eMobility Starter Package for municipal utilities

At the E-world energy & water trade fair (February 8-10, 2011, in Essen) Bosch Software Innovations presented its eMobility Starter Package, which is primarily geared to the needs of municipal utilities. A special internet-based service infrastructure designed in the form of software as a service (SaaS), the package provides rapid entry into the electromobility market. It makes all the core functions of an EV charging infrastructure more convenient to use, including the administration of charging stations and automated billing. Bosch offers municipal utilities, local authorities, car park operators, traders, hotels, and other electromobility providers a scalable product which can be expanded to create a complete infrastructure, such as the one the company is currently setting up in Singapore.

Equipped for the future, no matter how small the project

As an internet-based service, the Bosch eMobility Starter Package makes investment in software and hardware unnecessary, and so facilitates easy entry into the electric mobility market. At the same time, its technological flexibility means local markets for electromobility can be developed from scratch. As a project grows, so too does the eMobility Starter Package. Small initial projects can be scaled up without difficulty as driver numbers rise and charging station coverage increases. Pricing structures for the eMobility Starter Package are flexible and designed to fit a project’s current take-up of electromobility.

Easy to use and reliable

The eMobility Starter Package is designed for maximum user-friendliness. Modern user interfaces make it easy for drivers of electric vehicles to find the nearest charging stations, even on mobile devices. In addition, battery-charging events are automatically recorded and processed to make billing transparent and easily understandable for operators, power suppliers, and drivers. The system also provides excellent stability. Even a temporary failure of the internet does not prevent the charging infrastructure from functioning properly. Since the system operates extremely reliably from the Bosch computer center, electric car drivers can rely on a secure supply. Electromobility projects can be expanded as required by integrating new charging stations, whether these are made by Bosch or other manufacturers. This makes the eMobility Starter Package suitable for use in markets where investment has already been made in charging stations. There are also consulting services providing advice on business models and business opportunities in the area of electromobility.

Web portals for drivers of electric vehicles

A web portal enables drivers of electric vehicles to easily find existing charging stations and to inquire about their status. This makes it possible for them to integrate a battery-charging stop into their route, for example while they are at work or shopping. All the requisite information about battery charging is processed in the portal and provided to the driver. After a once-only registration procedure, identification at the charging station is by RFID card. Various internet technologies (GMS, UMTS, GPRS, LAN) ensure a reliable connection between charging stations and the control center. At a glance, the operator can see the status of all the charging stations, of the communication network, and of the servers. Maintenance work on the charging stations can be carried out very cost-efficiently by remote access. All communication is encrypted to rule out unauthorized access, for example to drivers’ personal data. To complement the eMobility Starter Package, Bosch Software Innovations is developing a range of charging stations for public and non-public use and with different charging capacities. All the charging stations will be networked and very simple and reliable to use.

Project partners in demand for the development of charging infrastructure

In addition to the high-profile project in Singapore, where it is creating and operating the charging infrastructure, Bosch Software Innovations is also active in Germany and France, in the MeRegio Mobil, Green Emotion, and German-French Interoperability projects. In addition, the solutions developed by Bosch Software Innovations are being subjected to extremely rigorous testing in several infrastructure projects worldwide.