Aral AG, a subsidiary of the bp group in Germany, has tasked Siemens Smart Infrastructure with expanding the grid connection at 30 selected gas stations.  The expansion of the public charging infrastructure is an essential requirement for the acceleration of electric mobility.

The joint project between Aral and Siemens is an important contribution to creating public fast-charging stations.

Most gas stations currently only have a low-voltage connection. To meet the increased power demand of fast chargers, the grid connection needs to be upgraded to a medium-voltage connection with much higher power. This is achieved through the substations which connect the gas stations’ charging infrastructure to the public power grid. Each substation consists of a hermetically capsulated transformer, a gas-insulated medium-voltage switchgear, type 8DJH, and a SIVACON S8 low-voltage switchboard.

By using communicating hardware and Internet of Things (IoT) technology, Aral can obtain information about the status of the substations at any time. This will enable the blue-and-white labeled service station brand to guarantee their customers the full functionality of its ultra-fast charging stations even better than today. The utilization of sensors helps to generate data, thereby ensuring continuous monitoring of the health status and a safe operation of the equipment. These values are then transmitted over communication interfaces to a higher-level, cloud-based IoT system. The data is evaluated and visualized via a web application in a useful addition to those of the fast-charging stations. 
Aral operates all ultra-fast charging stations on its own. They supply 100 percent green power. Assuming the appropriate battery technology is provided, the electric vehicle can be fully recharged within ten minutes to a range of up to 350 kilometers. The roll-out of high-power chargers at Aral gas stations in Germany is part of bp’s strategy to increase the number of charge points.