Electric cars: Cologne opens charging curbs at two locations
Charging points integrated into kerbs should not take up any space in the city. They are now being tested in Cologne.
(Bild: Rheinmetall)
In Cologne, electric cars can now also be charged at charging curbs. Almost a year after the announcement, Rheinmetall and the Rheinenergie subsidiary TankE put such kerbs with integrated charging technology into operation at two locations in the city on Thursday. They are now being tested in real operation at Dürener Straße 172 and Klosterstraße 16.
The modular charging curb developed by Rheinmetall is designed to enable AC charging of up to 22 kW. The electronics are housed in an IP68-encapsulated unit, allowing the system to function even in heavy rainfall, for example. Possible contamination has also been taken into account, Rheinmetall told heise online. During development, the company also paid attention to easy retrofitting and maintenance. This makes it possible to prepare entire streets or parking lots for the integration of loading curbs and to scale them up later.
Acceptance test
The first step now is to test how the offer is accepted and whether the urban development benefits that the project partners are hoping for will be realized in practice. For example, the junction box can be used in existing infrastructure and does not take up any space, explained Ascan Egerer, Cologne City Councilor for Mobility. In addition, the kerbside technology is much less complicated than a conventional charging station.
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Stadtwerke Köln plans to set up 1,400 charging points at 700 locations in public spaces, according to a press release. At the end of 2023, there were 577 publicly accessible charging points in the city. Since February 1, 2024, other private companies have also been allowed to build charging stations there. Cologne is working with companies in pilot projects to develop the right solution for each usage segment. For example, there have been six inductive charging stations for cabs at the main station for several years.
(anw)