The state award of Baden-Württemberg “Wir machen Mobilitätswende!” honors people in companies, communities, and organizations who professionally implement ideas for sustainable mobility.
On December 3, the seven winners were announced live in a stream by Transport Minister Winfried Hermann together with poetry slammers Fee and Lisa-Maria Olszakiewicz. Sebastian Ewert from chargeBIG was nominated, but unfortunately did not make it among the seven final winners. The chargeBIG team is happy about the other winners and about the great video that was created during the nomination.
Real car love is when it keeps on sparking even without spark plugs. Nicole Heinrich from chargeBIG is taking part in CosmosDirekt’s Echte Autoliebe campaign, because tomorrow’s mobility needs to get on the road today. In the case of e-mobility, however, this only works if there are also enough charging stations along the road towards the future.
Echte Autoliebe: Wenn es auch ohne Zündkerzen weiter funkt – CosmosCreators by CosmosDirekt.de
Among the 2020 SMAVARD winners, reflecting the diversity of smart city implementations and locations from across Europe, is MAHLE with its charging solution chargeBIG and the implementation project “Charging solution with 100 charging points in Stuttgart”. The award was presented by the company BABLE during the live conference at the Nordic Edge Expo.
MAHLE is opening a Start-Up Space in Stuttgart/Germany for its corporate start-ups and teams developing novel business concepts in the Incubator. Since 2017, the Incubator has been an established group-wide program supporting the development of new business ideas and a key part of MAHLE’s innovation strategy. Through the program, which transforms promising business propositions into their own start-ups, MAHLE offers employees the opportunity to continue their professional development, take an entrepreneurial approach, and try out new ways of working. The Start-Up Space will provide a workplace for start-ups chargeBIG and Com4Kids, which are already established on the market. Additional teams are expected to join them in the fall once they have successfully completed their incubation phase.
“Our Incubator activities are a crucial element of our innovation strategy,” explains Dr. Jörg Stratmann, CEO and Chairman of the MAHLE Management Board. “We’re consistently investing in the development of new business ideas in order to play an active role in shaping the transformation and position MAHLE for future success. Encouraging the talents and entrepreneurial spirit of our workforce plays a key part.”
“In addition to our conventional approach to product innovation, we’ve opened up a new way of diversifying the group’s range of products and services through business model innovations via the Incubator,” relates head of Corporate Planning Jochen Adelmann, who is responsible for the MAHLE Incubator. “The Incubator allows us to test product ideas directly on the market quickly, flexibly, and at low cost. In our new Start-Up Space, we are now bringing together all the program’s creative minds. The Start-Up Space will also act as a test laboratory, fostering agile methods and new forms of cooperation at MAHLE.”
The new premises are located at MAHLE’s group headquarters in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt/Germany. Thanks to the open-plan design of the office, with areas intended for meetings and quiet creativity, teams will be able to interact more closely and learn from each other.
chargeBIG is one of the two start-ups that emerged from the first MAHLE Incubator in 2017. The start-up has developed a scalable intelligent charging solution for electric vehicles that are left in a parking lot all day or for long periods. The system supplies electricity to as many parking spaces as possible at the lowest cost possible with the result that 20 to 100—or more—vehicles can be charged at one location at the same time. By utilizing the available energy infrastructure intelligently, the level of investment and installation effort are kept to a minimum. This makes chargeBIG the ideal solution for fleet operators, office buildings, and large residential complexes. The MAHLE start-up is therefore making an important contribution toward the widespread establishment of e-mobility.
Com4Kids uses MAHLE’s many years of experience in thermal management to solve an everyday problem for families: lots of children either sweat or freeze in their car seats. Com4Kids has developed an intelligent solution for baby carriers and child’s car seats so that little ones can enjoy a comfortable temperature whatever the season, with natural cooling thanks to ventilation in the summer and pleasant warmth in the winter. In the long term, the start-up also aims to bring climate-controlled products for other applications onto the market.
Since the group’s internal Incubator program launched in 2017, around 250 employees have taken part from more than 20 countries in Europe and China, and several hundred ideas have been developed. At the end of 2020, the successful teams participating in the current round of the Incubator project in Europe will also move into the new Start-Up Space.
Ruben Danisch
Head of Corporate and Product Communications
Phone: +49 711 501-12199
E-mail: ruben.danisch@mahle.com
Bettina Schlegel
Corporate and Product Communications
Phone: +49 711 501-13185
E-mail: bettina.schlegel@mahle.com
The Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management of Baden-Württemberg awards the Baden-Württemberg Environmental Technology Prize every two years. The prize is to be awarded for outstanding and innovative products and processes in environmental technology. The prize money amounts to 100,000 euros and is divided among four categories and a special jury prize. The categories are divided into “Energy Efficiency”, “Material Efficiency”, “Emission Reduction, Processing and Separation” and “Measurement and Control Technology, Industry 4.0”. The jury’s special prize is awarded to a product within the four categories and is based on current environmental challenges and technical requirements. MAHLE wins the state’s second environmental technology award in the “Energy Efficiency” category with chargeBIG, demonstrating how the challenges of e-mobility can be met with intelligent charging solutions.
More information available via this link (only German language):
2019-07-16_PM_WK_Energieeffizienz-Mahle.pdf (brigitte-loesch.de)
The MAHLE Corporate start-up chargeBIG has secured first place at the German Innovation Award 2020 in the category “Excellence in Business to Business – Automotive Technologies”. MAHLE won this competition, whichwas hosted for the third time by the German Design Council, with its charging infrastructure solution for electric vehicles. An intelligent charging solution for all-day parkers, chargeBIG can be integrated – costeffectively and easily – in the existing infrastructure. The jury praises chargeBIG as a “major step on the road to e-mobility”. MAHLE’s e-charging system is already being successfully used at Stuttgart airport as well as by the “Landesbank Baden-Württemberg” bank (LBBW).
“I am delighted that the German Design Council has awarded our intelligent
charging infrastructure approach for all-day parkers with the first prize, thus also recognizing the creativity of our corporate start-up chargeBIG”, says Dr. Jörg Stratmann, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of MAHLE. “This award demonstrates MAHLE’s power to innovate and our expertise in developing innovative products that are perfectly tailored to the needs of markets and customers”.
In the opinion of the panel of judges: “One of the handicaps of using e-vehicles is that an adequate charging infrastructure with sufficiently fast charging points is still not in place. MAHLE realized that short-distance commuters, in particular,have no need at all for fast charging points. As the cars invariably remain in the parking lot during the day, they can be charged using the slower and hence cheaper method that uses charging outputs of up to 7.2 kilowatt. With its innovative product, MAHLE is actually going one step further – by integrating the vehicles into an intelligent load management system. This is a powerful system that makes optimum use of existing resources while being comparatively costeffective. As such, it constitutes a major step on the road to e-mobility”.
Intelligent charging for long-stay parkers
With its chargeBIG system, MAHLE is offering an ideal solution for parking lots where electric vehicles are left for extended periods, as in company parking garages, at airports, for fleet operators, or in underground garages for large building complexes. MAHLE’s chargeBIG system is not about charging as quickly as possible, but charging as quickly as necessary, while serving as many vehicles as possible at the same time.
Sophisticated but affordable technology
Instead of individual charging columns in the parking lot, the chargeBIG charging concept uses a central control unit with permanently installed cables that regulates the power supply to the vehicles. This eliminates the need to invest in expanding the grid connection, thus saving time and money when setting up the charging infrastructure.
A central control unit distributes the available charging capacity across the
parked vehicles using dynamic, phase-specific load management. This ensures optimal utilization of the available power supply. As an option, MAHLE chargeBIG also offers the charging solution as a package, which includes installation, service and maintenance. The meter solution for billing per charging point in compliance with calibration law, which is currently in the process of being certified, can be used in future to accurately bill each charging process down to. the last kilowatt hour. Charging points are accessed via an app and a QR code scan.
Founded in 1953 on the initiative of the German Federal Parliament, the German Design Council presents the German Innovation Award for trendsetting innovations that have a lasting impact and provide added value to users. “This year’s competition attracted 700 entries overall. Awards were presented for innovations in a total of 40 categories in two competition classes “Excellence in Business to Consumer” and “Excellence in Business to Business”.
About MAHLE
MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the
automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. The
MAHLE Group is committed to making transportation more efficient, more
environmentally friendly, and more comfortable by continuously optimizing the combustion engine, driving forward the use of alternative fuels, and laying the foundation for the worldwide introduction of e-mobility. The group’s product portfolio addresses all the crucial issues relating to the powertrain and air conditioning technology—both for drives with combustion engines and for emobility. MAHLE products are fitted in at least every second vehicle worldwide. Components and systems from MAHLE are also used off the road—in stationary applications, for mobile machinery, rail transport, as well as marine applications. In 2019, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 12.0 billion with more than 77,000 employees and is represented in over 30 countries with 160 production locations. At 16 major research and development centers in Germany,
Great Britain, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovenia, the USA, Brazil, Japan, China, and India, more than 6,100 development engineers and technicians are working on innovative solutions for the mobility of the future.
For further information, contact:
Margarete Dinger
Corporate Press Officer
Phone: +49 711 501-12369
Email: margarete.dinger@mahle.com
Christopher Rimmele
Press Officer, Product & Technology
Phone: +49 711 501-12374
Email: christopher.rimmele@mahle.com
Stuttgart/Germany, July 16, 2019 – Today, MAHLE celebrates the go-live of 100 chargeBIG charging points for electric vehicles in the company’s own parking garage in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt/Germany. This event is MAHLE’s contribution toward the day of action organized by the Bündnis für Luftreinhaltung, a local alliance to combat air pollution.
“Our corporate start-up chargeBIG has a vision: in the future, the charging of electric vehicles will be widespread, low cost, very easy, and clever. Today, this vision has become a reality in Bad Cannstatt,” explains Dr. Jörg Stratmann, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO of MAHLE.
round 120 guests from the fields of politics, business, and science are expected to attend the event on MAHLE’s parking deck to find out about the intelligent charging structure as well as the fast charging unit with battery storage. Anyone traveling in their own electric vehicle will be able to connect to one of the new chargeBIG charging points and test the system directly. The development of the charging infrastructure in MAHLE’s parking garage is the result of a project funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Technology (BMWi) and carried out in collaboration with partners Fraunhofer ITWM and eliso.
“chargeBIG is a smart, pragmatic solution that has come about in a lively start-up environment—with a fantastic team spirit, huge commitment, and great enthusiasm,” says Dr. Stratmann.
chargeBIG is an intelligent charge management system for users of long-stay parking and can be integrated into the existing infrastructure at low cost and without protracted conversion work. The system follows a new approach: charging as quickly as necessary rather than charging as quickly as possible. And it is intended for use by as many vehicles as possible, among which the amount of electricity available is distributed intelligently. The chargeBIG system is an ideal solution for parking lots where electric vehicles are left for relatively long periods of time—as in company parking garages, at airports, in underground garages for large residential buildings, and in the case of fleet operators.
The chargeBIG charging concept consists of a central control unit with permanently mounted cables and connector plugs instead of charging columns in the parking lot. Thanks to the intelligent charging system and design-to-cost approach, there is no need to invest in expanding the network connection, thus saving time and money when setting up the charging infrastructure.
A central control unit distributes the available charging capacity across the parked vehicles using dynamic, phase-specific load management. This prevents unbalanced loads in the power supply. chargeBIG responds flexibly to other consumers on the network and uses the electric vehicles as a controllable load, ensuring optimal utilization of the available power supply. In addition, the chargeBIG solution is more convenient to install and look after than alternative systems, as the charging points can be maintained very easily via the central electronics. The system offers a further advantage in terms of safety, because the charging points are de-energized when not in use.
The unveiling of the charging points is also MAHLE’s contribution toward the day of action organized by the Bündnis für Luftreinhaltung. This alliance of major Stuttgart-based companies to combat air pollution was officially launched in spring 2019 with the support of the Minister President of Baden-Württemberg, the German federal state in which MAHLE is headquartered. The joint goal of the alliance is, as far as possible, to keep the city’s air quality within the relevant limit values for nitrogen oxide and fine particulates from 2020. For this reason, the participating companies aim to use numerous measures to exert a positive influence on their employees’ transport choices.
MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. The MAHLE Group is committed to making transportation more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and more comfortable by continuously optimizing the combustion engine, driving forward the use of alternative fuels, and laying the foundation for the worldwide introduction of e-mobility. The group’s product portfolio addresses all the crucial issues relating to the powertrain and air conditioning technology—both for drives with combustion engines and for e-mobility. MAHLE products are fitted in at least every second vehicle worldwide. Components and systems from MAHLE are also used off the road—in stationary applications, for mobile machinery, rail transport, as well as marine applications.
In 2018, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 12.6 billion with more than 79,000 employees and is represented in over 30 countries with 160 production locations. At 16 major research and development centers in Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovenia, the USA, Brazil, Japan, China, and India, more than 6,100 development engineers and technicians are working on innovative solutions for the mobility of the future.
MAHLE GmbH
Margarete Dinger
Corporate Communications/Public Relations
Pragstraße 26–46
70376 Stuttgart/Germany
Phone: +49 711 501-12369
margarete.dinger@mahle.com
On June 05, 2019, Ministerial Director Helmfried Meinel, Head of Office at the Ministry for the Environment, Climate and Energy Management Baden-Württemberg, pledges financial support for six pilot projects for the intelligent connection of charging infrastructure in parking garages and underground garages (INPUT) to the power grid. The projects are being implemented at eleven locations in the state. Around 40 institutions and companies are involved. The state is funding the projects with a total of EUR 2.1 million. MAHLE chargeBIG is one of the six selected projects. The aim of the MAHLE project is to implement further electrification projects at MAHLE locations in Baden-Württemberg and to develop a cross-location and grid-friendly load management system.
More information available via this link (only German language):
Stuttgart, April 17, 2019 – By purchasing a chargeBIG charging system, Stuttgart Airport has opted for a low-cost solution from MAHLE for the electrification of its employee and vehicle fleet parking spaces. It is thus making optimal use of its existing infrastructure rather than needing to invest extensively in the expansion of its network. chargeBIG is a corporate start-up from MAHLE with the specific objective of decreasing bottlenecks in the power supply and enabling the rapid development of an extensive charging infrastructure.
The basic idea of chargeBIG is a centralized, scalable charging infrastructure concept for short-term parking lot users and fleet operators. “The bottlenecks in the charging process are caused by spikes in power delivery rather than the energy that is actually available. We use intelligent load distribution to take advantage of this situation,” explains Sebastian Ewert, head of project management Europe at MAHLE and a member of the chargeBIG team.
The installation of the 110 charging points at Stuttgart Airport together with MAHLE’s partner eliso is well underway. The external area and parking facilities have already been developed, and the charging points are currently being fitted to wall and column mountings on the apron.
The chargeBIG charging concept for single-phase AC destination charging with charging outputs of between 2.3 and 7.2 kilowatts comprises a central, intelligent control unit with permanently mounted cables and connector plugs instead of charging columns in the parking lot. Thanks to the intelligent charging system and design-to-cost approach, there is no need to invest in expanding the network connection, resulting in substantial cost and time savings during the development of the charging infrastructure.
A central control unit distributes the available charging capacity across the parked vehicles using dynamic, phase-specific load management. This prevents unbalanced loads in the power supply. chargeBIG responds flexibly to other consumers on the network and uses the electric vehicles as a controllable load. This ensures optimal utilization of the available power supply. There are two other benefits: The chargeBIG solution is more convenient to install and look after than alternative systems as the charging points can be maintained very easily via the central electronics. The charging points are also de-energized when they are not in use—a clear advantage from a safety perspective.
The concept is ideally suited to an application with around 20 to 100 electrified parking spaces and is infinitely scalable—the perfect solution for locations with a large number of electric vehicles that are parked for long periods of time, such as businesses, airports, and park and ride schemes.
MAHLE is a leading international development partner and supplier to the automotive industry as well as a pioneer for the mobility of the future. The MAHLE Group is committed to making transportation more efficient, more environmentally friendly, and more comfortable by continuously optimizing the combustion engine, driving forward the use of alternative fuels, and laying the foundation for the worldwide introduction of e-mobility. The group’s product portfolio addresses all the crucial issues relating to the powertrain and air conditioning technology—both for drives with combustion engines and for e-mobility. MAHLE products are fitted in at least every second vehicle worldwide. Components and systems from MAHLE are also used off the road—in stationary applications, for mobile machinery, rail transport, as well as marine applications.
In 2017, the group generated sales of approximately EUR 12.8 billion with about 78,000 employees and is represented in more than 30 countries with 170 production locations. At 16 major research and development centers in Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Spain, Slovenia, the USA, Brazil, Japan, China, and India, around 6,100 development engineers and technicians are working on innovative solutions for the mobility of the future.
MAHLE GmbH
Christopher Rimmele
Corporate Communications/Public Relations
Pragstraße 26–46
70376 Stuttgart/Germany
Phone: +49 711 501-12374
Fax: +49 711 501-13700
christopher.rimmele@mahle.com
