EMnify > Case Studies > ChargeX brings smart EV charging to Volkswagen and Renault premises with EMnify

ChargeX brings smart EV charging to Volkswagen and Renault premises with EMnify

Customer Company Size

SME

Region

Europe

Country

Germany
Austria

Product

Aqueduct
EMnify IoT SIM
EMnify Web Portal
EMnify OpenVPN

Tech Stack

Cellular GSM technology
OCPP 1.6 standard
RFID-enabled charging pass

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Cost Savings
Productivity Improvements

Technology Category

Networks & Connectivity - Cellular
Networks & Connectivity - RFID

Applicable Industries

Automotive
Electronics

Applicable Functions

Facility Management
Logistics & Transportation

Use Cases

Vehicle Telematics
Remote Asset Management
Fleet Management

Services

System Integration
Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services

About The Customer

ChargeX is a Munich-based e-mobility startup founded in 2018. The company aims to make private and semi-public EV charging more accessible, user-friendly, and manageable. ChargeX's product, Aqueduct, is designed to meet the needs of business operators. It functions like a power strip that allows for sequential charging of multiple vehicles with a single power line. Via Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP), a central backend system collects all user and operational data to enable remote monitoring, billing management, and other digital services. Just one year since its market entry, ChargeX has successfully deployed Aqueduct at various customer locations across Germany and Austria – including Volkswagen, Renault, and Opel premises.

The Challenge

Electric vehicles are foreseen to be the future of urban mobility, especially as the new EU emission target comes into force in 2021, which limits the emission for average passenger cars to 95g CO2/km. However, the lack of charging infrastructure has been a major hurdle in the mass-market adoption of electric vehicles. Governmental plans to roll out fast public charging stations aim to alleviate the current shortage. But with 80% of all charging happening over a longer period – at home or work, equivalent private charging infrastructure is critical in the transition to electromobility. Businesses often do not see the appeal of implementing on-premises EV charging stations, due to the significant costs and complexity involved.

The Solution

ChargeX developed Aqueduct - a modular, affordable solution for private and semi-public charge point operators, typically enterprises, property owners, and parking houses. Built with a master-slave design and intelligent load management capability, the Aqueduct system is easy to install and maintain, allowing customers to quickly turn available parking lots into EV charging spaces. The number of charging modules can further be flexibly scaled to meet growing needs. Wireless communication is an integral part of ChargeX’s solution to enable remote system monitoring and allow its customers to offer EV charging as a service. Compatible with the latest OCPP 1.6 standard, Aqueduct modules collect user ID via an RFID-enabled charging pass for authentication, then communicate all important data points to the ChargeX backend system for management and operations via a wireless network.

Operational Impact

ChargeX can easily manage SIM operations and get real-time insights into device connection status, data usage, and connectivity events.
Free OpenVPN on the EMnify platform provides a fast and secure option to access remote Aqueduct modules for maintenance and troubleshooting.
ChargeX could keep the operational cost of connectivity effectively low, thanks to EMnify’s pooled billing and flexible pricing.

Quantitative Benefit

ChargeX has successfully deployed Aqueduct at various customer locations across Germany and Austria – including Volkswagen, Renault, and Opel premises.