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There is a lot of discussion about the charging of electric cars, but have you ever heard about options like charging your car at your company’s site, scheduled automatically with your work schedules, or booking a charging slot together with your movie ticket? These and many other scenarios could become reality in the future…based on the interaction of charging infrastructure with buildings, writes Jean-Christoph Heyne, Global Head of Future Grids at Siemens Smart Infrastructure.

But let’s take a step back for a moment: When it comes to the acceptance of eMobility, comfort and charging point accessibility are the decisive factors for electric vehicle (EV) drivers. Thus, wherever electric cars are parked for a longer period of time, charging options must become available and EVs must always be charged on time. This suggestion will send many communities, building operators, and companies on their very own eMobility journey.

Merge the existing with the new to leverage untapped opportunities
While the requirements for the adoption of eMobility may differ, all actors in the building sector face the same major challenge: Existing infrastructure, with one or several buildings, maybe even on-site energy production, will need to welcome and integrate new charging technology. At the same time, building operators share the overall objective of keeping energy consumption (and thus operational costs) down. Escalating costs can be avoided by using renewable energy generated on-site combined with smart charging – and by choosing easily to manage charging infrastructure with familiar tools that follow an established workflow.

Here’s a closer look at four different use cases and their varying, often challenging requirements: