When it comes to the energy transition and electromobility, the same hurdles are constantly being discussed. Too few charging stations, too many billing systems and similar topics are often mentioned. But this year there was a lot of movement in the development of the charging infrastructure in Germany. The massive increase in charging options is due, among other things, to the federal government's funding program. However, associated with this, it is important to design the access barrier-free or to enable it so that all stations can be controlled with just one contract with one provider. And this is exactly where the Hubject company comes in. The joint venture was founded in Berlin in 2012. The shareholders include BMW, Daimler, the VW Group, Bosch, Siemens and the energy suppliers EnBW and innogy. Hubject is now represented in 26 countries and is expanding to China and the USA. Over 300 partners have already connected to the company's eRoaming platform.
And what does the customer and e-car mobilist get out of it?
Hubject itself does not operate its own charging stations, but rather networks the various infrastructures via its business and IT platform. The resulting network is called "intercharge". Charging station operators (Charge Point Operators) and traction power providers (Emobility Service Providers) can connect to this platform and thus enable uniform access to the charging infrastructure. As an electric car driver, being able to charge anywhere with just “one card” seems utopian at the moment. Because the activation of charging stations is usually linked to a contract with a provider, who in turn only has a limited number of charging stations in their own network. As long as you do not cross local borders, this may work, but even experienced e-car drivers sometimes stand at a charging station at a loss or have to obtain appropriate access in advance when planning their trip if they leave national or sometimes national borders. And yes, it's a hurdle. It is also a problem for the next step towards sustainable mobility. But the Berlin company Hubject has exactly the solution for this problem.
The federal government's funding program ensures that at least those shop station operators who want to receive funding must be able to access it without a contract. Many providers enable this barrier-free access, for example via "intercharge direct". Here, the QR code is scanned at the charging station and then paid for conveniently via PayPal or credit card. Without having to have your own traction power contract. Thanks to ISO 15118, a standardization norm, the vehicle and charging station will soon be able to communicate directly: authentication, authorization and billing - without a smartphone or charging card. And here again Hubject has a pioneering role, because the Berlin company operates the first productive “ISO 15118 ecosystem” worldwide.
There is then again a contract for the customer, but instead of having to have a card and activate the column, all you have to do is plug in the cable and the charging process begins by itself. Incidentally, it should be mentioned that providers (charge point operators) with participation in the intercharge network with their own charging stations in the navigation systems of Daimler, VW, Porsche, the BMW Group and many other car manufacturers as well as in the apps from HERE and over 50 other traction power providers worldwide appear.
This is how the system works:
Providers of charging station infrastructure are currently benefiting from a particularly attractive expansion policy of the Berlin company. On the website of Hubject is experienced by charging station operators more. Networking makes sense for everyone. For e-mobilists, because hurdles are being removed, for charging station operators, because the possible range of customers is increased, and for us as a society, because the step towards sustainable mobility is made easier.