Munich/Pforzheim, June 28, 2023 – Power2Drive Europe 2023 provided a picture of tomorrow’s mobility and its role in future smart energy systems. 260 exhibitors showcased their products and innovations at the international exhibition for charging infrastructure and e-mobility. In total, around 400 suppliers presented their e-mobility technologies, all under the umbrella of The smarter E Europe 2023. There was enormous interest: More than 106,000 visitors from 166 countries caught up on the latest mobility solutions at Power2Drive Europe 2023 and its parallel exhibitions. For next year, from June 19–21, 2024, the exhibition area of Power2Drive Europe will grow by over 80 percent.
©Solar Promotion GmbH
Electromobility is thriving across Europe – now the need for a widespread charging infrastructure in the public as well as semi-private and private realms is becoming all the more urgent. In less than seven years, the amount of today’s installed charging points need to grow sevenfold in order to meet the European Union’s goal (2030: 3.5 million). Companies presented essential elements of the mobility transition such as charging solutions, mobility services and electric vehicles at Power2Drive Europe 2023.
Jasmina Bunic, Head of eMobility Schneider Electric for the German-speaking regions: “Power2Drive Europe is an essential part of our event calendar. For three intensive days, trade visitors, potential customers, new and old contacts meet up to discuss the industry’s innovations. Experiencing the passion for electromobility – that’s what Power2Drive Europe is all about.”
Sector coupling: Photovoltaics for charging infrastructure, car batteries as flexible storage devices
Power2Drive Europe 2023 has also highlighted that the world of mobility is part of a system of tightly knit sectors: The key to our mobile lives is the smart combination of photovoltaics (PV), storage and e-mobility. Sector coupling is already being practiced when parking lots are equipped with charging stations supplied directly by a PV installation on the parking lot’s canopy – this concept contributes both to the energy and the mobility transition. What’s more, the role of electric vehicles as mobile energy storage systems is growing: E-cars can supply electricity to homes and offices (Vehicle2Home, Vehicle2Building) as well as stabilize the public power grid (Vehicle2Grid). In the future, using car batteries as flexible storage systems in a smart grid will be a crucial factor in guaranteeing a stable energy supply and a cost-effective way of achieving climate targets. Visitors at Power2Drive Europe 2023 were able to discover innovations in bidirectional charging at Wallbox Charger’s live demos, for instance.
Marcus Fendt, Managing Director at The Mobility House: “Power2Drive Europe is becoming more and more important to us as the years go by. It is evolving into the leading product exhibition in Europe for charging electric cars. There is nowhere else that we can meet so many customers and partners. As a technology company, and in the face of the accelerating dynamic of smart charging and Vehicle2Grid technology, we thrive on exchanging knowledge and ideas. This kind of networking is necessary to make the energy transition a success, to make quick progress.”
The Outdoor Area was a big hit: Trade visitors got the chance to take e-vehicles from renowned manufacturers for a spin. Companies such as Skoda, Lucid and Nissan offered visitors the opportunity to get behind the wheel for a first-hand e-car driving experience. Fleet managers who are in a position to contribute to reducing the carbon emissions of municipalities and companies by electrifying their fleets, and many a visitor of the parallel energy exhibitions learned about the benefits of e-vehicles, from motorcycles to commercial vehicles.
Debut: Power2Drive AWARD honors outstanding innovations
This year, the Power2Drive Europe exhibition also celebrated the debut of its AWARD, which recognizes innovators from the area of electromobility and charging infrastructure. This year’s winners include Hive Power with their Software-as-a-Service platform FLEXO Smart Charge, paXos Consulting & Engineering with their charging plug Cool-Load Megawatt and TWAICE Technologies with their software solution Mobility In-life Battery Health Analytics. The fact that e-mobility is becoming a crucial part in the entire smart energy system was also reflected by the fact that some Power2Drive Europe exhibitors were honored with awards from one of the parallel energy exhibitions: For instance, Wallbox Charger received the The smarter E AWARD for its energy management system, SIRIUS. The Mobility House was bestowed the EM-Power AWARD for its ChargePilot, an energy management system for optimized charging.
Power2Drive Europe Conference highlights the challenges of international competition
At the successful Power2Drive Europe Conference on June 13–14, 2023, experts presented market trends, analyses and research findings as well as innovative projects in the areas of e-mobility and charging systems. The attendees agreed that users of e-mobility – whether they own one vehicle or an entire fleet – will contribute to a sustainable energy supply as prosumers, while also reaping benefits for themselves. The conference attendees see China’s speed of innovation as a motivating challenge that Europe needs to keep up with. “The transformation towards electromobility is no longer a phenomenon of the future – it is already happening. China is at the forefront of innovation while Europe sets the standards”, Heiko Seitz, PwC Global eMobility Leader, stated. Experts see some great potential in the electrification of commercial vehicles in Europe.
As part of Europe’s largest platform for the energy industry, The smarter E Europe, the next Power2Drive Europe event, as well as the accompanying Intersolar Europe, ees Europe and EM-Power Europe exhibitions, will be taking place at Messe München from June 19–21, 2024.
