- No electricity charging posts without nationwide ICT infrastructure
- Software for recharging electric cars must show price in real time
- Mobile roaming as blueprint for electricity providers
The federal government wants a million electric vehicles to be able recharge at any time by 2020. In order to achieve this target, Germany doesn’t just need electricity charging posts, but also a state-of-the-art ICT infrastructure. The data networks and IT systems of the energy companies need to display the entire charging process and show the price of charging in real time. "Deutsche Telekom sees great opportunities here to connect the systems of energy providers and automotive manufacturers with each other and thereby reliably calculate power consumption when charging electric vehicles," said Horst Leonberger, Head of Deutsche Telekom’s ‘Connected Vehicle’ Group business unit. "The open standards and data protocols from the telecommunications industry lend themselves to this task." Competition in this new market for car electricity only arises when owners of electric cars or fleet operators negotiate their electricity rates with their provider and can charge up at any charging post. If, for example, a car owner concludes a vehicle electricity contract with his energy provider, he wants to be able to charge his car anywhere in Germany, or even Europe, at the same agreed rate. But if he charges his car, for instance, in a parking garage that gets its electricity from a different provider, the providers then have to settle the "fuel" used between themselves. This socalled roaming has already been tried and tested in mobile communications when travelling abroad. However, since there are more than 800 regional and national electricity providers in Germany alone, the complexity arising from providers, rates and billing models is much greater than in the telecommunications industry. It requires stable software systems and Europe-wide data networks that accurately map the entire process of electricity supply and billing. It is precisely here that Deutsche Telekom’s expertise comes in useful. In mobile communications and the fixed network, the Bonn company carries out the billing process for foreign roaming partners and even for German competitors, right through to printing out invoices, which it posts out, or sends electronic invoices to the provider’s systems. The standardized billing platform of European mobile operators could certainly be used as a blueprint for electromobility. It could work as follows: Charging an electric car starts by identifying the vehicle at the charging post, to enable accurate billing later, because unlike when filling up with gas, the electricity used is not paid for in cash, but rather is recorded without immediate payment, as on a telephone bill. Because authentication entails the exchange of personal data, special security guidelines apply. Only once the customer’s data have been checked does the charging process begin. That is why the charging posts need to be connected to the provider’s underlying IT systems. Once the "tank" is charged, the customer must be able to accurately check the volume of electricity and the price. With an electricity charging app, it is technically feasible to monitor the charging process on the car’s on-board computer and display the receipt on the navigation system screen. With the series production of electric cars, Internet access will become standard from the production plant. In the new Group business unit "Connected Vehicle," Deutsche Telekom is tapping into the growth potential arising from the changed requirements for mobility. Deutsche Telekom is working on solutions for safe, efficient driving, for economical and environmentally-friendly fleet management, and for connected electric vehicles. With 350 million vehicles in Europe alone, Deutsche Telekom sees huge market opportunities.
About Deutsche Telekom Deutsche Telekom is one of the world's leading integrated telecommunications companies with around 129 million mobile customers, approximately 36 million fixed-network lines and more than 16 million broadband lines (as of December 31, 2010). The Group provides products and services for the fixed network, mobile communications, the Internet and IPTV for consumers, and ICT solutions for business customers and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom is present in over 50 countries and has around 247,000 employees worldwide. The Group generated revenues of EUR 62.4 billion in the 2010 financial year - more than half of it outside Germany (as of December 31, 2010). About T-Systems Drawing on a global infrastructure of data centers and networks, T-Systems operates information and communication technology (ICT) systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions. T-Systems provides integrated solutions for the networked future of business and society. The company's some 47,600 employees combine industry expertise and ICT innovations to add significant value to customers’ core business all over the world. T-Systems generated revenue of around EUR 9.1 billion in the 2010 financial year.