Hager Group and AUDI AG team up on electrical charging technologies

The development of intelligent energy management systems is one of Hager Group’s research focuses. An essential part of such systems in the future will be electric vehicles. Hager Group together with AUDI AG are therefore working on an automobile-home network that will connect electric vehicles, charging technology and home energy management.

“E-mobility and buildings are increasingly growing together. In the future, more and more customers will travel in electric vehicles that need to be charged affordably, conveniently and safely. This calls for intelligent charging technologies, smart building services engineering and seamless communication between the vehicle and building,” says Ulrich Reiner, Innovation Manager, E-Mobility and Energy. “With AUDI AG, we now have a strong automobile brand by our side with whom we can work on developing innovative charging systems and bringing them to market maturity as quickly as possible.”

Optimising charging costs and limiting emissions
An important component of this automobile-home network is the home energy management system (HEMS) currently being developed by Hager Group. An HEMS sees to it that the electrical energy within a building is distributed safely and that its consumption is managed flexibly. As such, a customer can use variable electricity tariffs to charge their car by charging the battery during periods when electricity costs less. The system also takes into account factors such as the desired departure time and the battery’s current charge status. If the customer’s property is fitted with a photovoltaic system, they can also optimise the charging process such that preference is given to the electricity they generate themselves, thereby making the charging process affordable and environmentally friendly. The system calculates not only the forecast periods of sunshine (and therefore the anticipated own-electricity production), but also the current flow of electricity to the building connection.

Effective blackout protection
The charging system also takes into account the other consumers in the building, thus avoiding a connection overload. At all times, the customer can charge with the maximum available power output that the building connection and car can cope with. The partnership between Hager Group and AUDI AG makes it possible for mobility requirements and the energy system to be optimally brought into line with one another.

Premium partner for e-mobility
“Our desire to offer premium quality involves an electric vehicle being incorporated seamlessly into the intelligently networked home, offering customers real added value,” says Fermin Soneira, Senior Director of Global Product Marketing at AUDI AG. “We are therefore working with, for example, Hager Group a provider in home energy management to make the charging process as convenient as possible.”

For Audi's press release:  please click here

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