Global technology giant Siemens and energy provider E.ON have signed a framework agreement to strengthen E.ON’s public electric vehicle (EV) charging network.
The agreement, which covers a two-year timeframe, grants E.ON Drive Infrastructure access to Siemens’ SICHARGE D high-power chargers and web-based backend services to run them. The two firms will work together to roll out more EV chargers across Europe.
E.ON has also ordered several Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled electricity substations, which will allow the firm to manage the energy supply for its newly installed EV chargers more effectively.
Arjan Van Der Eijk, chief operating officer at E.ON Drive Infrastructure, stated: “With Siemens, we have another strong provider on board that supports us with its solutions for the expansion of our public charging network in Europe, serving a wide range of current and future use cases. The combination of reliable hardware and tailor-made services ensures a stable network and an optimized charging experience.”
Markus Mildner, CEO of eMobility at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, added: “For charging station operators, customer satisfaction and a high level of profitability are the most important priorities. With the high quality and reliability of our hardware and our service offerings, we want to support E.ON in achieving this goal.”
Global EV charger infrastructure needs urgent increases
E.ON has set a target of installing 1,000 new EV chargers each year, an effort that is sorely needed as shortages in charging infrastructure become increasingly apparent.
According to figures released on World EV Day (9 September), global EV chargepoint numbers need to increase by 500% in order to meet demand, with the UK requiring a nearly 350% increase in chargepoint installations. Research from Cornwall Insight has found that the UK needs to more than double the rate at which it is installing publicly available EV chargers if it is to meet its 2030 target of 300,000 chargepoints.
Alongside E.ON and Siemens, other firms are also signing agreements in order to expand or hasten the rollout of EV chargers. Last month, Eclipse Power signed a framework agreement with chargepoint operator (CPO) Connected Kerb in an effort to speed up installation times for public EV chargers. Since the agreement was made, work has already begun on around 500 new Connected Kerb chargepoints across the UK.
