Use the power of Siemens
Siemens boasts the technology and expertise needed to spark a breakthrough in electric mobility.
Werner von Siemens would be proud. Back in 1882, he tested a prototype of an electric trolleybus, the Electromote. In 1905, his son Wilhelm launched the Electric Victoria, one of Germany's first electric cars, in small-series production. And today, we're continuing this long tradition of pioneering achievement.
We're now the market and innovation leader in electric mobility. But vehicles are just one building block in the overall concept, which involves much more than electricity-powered transportation.
The world is on the threshold of a new electric age. In the future, electricity will be the most important energy carrier. As a consequence, the demand for electricity will surge. But not only that: more and more power will be generated from renewable sources. And this presents a challenge since – due to fluctuations in their supply – renewables like wind and solar power place a heavy strain on existing power grids. The key to mastering this challenge is a flexible, state-of-the-art smart grid that can adapt to changes in consumer requirements. Electric vehicles – which can act as energy storage units that stockpile electricity and return it to the grid when needed – can play a major role here. Siemens boasts the technology and expertise needed to spark a breakthrough in electric mobility. We're one of the few companies in the world with a portfolio spanning the entire electromobility process chain – from infrastructure for power generation and distribution to charging and drive technologies to power electronics. Our new Electric Car Business Unit bundles key components of the drive technologies and power electronics needed for electric motors, converters and smart charging solutions. We've also launched a new Smart Grid Applications – Electromobility Project with the aim of linking consumers to power generation, transmission and distribution systems via intelligent applications and communication technologies.
As a world-leading provider of industrial software and automation technologies, we can deliver the efficient manufacturing solutions needed to cut costs for electric vehicles and the associated components, such as batteries. Building on our long years of experience serving automakers and their suppliers, we intend to be a reliable partner for these customers in the field of electric mobility as well. Over the last two years, we've participated in various pilot projects in Germany and other countries – including the EDISON project in Denmark, the Harz.EE-Mobility project in Germany's Harz region and the Drive eCharged electric mobility initiative in Munich.
The idea behind the current fleet test is to assess the feasibility of all our electric mobility innovations for everyday use and to make any necessary improvements. The fleet underscores our commitment to taking a leadership role in an era of increased cooperation between carmakers and electricity providers. The fields of mobility and power infrastructure will be transformed in the new electric age. And the German news magazine Der Spiegel is convinced that we're on the right track: “Only a major company with knowhow, logistics and clout can play this role. There are no more than three companies in the world capable of successfully implementing such a project. In Europe, only one company comes to mind – and it's headquartered at Wittelsbacher Platz 2 in Munich.”
As part of a large-scale fleet test, Siemens employees in Erlangen and Munich, Germany are evaluating the performance of 100 electric vehicles. Project head Andreas Romandi says, "We want this pilot project to be a first step toward an integrated, end-to-end system comprising a smart grid, electric vehicles and advanced vehicle-to-grid communication technologies. Our goal is to learn more about how to optimally link advanced power grids with electric cars that serve as mobile energy storage devices."
Andreas Romandi heads the fleet test pilot project at our Corporate Technology Department.
The electric car's charging cable allows the bi-directional transmission of power and data. On driver request, the system reports charging status via a mobile communications link.