The Capital City Conference on Electromobility took place on May 28 with around 700 participants, both on site and streamed. The Red City Hall was the venue for discussions on the mobility transition and progress in charging infrastructure, corporate mobility and electric commercial vehicles.
Electromobility and charging infrastructure
The Governing Mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner, welcomed the participants. He sees electromobility as a success story. It improves the quality of life in the city, is a growth driver for mobility companies and creates high-quality jobs. The expansion of the charging infrastructure must be driven forward, Wegner said.
Gernot Lobenberg, Berlin Agency for Electromobility (eMO), criticized the fact that theCO2 targets in the transport sector for 2024 have once again been exceeded. Therefore, significantly more traffic must be shifted to sustainable modes - from electromobility to bicycles and public transport.
There are 80,000 electric vehicles on the road in Berlin, including plug-in hybrids
Electromobility in the car sector has become established in Berlin, as the Mayor of Berlin and Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, Franziska Giffey, emphasized in her opening speech. There are 80,000 electric vehicles on the roads in Berlin, including plug-in hybrids, over 50% of which are used commercially. 35,000 charging points are registered, but only 5,000 are publicly accessible because most are installed on private property. The dilemma with publicly accessible charging points is that they are underutilized. Around two charging processes are registered at a charging point per day, as Norbert Juchem, Berliner Stadtwerke GmbH, noted. The abolition of the blocking fee at standard AC charging points operated by Berliner Stadtwerke between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. should make the charging process more attractive and increase the use of the charging points at night. There are currently 13 private companies in Berlin that invest in public charging infrastructure, operate it and carry out their own billing.
At the exhibition stand of the German Aerospace Center (DLR): Thinking electromobility holistically with the Power Forecast Mapper
13 private companies in Berlin investing in public charging infrastructure
Efforts are also being made to involve housing companies in the creation of additional charging points for tenants. The Berlin housing company Gewobag is working with Vattenfall on solutions. One critical point is the question of who bears the costs. Who should pay for the installation of a charging point if it is only used by a few tenants? A funding program supports housing companies in setting up charging points in publicly and non-publicly accessible areas.
Berlin's electricity demand will double in the next few years
Berlin's electricity demand will double in the next few years, which is why the grid capacity will also have to be doubled, as Kerstin Niemeier, Stromnetz Berlin GmbH, emphasized. The higher electricity demand is not only due to the increasing electrification of transportation, but also to the higher demand for heat supply.
Transformation of transport with electric vehicles
The share of greenhouse gas emissions from transport in Germany has increased in recent years, despite lowerCO2 emissions per kilometer driven, because mileage has increased and vehicles have become larger. Sebastian Bock, Transport & Environment (T&E) Deutschland gGmbH, warned against bogus solutions with e-fuels. These would only unsettle citizens. Electromobility is the solution for climate-friendly transportation. Combustion engines should not be kept alive artificially with e-fuels. He therefore called for reliable framework conditions for investments. Around 60% of new cars are company cars. Demand here must be shifted towards e-vehicles.
An organic bakery has been supplying its branches with electric vehicles for over 10 years, as Patrizia Weinzierl, Beumer & Lutum GmbH, proudly reported. For her, e-mobility is a success story, which is why she urges that the myths surrounding e-mobility be dispelled. However, small companies need external support, for example in preparing applications for subsidies.
Mobility should be simple and tailored to everyone's needs. An attractive public transport system with sharing offers gets users to their destination faster, emphasized Jakob Michael Heider, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG). Digital solutions make better use of parking spaces. For example, parking and charging can be better planned with an app, as Stefan Seitz, 15 min (Operation) GmbH, said.
Commercial vehicles are going electric - but when, how and where?
E-cars have reached market maturity. Over 20% of newly registered vehicles are already electrically powered. Different conditions apply to electric trucks, as Frank Panse, eMO, reported. For example, the investment volume for an electrically powered truck is three times higher than for a conventionally powered truck. Higher demands are also placed on the grid connection capacity and energy supply. The charging infrastructure must be integrated into existing depots or depots, which must be taken into account when planning routes. The speaker estimated that the economies of scale and market volume for electric trucks are currently insufficient.
During the discussion, it became clear that small companies have a need for advice as they are fully occupied with their day-to-day business. Incentives such as subsidy programs or tax and toll exemptions could increase the demand for electric drives. However, the charging infrastructure must first be improved, and standardized solutions are required. The question of battery exchange stations was also raised. Their implementation is currently failing due to a lack of standardization. BP is currently building ultra-fast charging points for electric vehicles at Aral, with a charging corridor also being created for trucks. Tobias Wolny, BP Europa SE, sees it as an investment in the future, as a ramp-up for electric commercial vehicles is expected.
