The Siemens e-mobility activities are an important part of the joint efforts of industry, politics and energy suppliers to drive forward the transport transition and develop Austria into a model country for sustainable mobility. With its products and solutions, Siemens is making a decisive contribution to making e-mobility practical and attractive for everyone in Austria.

With the SICHARGE FLEX product family, Siemens has introduced a next-generation decentralized charging system for electric vehicles that is flexible, reliable and economical. SICHARGE FLEX has been designed for modularity, scalability and versatile adaptability and proves to be an adaptive solution for different use cases, whether for vehicle fleets and depots or for charging on the move.

© Siemens

SICHARGE FLEX: A flexible, future-proof distributed EV charging system for the megawatt age. 

SICHARGE FLEX sets new standards in terms of technical performance and operational flexibility. The centerpiece is a groundbreaking, fully dynamic energy distribution system that intelligently distributes the electricity to several charging points depending on the real-time needs of the vehicles. This means that all power supply groups in all configurations can be routed to all connections in order to deliver the right power to the right connection at the right time.

This system offers a wide power range from 480 kW to more than 1.68 MW; charging stations can supply electricity in 80/120 kW increments. This ensures optimum and efficient power output exactly where it is needed. Both the CCS and MCS charging standards are supported, so that up to 4 MCS charging points can be installed in a single system. SICHARGE FLEX delivers up to 1,500 A charging current via its MCS dispenser, enabling fast charging of even the largest electric vehicles such as heavy trucks and electric city and intercity buses.

Pilot customer OMV: Project in Kufstein

OMV, a leading Charge Point Operator (CPO) and Mobility Service Provider (MSP), which operates a charging network in Austria, the Czech Republic, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary, has already placed an order for the SICHARGE FLEX system. The site in Kufstein will be designed for passenger cars as well as eTrucks and eBuses. In the first phase, six charging points will be installed; an expansion to ten charging points is planned once the grid has been reinforced by the local distribution grid operator.

“We are delighted to be working with OMV to put the SICHARGE FLEX in Kufstein into operation for the first time on the customer side,” says Gerrit Pürstl, Head of eMobility at Siemens Austria. “This is proof of the confidence in Siemens’ technology. With the new charging solution, we are bridging the gap between pioneering technology and the current needs of the mobility transition.” “At OMV, our mission is to provide our customers with a reliable, high-performance charging infrastructure that meets the requirements of modern mobility – today and tomorrow. The new site in Kufstein is an excellent example of how we combine strategic site planning with state-of-the-art technology to create real added value: fast charging for eTrucks, eBuses and cars, seamless user experience and future-proof scalability,” says Eric Schulze, Senior Vice President Retail Mobility & Convenience, OMV. “As a charging station operator and mobility service provider, we are proud to be the first to put this system into operation and to continue to play a pioneering role in sustainable transportation solutions in Central Europe.”

SICHARGE D loads eBus fleet in Amstetten

Two charging systems, also from the SICHARGE portfolio, are driving the sustainable and energy-efficient future of local public transport in Amstetten. The SICHARGE D charging systems were installed at N-Bus GmbH to charge the seven electric buses currently in continuous use by the transport company for Amstetten city transport. The SICHARGE D charging systems, each with an output of 240 kW, and two dispensers offer a total of eight charging points. The two SICHARGE D fast-charging stations are positioned in such a way that the total power can be accessed by one vehicle via dual charging.

© Siemens

Two SICHARGE D charging systems ensure sustainable mobility in Amstetten. Seven e-buses are on the road there in local public transport.

With the help of the cloud-based DepotFinity system as well as SmartCharging and load management, the charging process is intelligently controlled and optimized so that the last bus of the day arrives at 8 p.m. at the latest and is fully charged again by 10:30 p.m. The bus depot is operated entirely with electricity from Stadtwerke Amstetten, which comes from regional and sustainable production – including from photovoltaic systems, run-of-river power plants and a 2 megawatt-hour energy storage system for the night. “E-mobility solutions should be sustainable and practicable: Amstetten is a prime example of how, together with N-Bus GmbH, we are able to maximize the operating times of the eBus fleet with the installed charging solution including our DepotFitity system and at the same time avoid peak loads through intelligent charging,” says Gerrit Pürstl.

Siemens is also pushing ahead with the expansion of the e-charging infrastructure in Austria beyond Amstetten. The SICHARGE D fast-charging stations have recently been installed at new locations across the country at important transport hubs and strategic locations: from Hörsching via Melk, Stockerau and Vienna to Neukirchen and Premstätten. A total of 18 new charging stations have recently been put into operation, setting new standards in terms of charging convenience and energy efficiency.