Uniper, a leading European energy company, relies on a future-proof charging infrastructure for its electric vehicle fleet and employees at over 100 locations, meeting the increasing demands for flexibility, safety, and cost efficiency.
Expansion of the charging infrastructure for electric vehicles
Uniper is a European energy company with a global reach, headquartered in Düsseldorf and active in more than 40 countries. With around 7,500 employees, the company makes an important contribution to supply security in Europe, especially in its core markets Germany, the United Kingdom, Sweden, and the Netherlands. To supply electricity to the electric vehicles in its own fleet as well as to employees' private cars and to integrate existing charging points at some locations into a comprehensive system, Uniper sought an experienced partner for further expansion and development at the beginning of 2024, following initial experience with charging infrastructure. The nationwide tender was awarded to The Mobility House Solutions, which makes us very proud.
"We are pleased that Uniper relies on the many years of experience and comprehensive service of The Mobility House. This is an exciting project for us because we are working directly with an energy producer on technologies that make the energy transition a reality."
Sebastian Karrer,
Director Sales at The Mobility House Solutions
Centralized and scalable charging infrastructure through flexibility
Uniper aimed to make the charging of different vehicles at company sites manageable centrally and scalable flexibly, complemented by a comprehensive service offering. At the same time, the already existing infrastructure at some locations was to be integrated and further expanded across Germany and multiple subsidiaries. Different conditions had to be taken into account at the individual sites, with charging options created in parking garages and underground car parks, on company parking lots—partly inside, partly outside the premises—as well as at employees' homes. A cooperative partnership and experience were always key pillars for the successful cooperation.
Tailored charging solutions for critical infrastructures
Uniper placed special importance on the charging solution meeting the unique requirements of power plant infrastructure. This includes considerations related to mining law for open-pit mining and compliance with KRITIS guidelines for cybersecurity in critical infrastructure. Additionally, the project required securing the involvement of numerous stakeholders to achieve a unified solution. Uniper manages more than 1,000 service vehicles, pool cars, and special-purpose vehicles across over 100 locations, all of which are to be gradually electrified. The charging infrastructure is designed to grow organically and be expanded as smoothly as possible to keep pace with the evolving fleet and conditions.
Faster expansion and efficient management with ChargePilot
Shortly after commissioning, together with Uniper, we have already newly built or planned more than 200 charging points at the first 20 locations. Early in the project, Uniper decided to also rely on the charging and energy management system ChargePilot, serving as a platform for both new and existing charging infrastructure. This allows the energy provider to fully benefit from manufacturer independence and flexibility while reliably avoiding "stranded assets." It also ensures that the many charging processes fit efficiently and cost-effectively into the existing energy system at each site.
The managers responsible for fleet and charging infrastructure at Uniper can view and manage all parameters of every charging point at all locations from a central system, regardless of their location. ChargePilot automates the monitoring and dynamic load management of charging points as well as the transparent billing of charging processes. All relevant information is exchanged by ChargePilot via open interfaces, for example, with energy management and billing systems.
With The Mobility House Solutions’ 24/7 hotline and integrated monitoring, disruptions are minimized, significantly increasing the safety and reliability of the charging infrastructure.
"What we especially appreciate about The Mobility House Solutions is that we always had a competent contact person, no matter how tricky or unusual the problem was. We will certainly rely on them more often in the future because, as an energy service provider, Uniper already has future developments in mind to advance the energy transition. For example, soon we want to test Vehicle-to-Grid and several other innovations. With ChargePilot, we have already created the optimal foundation for this."
Thomas Veith,
Procurement Manager at Uniper
Successful start in record time: Uniper lays the foundation for a flexible and secure charging infrastructure
One of the greatest successes was the speed with which we were able to implement the order. Following the tender in April 2024, the contract was awarded at the end of September, and the first charging operations via ChargePilot took place just about 7 weeks later. This has now laid the foundation at Uniper for a comprehensive and flexibly scalable charging infrastructure that can be adapted at any time to changing circumstances. This was achieved despite the high security requirements in the environment of critical infrastructure.