Recently, the German company Rheinmetall AG has submitted an elaborate report where it detailed the pilot project around its innovative sidewalk loaders. Throughout the last year in the city of Colonia, four of these loaders installed on public roads have been operating uninterruptedly.
As the company itself explains, the objective was to validate the practical suitability, urban and design advantages, as well as the acceptance of the innovative load solution for a period of twelve months. Christoph MüllerGeneral Director of the Power Systems Division of Rheinmetall, has commented after the initial success of the test loaders test:
“Our product integrates the electronics of the loader into a standard curb to allow the load of electric vehicles directly on the road, without bollards that obstruct the circulation, without intrusions in the pedestrian zone or concessions in terms of safety or aesthetics. Thus we contribute to the transition of mobility with innovative solutions. Our developed curb loader is a product ready for its production in series.”
Concludes: “With this, urban load infrastructure is rethink: save space, it is robust, without barriers and is integrated into existing urban structures.” Throughout this time, these sidewalk loaders have made a total of 2,800 successful load cycles (an average of more than two per day and load point) with a technical availability of more than 99 %.
Rheinmetalll sidewalk chargers in detail
This is partly thanks to the installation system itself, as well as the technical characteristics of which you enjoy. Among them their impermeability or a contrasted resistance to the impacts. However, Rheinmetall’s sidewalk chargers loaded a total of more than 50 MWh of energyan average of some 19 kWh by cycle, which corresponds to an autonomy of approximately 120 kilometers.
During the field test, 100 users shared their experiences with an average rating of 4.38 of 5 points. Users especially valued the opportunity to have a full and easy -to -use full -used charge option. Its integration into the urban landscape, protection against vandalism, space savings, conservation of vision lines and reduction in the risk of stumbling with load cables is also remarkable.
On the contrary, there are even improvable aspects in the final version of the model, such as visibility, an aspect that can be easily improved by specific signaling and navigation integration, as well as with load applications in the usual use in the field. Throughout the test, specific improvements were implemented in the design of Rheinmetall’s sidewalk loaders.
These include a better deviation from dirt and optimized lighting around loading, thus guaranteeing greater resistance to environmental influences and optimized management. In conclusion, we are facing a system that offers us a quick, flexible, scalable and profitable installation of public free access points.
In addition, the company points to the possibility, when building new pre -equip infrastructures, the so -called “hollow curbs”, which can subsequently include load modules in a flexible manner, with low in advance and effortlessly as demand increases.
Therefore we are facing a system that could, in a real way, the load needs of millions of users, in addition to offering a series of advantages with respect to what we currently have, together with its easy installation, maintenance and operability.