Take advantage of the future of mobility

Electromobility Key Visual

Charging infrastructures for electromobility – efficiently and sustainably automated with SIMATIC

Electromobility is rapidly gaining in importance, especially in metropolitan areas. This means that charging infrastructures for electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly worthwhile investment that promises good profits.  Systems for implementing public charging solutions need to meet two basic requirements: They must be adaptable and they must be able to be integrated into existing infrastructures. This is where the SIMATIC portfolio demonstrates its strengths. Free scalability, open interfaces, and minimal space requirements ensure easy integration into existing infrastructures and maximum scalability.

    

Areas of application

Implement charging infrastructures of any size, quickly and efficiently

Whether you’re planning a single charging station or a large parking lot as a charging center for numerous eCars: In all cases, the safe and economical operation of your charging infrastructure depends on efficient, extremely cost-effective, and future-proof automation of the charging process. Siemens’ SIMATIC portfolio provides the optimal technological foundation.

Everything in one autonomous device

The standalone charging station is an economical concept for charging the occasional eCar using, for example, renewable energy from distributed sources.

The charging station needs to perform all its tasks autonomously, including communicating with the backend to handle logon, verification, and billing data.

A concept based on the SIMATIC portfolio enables the development of compact and reliable charging stations that support AC charging according to IEC 61851-1 Mode 3 and that can communicate with the backend via all standard protocols. Thanks to the Windows platform on the SIMATIC Open Controller, communication with backend apps using standardized protocols like OCPP can be quickly and easily integrated.

The core components at a glance

The charging station with multiple charging points

As the importance of electromobility grows, ECC solutions for street-side parking and residential areas are attracting more and more interest. In many places, they’re already seen as evidence of an upscale quality of life.

The individual charging points are more or less passive satellites that are controlled from a central control cabinet in such solutions. This permits a more space-saving installation than is the case with standard charging stations. Customer login and activation of the satellites can be, for example, performed centrally at the control cabinet, which also contains the various SIMATIC and SIRIUS components for controlling the charging process and communication with the backend. Thanks to the Windows platform on the SIMATIC Open Controller, communication with backend apps using standardized protocols like OCPP can be quickly and easily integrated.

The core components at a glance

Charge a large number of eCars simultaneously

It can be extremely worthwhile for companies to equip their own large parking lot or parking garage with a comprehensive charging infrastructure.

Thanks to the compact design of all SIMATIC components, space requirements are minimal, making it easy to retrofit existing parking areas for an efficient charging and management of an entire fleet of eCars. In this type of system, a SIMATIC WinCC control system and a central control system with a SIMATIC S7-1500 controller interact with multiple distributed control cabinets and a large number of individual satellites. Intelligent energy management and charge management solutions ensure high availability. Thanks to the connection of the SIMATIC WinCC control system to the backend – for example, using OCPP – more complex functions like fleet management and higher-level energy management can also be implemented.

The core components at a glance

Implement charging infrastructures for electromobility

E-mobility is furthermore on the rise.

Charging infrastructure is growing up all over the world.

You want to become part of this success story?

Then our modern and standardized products are the perfect match for your requirements.

Typical control cabinet design

Efficient charging infrastructures with SIMATIC products

When it comes to implementing charging infrastructures for public and semi-public charging, the SIMATIC portfolio comes into its own. One essential benefit is the seamless interaction among all components in the control cabinet as well as with higher-level systems through integrated, standardized, open protocols.

Thanks to their extreme ruggedness and reliability equal to the demands of an industrial environment, SIMATIC devices provide maximum investment protection and cost-effectiveness when implementing AC and DC charging solutions for electric vehicles.

The compact and powerful controller

Siemens’ charging solutions are based on the SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller with an integrated Windows platform. The ET 200SP enables a direct backend connection using OCPP, for example.

This powerful controller combines the functions of a PC-based software controller with visualization, PC applications, and central I/Os in a single compact device. It can be easily integrated into higher-level systems thanks to open interfaces. 

The central pluggability of the SIMATIC ET 200SP modules puts the Open Controller in charge of open-loop control, closed-loop control, and the monitoring of all charging processes. The integrated USB interfaces allow a direct connection of RFID readers for user identification. The SIMATIC product line’s in-depth security concept consistently protects the controller from unauthorized access and outside manipulation.

The SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller is controlled by the preinstalled, preconfigured SIMATIC S7-1500 Software Controller, the PC-based version of the SIMATIC S7-1500. The SIMATIC S7-1500 runs independent of Windows to ensure high system availability.

More information:

The flexible and rugged HMI Panel

The rugged SIMATIC HMI Panel suitable for outdoor use enables simple and convenient charging control and monitoring. Thanks to the 7- and 15-inch, daylight-readable widescreen displays with automatic or manual dimming, the durable, dazzle-free panels are legible at all times, whether in bright sunlight or darkness.

Optimized for outdoor applications, the extraordinarily UV-resistant panels can be reliably operated at a wide range of temperatures from -30° to +60° Celsius. The panel front meets the specifications of protection class IP66 and offers extreme protection from dust and water penetration. The highly rugged display is optimally protected from air humidity, condensation, and thermal stress.

More information:

The Industrial Ethernet switch

SCALANCE X Industrial Ethernet switches ensure reliable industrial communication within charging infrastructures and the secure connection of the charging infrastructure to a higher-level network or the Internet for communication with the backend.

In addition to FastConnect connection technology for RJ45, M12, and fiber optic cables, these switches offer a variety of optical or electrical interfaces and support numerous IT standards.

More information:

The RFID reader

With the SIMATIC RF1060R RFID reader, electronic customer identification and charging session authorization can be implemented extremely easily and flexibly. The identification process can utilize existing cards, such as employee IDs or credit cards, which improves user-friendliness and reduce costs.

RFID readers can be connected to the SIMATIC ET 200SP Open Controller through a USB interface or to a SIMATIC ET 200SP PtP module with a RS485/RS232 interface.

More information:

Record energy data and current flows

The SIMATIC ET 200SP Energy Meter records and continuously stores current and voltage values from the charging session. The values recorded can be used in the module to evaluate the active, reactive, and apparent power ratio.

The Energy Meter also makes it easy to detect a phase imbalance, which makes it possible to implement load management.

More information:

DC charging with CHAdeMO

Combining the SINAMICS DCP with the PN/CAN Gateway makes it possible to implement DC charging solutions using the CAN-based CHAdeMO communication standard. The SIMATIC PN/CAN Gateway ensures the connection between PROFINET and CAN. In contrast to AC charging, the SINAMICS converter controls the power for DC charging in this case. Connected directly via PROFINET, it can be easily commissioned in the TIA Portal.

The SINAMICS DCP DC-DC converter is a highly efficient, bidirectional buck-and-boost converter offering scalable performance. It allows current to flow in both directions at variable voltage levels. Thanks to its high internal switching frequency, the SINAMICS DCP is light and compact, so it requires minimal space inside the charging terminal.

More information:

The specially developed charge controller

Developed on the basis of the SIMATIC ET 200SP, the TM ECC 2x PWM ST charge controller controls the IEC 61851-compliant conductive charging of eCars. When a charging infrastructure is being developed, it optimizes costs and saves space while also enabling the implementation of centralized and distributed concepts as well as standard-compliant AC charging infrastructure solutions with charge management. Two charging points can be implemented per module.

The parameterizable SIMATIC ET 200SP technology module enables the direct evaluation of charge statuses, and thanks to integrated DQ outputs, it ensures the time-critical opening of contactors according to IEC 61851. Because control of the plug lock is integrated into the charge controller, plug locks like those made by Phoenix Contact and Mennekes can be controlled directly.

A function block for the SIMATIC ET 200SP TM ECC module that facilitates commissioning is available in the TIA Portal. The option to specify a maximum charging current for the module via the program block makes load management easy to implement.

More information:

The specially developed charge controller

Developed on the basis of the SIMATIC ET 200SP, the TM ECC PL ST charge controller controls the IEC 61851 and DIN70121 (ISO151181) compliant conductive charging of eCars.
The SIMATIC ET 200SP TM ECC PL ST module enables Powerline Green Phy Communication as defined in DIN SPEC 70121 in combination with a pulse-width-modulated signal in accordance with IEC 61851.

Apart from the communication, the technology module also offers two digital outputs for standards-compliant shutoff of the DC disconnector within 30ms. It can be used within a SIMATIC ET 200SP station or centrally at DC charging stations as well as at decentralized charging points in conjunction with an IM 155-6. The user is free to choose the position of the plug-in connector.

Depending on system requirements, the SIMATIC ET 200SP CPU 1515 PC Open Controller can serve as a basis for billing software or back-end connections (via OCPP), and further SIMATIC ET 200SP modules, such as SIMATIC ET 200SP AI 4xRTD/TC, can be used to monitor the temperature of the charging cable. This creates a flexible, modular overall concept.

As an essential element of the module is the associated function block.
It offers a very much simplified flow control of the complex standard DIN70121.
That made it simple to configure your charging application fast and efficient.

More information:

Reliably switch the charging power

Contactors and fuses ensure the safe connection and disconnection of charging power. Regardless of whether charging is single-phase or three-phase, the integrated DQ output of the SIMATIC ET 200SP TM ECC technology module can be used to switch the contactors and thereby activate the charging current. If the configuration is expanded to include the SIMATIC ET 200SP Energy Meter module, the utilization of different phases can be detected in order to ensure even distribution by means of contactor interconnections controlled by ET 200SP DQ modules. The combination of cascaded contactors and the controllability of the charging current permits program-controlled, flexible charge management. In the event of a short circuit or overload, the compact SIRIUS circuit breakers offer reliable protection.

More information:

Benefits

Simply impressive in every way: Charging infrastructures with SIMATIC products

Whether you’re a system integrator, OEM, control cabinet builder, or end customer, a charging infrastructure based on the SIMATIC portfolio provides you significant benefits. The renowned benefits of SIMATIC devices, such as simple engineering in the TIA Portal, the Windows platform integrated in the controller, and flexible connection and expansion options, ensure maximum time and cost efficiency during engineering, commissioning, and operation. And eCar drivers are uniformly delighted with the charging station’s straightforward operation.
HM und SPS en Shoutbox
References

Successful applications

Charging infrastructure solutions from Siemens based on SIMATIC ET 200SP I/O systems have been proven in practice. They enable the development of innovative charging stations for all three charging standards common in Europe. 
Contact

Optimal solutions for public and semi-public charging solutions

Whether you need individual charging stations or larger-area charging infrastructures with a central control system and a large number of charging connectors: The tailored ECC solutions from Siemens provide numerous practical advantages thanks to the SIMATIC controller integrated into the charging infrastructure. Above all, these solutions safeguard your investment and ensure maximum future viability because they’re inherently open, flexible, scalable, and expandable.