EUROPE. Volkswagen Group Charging (Elli) presents new charging products for e-fleets and companies at the IAA Transportation 2024

At the IAA Transportation 2024, the Volkswagen Group brand Elli is presenting the integration of its charging services into the ConnectPro fleet tool developed by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The integrated charging services make it possible to manage public charging cards, which is an important addition to comprehensive fleet management for electric vehicles. “Our solutions bundle important information from vehicle and charging data in one platform. Whether permanently assigned company cars or pool vehicles, our charging products are flexibly tailored to the requirements of different company fleets. Together with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, we are using ConnectPro to accelerate the comprehensive electrification of plant and company locations,” explains Michael Gotthelf, Vice President Elli Commercial.

A few months ago, Elli introduced “Charging Site Management”, which supports companies in setting up and managing charging infrastructure. This includes the planning, construction and installation of AC and DC charging stations, as well as the provision of software solutions so that corporate customers can efficiently manage their charging sites. Elli now offers software-based, cross-portfolio load management for this purpose, which can be set up and managed without any on-site effort.

Elli Charger 2 – Next generation charger for business customers

The Elli Charger 2 – made in Germany – combines state-of-the-art smart charging technology with a user-friendly design and is also celebrating its IAA trade fair premiere. With its smart charging features such like solar surplus charging and price optimized charging, the new charger was developed with a clear focus on the needs of customers from Elli’s 28 European markets. The Elli Charger 2 can be used with any electric vehicle equipped with a type 2 charging connection and will be available in four versions – including an Eichrecht calibration law version.

Thanks to the new load management feature, the new charger is also suitable for fleet customers with different usage scenarios – on company premises, in parking garages or at public charging stations.

Flexpole – DC charging at sites with limited grid capacity

In order to cover all charging needs and develop solutions that match the size of the infrastructure and grid capacity, Elli offers its own hardware (Elli Charger & Elli Flexpole) as well as solutions from third-party providers, thus covering all charging scenarios. The cross-manufacturer load management special feature distinguishes Elli’s portfolio from the competition.

The Elli Flexpole sets new standards by making it possible to electrify locations with or without a limited grid connection. The fast charging Flexpole is easy to install and can be positioned flexibly without the need for grid expansion or costly construction work. At the same time, Flexpole charging stations enable a charging speed of up to 150 kW. Depending on the vehicle, up to 160 kilometers of range can be charged within 10 minutes – thanks to the integrated battery system and connection to the low-voltage grid.

This opens up completely new possibilities for the expansion of charging infrastructure in places that were previously considered unsuitable. With this solution, Elli is underlining its commitment to promoting electromobility even in regions that are difficult to access.

Against this backdrop, Volkswagen Group Charging (Elli) has received the “Ladeport Award 2024” for the Flexpole and its commitment to providing public and semi-public charging infrastructure.

Elli’s future vision towards smart energy

“We see the charging of electric vehicles on company premises as an important contribution to sustainable mobility. We are working on solutions that will link the energy and mobility domains even more closely in the future to create added value for corporate customers and reduce the costs of charging electric vehicles,” Gotthelf continues.

Storage systems, which help to stabilize and increase the efficiency of the power grid, play an important role in this. Charging electric fleets will therefore not only become more intelligent in the future, but will also be dynamically linked to the energy markets. For business customers, the integration of intelligent charging technologies, the optimization and control of local consumers and generators, and the introduction of dynamic energy tariffs will create conditions that optimize energy consumption across the entire business and reduce energy costs.

With Elli, Volkswagen Group is the first automaker to launch electricity trading on the European Energy Exchange, enabling the purchase and sale of electricity in conjunction with scalable energy storage. For companies, local and decentralized storage and the so-called Managed Battery Network will lead to a revolution in on-site energy management, improving energy generation and consumption and paving the way for commercial vehicle-to-grid (V2G) applications