According to Statista, there were around 83,200 electric cars in Germany on the 1stof January 2019. This contrasts with 13,900 charging stations (as of March 6th2019). But most of these charging stations are located in conurbations. The Berlin start-up Me Energy is currently developing “Me Charge” mobile quick-charging stations in order to enable all-round supply throughout Germany and, above all, to make e-mobility C02-neutral. These are to be powered by biofuel. A specially designed generator inside the column then converts this into electricity. This enables rapid charging without connection to the power grid. The advantage: The column is completely independent of any infrastructure. The expensive connection to the medium-voltage grid is also a thing of the past. The aim of the system is a flexible and nationwide distribution of dispensers for electric vehicles. In particular, out-of-town areas that were previously excluded from e-mobility due to a lack of infrastructure are to be developed.
Expansion of Infrastructure and Use of Biofuel
The innovative engineers are particularly interested in two reasons why the electrification of traffic is progressing only slowly: Firstly, the mobility of the charging stations is intended to take away people’s fear of breaking down with their electric cars because the battery is empty and there is no charging station nearby. Thanks to the quick-charging option – the stations charge an electric car for a range of around 200 kilometers within 10 minutes – waiting times should also be kept as short as possible.
As a second point, the generation of electricity by biofuel, instead of coal, for example, as is still the case today, corresponds to the trend and the must for the generation of electricity by renewable energies.
And there are further arguments in favor of the quick-charging stations:
Thanks to the highly efficient technology, the investment and service life costs are significantly lower than for comparable products”, explains Alexander Sohl, from Me Energy, “it is therefore the first profitable and sustainable charging station.”
Co-founder Holger Adler adds: “The transport sector accounts for about 30% of the total CO2 emissions in the EU. Our goal is to achieve nationwide, emission-free and CO2-neutral electric mobility. Compared with the current electricity mix, our pillars can save at least 7.5 kg of CO2 per 100 kilometers. With our development, we can make a considerable contribution to climate protection.”
Two Refill Options
There are two different options for refilling the charging station: On the one hand, it could use a classic tank. At the station itself, there should be space for 2,000 L – i.e. approx. 200 charging processes. The tank could also be placed separately, e.g. underground. The actual charging station would then be 2 x 1 x 1.5 m (H x W x D). The material is delivered classically by tank lorry.
In the second variant, the fuel is available in 35 L cartridges. These have a cap that opens automatically when the cartridge is inserted. Similar to a DHL packing station or an Amazon locker, the charging station has a locker system. This allows the cartridges to be delivered to the station by various delivery services such as DHL, UPS, Hermes, etc.
Background
The founders Alexander Sohl (CEO) and Holger Adler (CTO) got to know each other through their shared passion for HiFi. Holger is also the founder of vpn Voxativ, one of the world’s leading high-end loudspeaker brands. Market entry for the mobile pillars is planned for mid-2020. Founded in 2018, the company is currently looking for engineers and investors.
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