Can everyone be happy at the same time when it comes to e-mobility and EV charging? And is it even possible to provide the necessary infrastructure? These and other key questions were answered at our exclusive event with Schneider Electric on the 30th of January at the Nordic Light office building. The event focused on enterprise e-mobility, which we explored in detail with key industry experts. Let's see what we have learned!
Last year, 22 651 cars were registered in Hungary with the green license plates, of which more than 60 percent were battery electric vehicles (EVs) according to the Ministry of Energy. This means that by the end of 2023, there were already around 45,000 purely electric cars on the roads in Hungary. One of the most important questions regarding the spread of electric cars today is whether we can provide the necessary infrastructure for them. In addition, many wonder when we will finally reach the era of electric driving when it can be a comfortable and accessible alternative for everyone to use instead of internal combustion engine cars.
On January 30th, during an exclusive business breakfast, we presented our joint solution with Schneider Electric, which not only provides efficient charging for EVs but also adapts to the network capacity of the real estate.
In the first part of the event, Zsolt Veres, the Country General Manager of Schneider Electric, and Zsolt Somogyi, the Managing Director of Parkl, presented the joint solution of the two companies, which successfully combines strong charging hardware with smart e-mobility services. In addition to being able to operate smart chargers in a system even remotely, the advantage of Schneider Electric's smart chargers lies in their efficient installation and easy scalability, made possible by the company's proprietarily developed and manufactured enclosed busbar solution. In addition to that, Parkl is responsible for the installation and operation of the chargers, whilst providing support and software to enable digital parking and electric charging in a single system for office buildings. Through the service, managing charging and parking becomes simpler and more transparent, boasting such features as the reservation of charging spaces and tailoring charging capacity to individual cars, with the option to even prioritize capacity among them. The transparent system not only allows tracking of who charged and how much, but also makes payment solutions available through the application.
"The changing regulations and market trends clearly show that over time, every office parking space will also become an electric vehicle charging point. Since the very beginning, Parkl's goal has always been to meet the mobility needs of our users and business partners. With the explosion of EV charging at workplaces, it is a natural progression to manage parking and charging in one single system. By partnering with Schneider Electric, we are able to provide our partners with a more advanced solution than ever before." - summarized Zsolt Somogyi, CEO of Parkl.
In the second part of the business breakfast, there was an exciting roundtable discussion where we explored all aspects of corporate e-mobility, moderated by "Karotta" Gábor Bazsó. The discussion involved important industry experts such as Iván Nagy, Development Director of CPI Hungary; Péter Török, Asset Manager of Erste Asset Management; Zsolt Veres, Country General Manager of Schneider Electric; Gerhard Tánczos, Energy Quality Engineer of Schneider Electric; and Balázs Magyar, Business Development Manager of Parkl Digital Technologies.
E-mobility requires a holistic approach
The participants of the roundtable agreed that the mobility landscape is rapidly shifting and significant changes resulting from the widespread adoption of electric vehicles will not only affect individual consumers, but also present new challenges and opportunities for businesses and property developers. This is why for most large companies, building an efficient charging infrastructure is no longer a problem of the future, but of the present.
With the increasing penetration of electric cars, there is a growing segment of motorists for whom home charging is not viable. In the absence of residential charging infrastructure, charging at the workplace, where people typically spend most of their time outside their homes, can be a convenient and obvious alternative. The demand is further growing by the fact that electrification of company fleets also requires the provision of charging at the office, in the form of a sophisticated solution that not only manages access, but also the administration and billing of payments. All these factors contribute to a significant extra grid capacity demand on the property, requiring a smart solution that can supply enough power to the chargers even without expanding the electricity network.
Zsolt Veres also shared with the audience Schneider Electric's ambitious goal to replace its entire corporate car fleet with EVs by 2030. The representatives of the French giant also pointed out that there are several aspects to take into consideration when it comes to fleet electrification. Sustainability is an important factor, but you also have to keep in mind the financial aspect and user satisfaction. Smart fleet electrification, for example, is highly motivating for employees, as they can charge their car at their workplace during working hours, and they can prebook a parking space with a charger. Presumably, this will also motivate them to return to the office from their home offices, as it becomes a more predictable process.
Smartly executed office electrification and digital mobility serve sustainability objectives excellently too. Not only can employers better meet their ESG goals from a sustainability perspective, but by using smart parking management solutions, they can also get more out of their parking lots, minimizing employee parking space hassle and reducing unnecessary emissions near the property.
During the discussion, the question was also raised whether an older office building is suitable for installing electric chargers, due to potentially having insufficient power. Gerhard Tánczos presented from an engineering perspective that fortunately, there are answers to these challenges, as a load management system can easily distribute the available energy among the chargers in the office building. In addition, with Schneider Electric chargers and Parkl's software solution, charging capacity can be set on a per-car basis, allowing the prioritisation of faster charging for certain cars, for example the sales fleet or EVs of senior managers who are on the road more often.
By the end of the discussion, it was clear that businesses and property developers need to dedicate time and energy to find their potential in electromobility and take a holistic approach to the rise of electric cars. The participants of the event agreed that the new solutions are not only more sustainable and much more environmentally friendly than using internal combustion engine cars, but they can also be advantageous from a business perspective, creating various services and opportunities for both customers and businesses.
"Schneider Electric's future-shaping solutions open the door to rational and efficient energy use. We believe that digitalisation is one of the keys to a responsible energy transition. That's why I'm particularly proud to be able to offer the digital solution of a successful Hungarian tech company, Parkl, alongside our infrastructure for charging electric vehicles." - said Zsolt Veres, Country General Manager of Schneider Electric.
Parkl Office's smart parking and charging services offer a comprehensive solution to all mobility challenges! From charging station and parking hardware installation to operation, our service solves your property and employee mobility challenges, taking the burden of uncertainty and hidden costs off your shoulders. If you are interested in our solutions in more detail, write to us at sales@parkl.net or visit our website.
LET'S BUILD HUNGARY'S ELECTRIC CAR CHARGING NETWORK TOGETHER!
