Electric and hybrid vehicles have become a familiar sight on Swiss roads. They significantly reduce the volume of carbon emissions from the transport sector, making them an important part of the national climate strategy. The federal government wants to use the measures outlined in its ‘Roadmap Electromobility 2025’ to help increase the proportion of plug-in vehicles and increase the availability of public charging stations. However, carbon emission regulations for new vehicles also have a strong impact on the market penetration of electric cars. Importers operating in Switzerland who fail to reach carbon targets for their fleets face penalties.
Charging infrastructure: an opportunity
To ensure that this growing fleet of electric cars can be charged at home, on the road or at work, we need charging stations in public spaces as well as residential and commercial properties. Unlike Germany, for instance, Switzerland doesn’t (yet) have a ‘right to charge’. That means property owners and managers have an important part to play in actively expanding charging infrastructure.
Greater flexibility in the electricity grid
There is another advantage to charging infrastructure that is likely to become apparent in the medium and long term. Batteries in electric cars can reduce the strain on the electricity grid by helping to balance supply and demand – by absorbing electricity when supply exceeds demand. However, if demand is too high and there is a risk of peak loads, battery charging is temporarily paused. It is also foreseeable that, in future, batteries will be able to feed electricity into the grid for short periods in order to bridge supply bottlenecks. The electric car owners would receive remuneration from the distribution grid operator for such ‘grid support services’.
Electromobility makes environmental sense when the car is charged with fossil-free electricity. This can come from a power socket in the form of certified green power or – even better – from the building’s own solar panels. Combining electromobility and photovoltaics (PV) is not only climate-friendly, it also has financial benefits. Charging costs fall because PV electricity is usually cheaper than electricity from the grid. At the same time, the self-consumption and thus the profitability of the PV system increases.
As four out of five charging cycles take place at home or at the workplace, expanding charging infrastructure in owner-occupied homes, apartment buildings or larger complexes is particularly important. Owners, employers and building managers looking to prepare underground car parks and parking areas for electromobility don’t have to install charging stations everywhere all at once. A phased approach is best, as it allows you to spread out the investment costs and adapt the provision to actual needs. The SIA 2060 information sheet, which distinguishes between several stages of expansion, shows how this can be done. It is best to seek advice from a specialist to obtain a future-proof and easily scalable solution.
Charging an electric car requires a relatively high volume of electrical power. It’s therefore important that the charging infrastructure has a load management system, which can coordinate charging when several vehicles are connected at the same time, for instance. This prevents overloads, as the connected load of most properties is not designed for charging multiple electric vehicles. You can also alter the prioritisation for charging as your needs change. Normally, power is distributed evenly to the connected vehicles. There are also models, such as one based on ‘first come, first serve’, where charging is prioritised according to preferred departure time or the desired electricity billing rate (e.g. charging with off-peak electricity only). If charging is linked to a photovoltaic system, a comprehensive energy management system (EMS) is recommended.
Charging solutions from ewz
The ‘ewz.ladelösung’ option provides owners and management companies with a full-service package that covers everything relating to the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles. The client hardly incurs any expenses during operation, as ewz manages access for users, administers consumption-based billing and provides any necessary support for the charging station. The charging infrastructure is scalable and can be further expanded as necessary. Modern load management ensures that charging is coordinated with the consumers in the building.
A future-proof mobility solution also brings economic benefits to property owners. They increase the appeal – and value – of properties. Properties with charging infrastructure that is fully installed or at least prepped for this final step are future-proof, making them attractive to potential buyers. And this added market appeal often sees them drawing higher sales prices than comparable properties without electromobility infrastructure. What’s more, many tenants value a modern fit-out and the option of charging their electric vehicles in the underground car park. Properties with these features are generally easier to let, so owners can expect low vacancies and steady rental income.
The examples of the Guggach housing estate in Zurich and the Fischermätteli site in Burgdorf (Bern) show how charging infrastructure can be implemented in practice in combination with your own solar power. The charging infrastructure benefits from the carbon-free electricity from the site’s own PV systems. The system boasts impressive economic efficiency thanks to a good degree of self-consumption.
