably robust solution can be installed practically anywhere in an urban environment, thus making it scalable, too.

Based on discussions held thus far, we see a number of unique advantages here compared to existing charging systems, resulting in opportunities for successfully shaping the revolution in mobility.

—Ascan Egerer, alderman for mobility in Cologne

The system was subjected to rigorous testing prior to its first utilization in public space in the forthcoming pilot project.

TankE GmbH is a subsidiary of RheinEnergie AG. It offers a comprehensive array of services for planning, constructing and operating charging infrastructure. Its market includes industrial and commercial customers, vehicle fleet operators, the real estate sector, as well as local governments and public utilities.