Green Mobility Solutions trials charging station reservation system

The German startup Green Mobility Solutions has developed ‘Book-n-Park’, a control system that keeps charging points free and allows them to be reserved for specific drivers.

The space in front of the charging station itself is to be kept free by a parking bracket that can be controlled via an app. The first tests are now being started. The system means that users can check availability via smartphone and app, reserve the charging point at short notice, drive there and charge. An automatic parking barrier keeps the charging station free for users and also reports the availability of each charger to the system. Those who book the charging station can open the parking barrier via the app in the selected time window.

“Reliably available charging infrastructure has been recognised by many municipalities as the key to switching from the combustion engine,” says Mathias Hornjak, Managing Director and developer of Green Mobility Solutions GmbH (GMS). In Hamburg, Berlin, Darmstadt, Trier and Malaga, the company says that the ‘Book-n-Park’ control and parking locks will now be tested at selected charging stations. Other major cities are to follow.

The control system is to be integrated into the apps of the regional operators, according to GMS. While in Trier an e-taxi provider uses the solution to keep its charging point free of third-parties using their spot, the test in Berlin is to be larger. In Kreuzberg, in Berlin several charging stations are to be equipped as part of the EU-funded MEISTER project, which aims to advance new business models for charging infrastructure.

“We want to increase efficiency, utilisation and ease of use with intelligent charging infrastructure. In the course of the project, different reservation forms and times will be tested, and later also the users’ willingness to pay for the reservation service,” explains Berlin project coordinator Sabrina Schimmel. Interested users can test the reservation and service at the Lindenstraße 113 location free of charge for the time being. The service will be integrated into the “MEISTER Neighbourhood Mobility App” in Berlin. In Malaga, Spain, e-charging points are also being equipped with the smart parking control system as part of the MEISTER project.

The smart parking brackets developed by Green Mobility Solutions should be easy to install. Depending on the surface, four screws or bonding should be sufficient. “Our focus during development was precisely on simple and quick installation without foundations, supply lines or construction work,” a spokesperson for the company told our German counterparts at electrive.net “The brackets can be dismantled just as easily. Also, you can get by almost everywhere without a building application, but there are municipal differences here.” In order to get by without a supply line, the parking barriers have a replaceable battery, which the company says should last over a year in regular operation.

In addition to the specially developed parking bar, GMS says it also offers its control solution for automatic parking barriers, bollards, chains and gates. This should not only be able to control public charging points but also – as in the case of the Trier taxi operator – company charging points and private charging stations.

Reporting by Sebastian Schaal, Germany

Source: Info via email, book-n-park.de (in German)