E-vehicles: Mennekes develops charging systems

Everyone agrees that the future belongs to electric drives. The paths for developing electric cars were defined in the master plan of the German Federal Government, the political committees of the EU as well as in the USA and Asia. The Federal Government even plans to turn Germany into the leading European nation with respect to electromobility by 2020. The German Manager Magazine estimates that there will be over 2.5 million electric cars on the roads in Germany by 2020. According to Ferdinand Dudenhöffer, director of the Center of Automotive Research at the FH Gelsenkirchen, each car sold in the year 2025 will have at least a hybrid drive. This is why all leading vehicle manufacturers are working at full speed to develop electric cars for serial production. Solutions for powerful compact batteries are being developed at the same time.

Decisive for the mass acceptance of electric cars is the development of a corresponding charging infrastructure to be able to recharge the electric cars. The most important prerequisite for this is above all a uniform charge socket and the corresponding plug. As a specialist for plug-type connections, MENNEKES contributes its know-how to this future-oriented business field.

The agreement of the largest European energy suppliers and vehicle manufacturers on the basic parameters for the charging connection for electric cars is based on a standard draft by MENNEKES.

Recently, the largest European energy supply companies and vehicle manufacturers agreed on the basic parameters for the charging connection for electric cars. Basis for this agreement is a standard draft developed by MENNEKES.

Mennekes approaches this topic in an integrated fashion and can cover all sectors ranging from the vehicle socket and the charging cable with plugs up to the charging stations. Walter Mennekes, Managing Partner: "We are present when the electromobile future begins. We are the experts for plugs, sockets and receptacle combinations in the electrical industry."

The tasks of the charging plugs are much more complex in this context than one would think at first glance, as they have to cover a large variety of functions. MENNEKES managed to develop a charging connector that meets these demands. This connector is no larger than a common 16A plug and suited for both single-phase 230V connection as well as three-phase 400V connection up to a charging current of 63A.

This charging technology also features the required communication interfaces between the charging station and the vehicle. A "plug present" contact for example ensures the activation of the immobiliser and a "control pilot" contact enables communication, meaning data exchange.

In addition, the company is working on system solutions for charging stations in the commercial and the public sector. Demand-conform charging capacities with different charging currents are offered depending on the application field. Time-saving charging stations with charging currents of up to 63A will be available for the commercial and public sector, e.g. on parking places and in parking garages, which reduce the charging times to less than 10 percent compared to charging at home. For the domestic sector, solutions will be developed that allow the recharging of electric cars via common 230V household outlets with earthing contact.

MENNEKES approaches this topic in an integrated fashion and can cover all sectors ranging from the vehicle socket and the charging cable with plugs up to the charging stations.

"We have been co-operating intensely with the research and development departments of the large vehicle manufacturers and energy suppliers", says Volker Lazzaro, Managing Director of Technology and Project Manager e-mobility at MENNEKES. "The demand profiles took shape in the course of this co-operation". In this development process, MENNEKES was able to contribute its competences as innovation leader for industrial plug-type connectors and prove its know-how as leading supplier", continued Lazzaro.

High demands are made on the charging connector, because charging an electric car is supposed to become easier and more comfortable than today. Here is where the Sauerland company profits from its almost 75 years of experience in the field of industrial plug-type connectors. The safety of the charging technology takes top priority here. For example, the plugs have to be latched during charging, so that they cannot be pulled out arbitrarily or unintentionally during the charging process. In addition, the vehicle and the charging station must be able to communicate with each other via the charging technology to exchange data. For this purpose, the charging cable developed by MENNEKES for the connection between the vehicle socket and the charging station has identical plugs at each end with protection against accidental contact so that the user does not have to wonder which end to plug in where.

In addition, MENNEKES will of course also offer the corresponding charging cabled for charging electric cars at home on a normal 230V household outlet with earthing contact.

The charging cable developed by MENNEKES for the connection between the vehicle socket and the charging station has identical plugs at each end with protection against accidental contact so that the user does not have to wonder which end to plug in where.

Mennekes is partner of the vehicle manufacturer and utility companies for the practical field tests of mobility concepts with electric drive. The development of products and systems for vehicle charging has reached an advanced status and concrete shapes on this base. This show also the current pilot projects in model regions like Berlin or Aachen, which are fitted which Mennekes components.

Besides this, the Mennekes charging plug was present at all larger fairs and presentations dealing with electric cars in the past months, whether in the hands of Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel, Federal Minister of the Economy Karl-Theodor zu Guttenberg, Daimler Chairman of the Board Dieter Zetsche or RWE Chairman of the Board Jürgen Großmann.

The charge plug by MENNEKES is the only one that meets the high demands and is suited for charging currents of up to 63A. At the same time, it is not larger than a common 16A plug.

The agreement of the leading European vehicle manufacturers and energy supply companies on one uniform standard for the charging plug system is an essential step towards enabling mobility with electric drives throughout Europe. Basis for this agreement is the standard draft for the charging plugs prepared by MENNEKES. Andreas Sprecker, Managing Director of Marketing and Sales at Mennekes to an outlook on this future issue: "Even if the integration into binding norms will still take some time, we are already in a close dialog with the vehicle manufacturers and energy supply companies concerning the practice-conform advanced development of the components and system solutions. Our aim is to make the start into an electromobile future as easy as possible for the consumers."

Kirchhundem, dated 2009-08-28
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Contact person MENNEKES Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG
Burkhard Rarbach
Aloys-Mennekes-Str. 1
D-57399 Kirchhundem
phone: +49 2723 41-380
fax: +49 2723 41-292
E-Mail: burkhard.rarbach@MENNEKES.de