As one of Europe’s largest e-mobility service providers, Volkswagen Group’s brand Elli will showcase new charging products and services as well as unveil its future plans at this year’s International Motor Show (IAA) in Munich. Elli will also give a sneak peek at upcoming energy innovations and its transition to providing holistic energy solutions.
At the heart of Elli’s IAA product presentation is the Flexpole. This easy-to-install and flexible fast charging station with an integrated battery storage system can be connected to a low-voltage grid without a special transformer or costly construction work. The Flexpole’s two connectors can deliver fast-charging speeds at up to 150 kW which can deliver up to 160 km range within 10 minutes, depending on the vehicle.
“With the new Flexpole and the continued expansion of Elli’s charging network to more than 540,000 charge points, we are quickly and reliably driving forward e-mobiliy’s expansion. Elli is already one of the largest e-mobility service providers in Europe. But, customers aren’t just interested in quantity – and that’s why we’re focusing much more on the holistic charging experience,“ explains Elli CEO Giovanni Palazzo in Munich.
With this in mind, Elli offers its customers access to the so-called Selected Partner Network – a network of premium charging point operators that have been selected according to strict quality criteria. This network has optimal charging stops, high-performance charging infrastructure with on-site convenience (e.g. cafés, restaurants, sanitary facilities), and excellent operational reliability. Elli Drive Highway tariff customers also benefit from exclusive, lower energy prices. Currently, IONITY Europe, the Audi charging hubs in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and Ewiva in Italy (among others) are part of the Selected Partner Network.
“Innovation in the charging and energy industry is key to e-mobility’s success and the decabonization of our society. In the future, Elli will focus more on the EV battery as a critical energy storage solution that gives us more independence from fossil fuels and the fluctuating availability of renewable energies. We call this the “Battery under management” strategy. Our goal is to become a software-driven energy company and a leading provider of holistic energy solutions,” Palazzo continues, referring to an important milestone in the energy business.
Since July 2023, the Volkswagen Group’s brand Elli has been active on Europe’s largest energy trading exchange EPEX. At its core is an intelligent platform for trading, controlling, and optimizing battery storage. The platform can automatically place bids on the energy exchange market. The trading results are then put into a schedule and the battery storage is charged or discharged accordingly. Electricity is purchased at a low-price phase (typically high in renewable energy mix) and sold in high-price phases (typically low in renewable energy mix and high in demand). This not only generates trading revenues, but also greatly improves utilization of renewable energy. In a pilot project in Baunatal (Kassel), e-up! batteries are used within a stationary battery storage center – the so-called “PowerCenter”. This pilot project gives Elli valuable experience in developing a smart energy platform which can be later used for larger and more complex applicaitions.
SOURCE: Volkswagen
