FAMOUS joint project Innovations for charging station sharing

As part of the FAMOUS project (Technologies, Standards, and Business Models for Grid-Friendly Asset Sharing of Charging Infrastructure), a software solution for reserving and sharing charging stations is being developed and tested in a pilot program.

Through the asset-sharing software being developed, charging station owners can offer their stations for use during times when they do not need them themselves. Each charging station owner retains control over which users (specific B2B partners, general B2B, or even B2C) are granted access. Users can book the available time slots, thereby gaining reliable access to charging stations. The reservation process will be based on universally applicable communication standards, interfaces, and protocols, ensuring that the results can be transferred to other market participants. 

The core objective of the project is to establish asset sharing as a market model that offers incentives for providers, users, and operators to share charging stations. To this end, solutions will be developed for the following issues:

• Billing and payment processing
• Access to depots
• Coordination with ongoing operational processes
• Clarification and development of legal and regulatory frameworks

A second core objective is the integration of the asset-sharing software with the distribution network operator’s grid status monitoring system. This enables information on expected power draw—available in the form of reservations—to be transmitted to the distribution network operator, allowing the operator to better forecast charging demands and prevent power bottlenecks early on.

The asset-sharing software, the underlying business model, and the interface with grid status monitoring are being tested in practice within the project consortium at selected depots, supermarkets, stationary car-sharing parking lots, bus depots, and P+R facilities.

In addition, a set of criteria is being developed for Hamburg to identify suitable sites on state-owned properties for the installation of shared charging stations. The goal is to design a holistic strategy and to leverage synergies in site development, energy, and mobility. The concept is to be integrated into strategy and planning processes.

The interdisciplinary project consortium comprises seven funding partners and ten associated organizations with many years of expertise in the field of the mobility and energy transition.

hysolutions is responsible for project coordination, contributes to the development of a viable asset-sharing model, and is developing a strategy to equip the properties of the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg (FHH) with (shared) charging infrastructure in order to integrate the project’s findings into the FHH’s overarching charging infrastructure planning. hysolutions is also responsible for developing a communication strategy for targeted external communication as well as for acquiring location partners to demonstrate the asset-sharing solution.   

Hamburger Energienetze GmbH will be responsible for the solution for reserving and sharing charging stations, with msu solutions GmbH providing support regarding billing and payment processing. cambio Mobilitätsservice GmbH & Co KG will integrate station-based carsharing into charging station sharing concepts, while Boesche Rechtsanwälte Partnerschaftsgesellschaft mbB will address legal and regulatory issues. The funding consortium is rounded out by research partners the German Aerospace Center (DLR), which will investigate user acceptance and determine the charging needs of mobility services, and the Institute for Climate Protection, Energy, and Mobility, which is leading the market and requirements analysis.

The Hamburg authorities for Economy and Innovation as well as for Transport and Mobility Transition, and the German Association of Energy and Water Industries are involved in the design of the asset-sharing solution. enercity AG and Hamburger Energiewerke GmbH are also contributing requirements from the perspective of charging station operators regarding regulations, market roles, and business models. Hamburger Hochbahn AG, MOIA Operations Germany GmbH, P+R-Betriebsgesellschaft mbH, and Verkehrsbetriebe Hamburg-Holstein GmbH intend to offer their own charging stations for sharing as location partners. MILES Mobility GmbH and MOIA are also participating as users of the charging stations. 

The project is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy with approximately 3.6 million euros.