Germany : SPIE sets up a test centre for IONITY technology with fast charging stations for electric vehicles

Unterschleissheim, 9 June 2022 - SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, was commissioned by IONITY, a joint venture of the car manufacturers BMW Group, Ford Motor Company, Hyundai Motor Group, Mercedes Benz AG and the Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche, to establish a test centre with fast charging stations. In Unterschleissheim near Munich, a series of high power charging (HPC) stations from different manufacturers are now ready for service. IONITY tests the technological interaction between new electric vehicles and the charging stations.

Full set-up services for the test centre

Over the course of just a few months, SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa, the German subsidiary of SPIE, installed and commissioned a series of fast charging stations from different manufacturers on an area of unused land covering around 5,000 square metres. The order involved planning the test centre, performing all the preparation work (including earthworks and cable installation), laying the foundations, installing the transformers, installing the charging stations (including the cabling) and connecting the test centre to the grid. "With the help of our twelve-strong team, we implemented an extremely wide-ranging project and thus established a test centre where previously zero infrastructure such as access roads and supply lines existed," says Phillip Mittermeier, Service Office manager at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.

IONITY's first test centre in Germany

"Optimising the charging technology in electric vehicles and so establishing a charging infrastructure that is fit for purpose is an important basis for further expanding electric mobility, which is crucial to the success of the energy transition," says Pascal Vermaten, Head of Key Account Management for the Energy & Mobility Solutions branch of the CityNetworks & Grids operational division, at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.
"Thanks to the ability to test new electric vehicles at our test centre on almost all HPC stations available on the European market, any potential hardware or software incompatibilities or problems during charging processes can be identified by us and then fixed by the vehicle manufacturers," says Alexander Hörig, who manages the IONITY test centre. The aim is to offer drivers of electric vehicles - whatever the make - maximum reliability at all IONITY sites and to ensure that market innovations in the IONITY network are launched only when they have successfully passed all the necessary tests.

Trusting partnership in the field of e-mobility

Among SPIE's areas of focus are the mobility transition and across-the-board implementation of charging infrastructures. With numerous references under its belt, the multi-technical service provider has already acquired extensive experience in the planning, installation, maintenance and operation of charging stations for electric vehicles. "We are delighted with the trust that IONITY has placed in us over multiple projects spanning the past three years. Our shared goal is to expand the Europe-wide network of HPC stations and so further strengthen the transition toward sustainable mobility. The test centre for new electric vehicles represents yet another vital contribution here," says Dietmar Bogerl, Head of the Energy & Mobility Solutions branch at SPIE. "SPIE did a fantastic job of establishing and commissioning our test centre. I would like to thank the entire team for their outstanding and highly cooperative partnership," says Alexander Hörig.