Press Release - Mennekes

Press Release
Charging infrastructure for electric vehicles
Bosch and Mennekes sign cooperation agreement
Mennekes charge spots can be integrated in eMobility Solution
Open system interfaces promote the development of e-mobility
Waiblingen /Kirchhundem - Bosch Software Innovations GmbH and Mennekes
Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co KG have signed an agreement sealing their
cooperation on charging infrastructure systems for electric and hybrid vehicles.
The two companies will combine their expertise in their respective specialist
areas, with Mennekes contributing its global-market-proven plug systems and
expertise in the design of charge spots, and the Bosch Group’s software and
system engineering experts contributing an open-interface, IT-based system for
the networking and management of charging infrastructures and various types of
charge spots. This includes configuring and managing charge spots, vehicles and
value-added services around e-mobility, in collaboration with fleet operators and
other users. “This cooperation agreement with Mennekes is a prime example of
the way in which we are looking to work with partners to develop all-round
solutions for this emerging market,” says Heinz Derenbach, the president of
Bosch Software Innovations GmbH. “It is a major step forward for both companies
that will enable us to profit from opportunities for growth on the global market and
at the same time enables us to offer customers an excellent all-round package of
services”, adds Volker Lazzaro, managing director of MENNEKES Elektrotechnik
GmbH & Co. KG.
Mennekes has already installed several hundred charge spots throughout
Germany in various projects. Mennekes charge spots form part of the Smart
Wheels project in Aachen and 250 of the company’s charge spots are in
operation in the e-mobility model region of Hamburg. Germany’s first car-sharing
project for electric vehicles, Car2go in Ulm, also relies on a network of some 50
Mennekes charge spots. Many other projects launched over the past two years
have demonstrated the successful use of Mennekes charge spots and related
connector products.
The Mennekes product portfolio encompasses a range of charge spots for public
and private use, including satellite systems in which a number of free-standing or
wall-mounted charge spots are supplied with power from a central grid
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connection. The charge spots are equipped with all necessary metering,
monitoring, and communication functions for their integration in smart grid
solutions. They are very easy to operate because all controls are located on the
socket panels, which have an integrated display providing clear user guidance.
Bosch Software Innovations launched an e-mobility infrastructure in Singapore
last summer. It is now being expanded to provide wider coverage of the city-state.
By the end of this year, drivers of electric vehicles will have access to a network
of 40 charge spots for “refueling”. Similar projects are under way in Germany and
other European countries, enabling users to benefit from the advantages of emobility
on a daily basis. These infrastructures are constructed around the
internet-based eMobility Solution platform. Dedicated portals offer drivers
additional services such as a location-finder for vacant charging stations, which
can be very useful in conurbations, where parking space and thus space for
charge spots is limited.
The eMobility Solution is designed to be open and flexible, so that additional
business models and value-added services can be integrated, such as the option
for drivers to reserve power from renewable sources at the corresponding “ecorates"
or plan routes including alternative forms of transportation. It can easily be
adapted to existing information and energy networks, allowing an e-mobility
network to be tailored to the existing infrastructure in a given city. The service
platform was specifically designed to be open enough to allow even competing
companies to participate and other providers to integrate their charge spots. This
approach deliberately encourages unrestricted competition for creative ideas
relating to e-mobility, offering customers a broad range of services and a high
level of information security at the same time.
Contact for press inquiries:
Bosch Software Innovations GmbH
Martin Schmid
phone +49 7545 202-246
Martin.Schmid@bosch-si.com
MENNEKES Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co KG
Burkhard Rarbach
phone +49 2723-41 380
Burkhard.Rarbach@MENNEKES.de
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Bosch Software Innovations, the Software and Systems House of the Bosch Group, designs
and develops innovative software and systems solutions for an international clientele. For
banks and financial services providers, Bosch Software Innovations offers specialized products
in the areas of compliance, risk management, and client management. Its systems solutions for
mobility and energy infrastructures range from analysis and implementation up to the operation
of fully integrated hardware and software systems.
We provide our customers with the support they need to develop innovative business models
that interconnect functions, services, and devices via the internet. Using Bosch Software
Innovations’ leading technologies, customers can increase the efficiency and flexibility of
complex applications to gain a long-term competitive advantage.
More information can be found at www.bosch-si.com.
The Bosch Group is a leading global supplier of technology and services. In the areas of
automotive and industrial technology, consumer goods, and building technology, some 285,000
associates generated sales of 47.3 billion euros in fiscal 2010. For 2011, the company
forecasts sales of more than 50 billion euros and a headcount of a good 300,000 by the end of
the year. The Bosch Group comprises Robert Bosch GmbH and its more than 350 subsidiaries
and regional companies in over 60 countries. If its sales and service partners are included, then
Bosch is represented in roughly 150 countries. This worldwide development, manufacturing,
and sales network is the foundation for further growth. Bosch spent 3.8 billion euros for
research and development in 2010, and applied for over 3,800 patents worldwide. With all its
products and services, Bosch enhances the quality of life by providing solutions which are both
innovative and beneficial.
Bosch is celebrating its 125th anniversary in 2011. The company was set up in Stuttgart in
1886 by Robert Bosch (1861-1942) as a “Workshop for Precision Mechanics and Electrical
Engineering.” The special ownership structure of Robert Bosch GmbH guarantees the
entrepreneurial freedom of the Bosch Group, making it possible for the company to plan over
the long term and to undertake significant up-front investments in the safeguarding of its future.
Ninety-two percent of the share capital of Robert Bosch GmbH is held by Robert Bosch Stiftung
GmbH, a charitable foundation. The majority of voting rights are held by Robert Bosch
Industrietreuhand KG, an industrial trust. The entrepreneurial ownership functions are carried
out by the trust. The remaining shares are held by the Bosch family and by Robert Bosch
GmbH.
Additional information can be accessed at www.bosch.com, www.bosch-press.com, and
www.125.bosch.com
MENNEKES Elektrotechnik GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1935 and is the developer of the
German standards draft for charging couplers as well as leading manufacturer of industrial
plugs and sockets. The company has a global presence with subsidiaries and representations
in more than 90 countries and employs over 900 people worldwide.
The product range comprises standardised plugs and sockets in over 11,000 different variants
and designs as well as charging couplers for electric vehicles, which where awarded with the
first VDE test seal ever. We take an integrated approach towards electric mobility and develop
components like charging plugs, charging cables and vehicle inlets as well as complete
charging stations for commercial and private application. The solutions thus fulfil perfectly the
requirements of car manufacturers, electric utilities and consumers. In the past business year,
the MENNEKES Group achieved a consolidated turnover of around 100 million Euros. More
than half of the turnover is made in export.
More information at www.MENNEKES.de and at Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
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