Volkswagen Group brand Elli launches smart charging product offensive for Europe
Now available: Elli Charger 2 features smart charging technology that reduces charging costs by up to 40%.Everything from one trusted source: Volkswagen offers an industry-unique ecosystem comprising of electric vehicles, proprietary smart chargers, its own green electricity tariff, a solar power system partnership with Otovo, and an app-integrated public charging network with over 770,000 charge points across Europe.At the heart of this seamless and innovative ecosystem is the newly introduced Volkswagen Naturstrom Flex, which enables price optimized charging. Customers benefit from automatically charging when electricity market prices are low. In 2023, Elli initiated trading on the German electricity market at the largest European power exchange, EPEX Spot.
Volkswagen Group Charging GmbH (Elli ) is launching its first smart charger in Europe. The Elli Charger 2 integrates via solar surplus charging with a home’s solar power system and can use price optimized charging to automatically charge when electricity market prices are lowest. Elli has now set new standards in integrating renewable energies and reducing charging costs to make the energy transition at home a reality. Furthermore, customers can now also purchase and install a solar power system from Otovo together with the smart charger. The partnership between Elli and Norwegian solar power marketplace Otovo will initially be rolled out in Germany at selected Volkswagen dealers (including in Hamburg, Ulm, and Augsburg) as a pilot project and is intended to be established across Europe in the long term.
“At Elli , we see smart charging as the interface between electric mobility and the energy transition at home. Our smart charging products, especially our new charger, represent a significant innovation step for our customers. The Elli Charger 2 helps make charging electric cars even more environmentally friendly by ensuring that EVs are charged when green electricity is readily available and cheap.
Volkswagen Group Charging (Elli) presents new charging products for e-fleets and companies at the IAA Transportation 2024
Elli offers in-house developed digital products and AC and fast charging solutions scalable and tailored to each customer. In addition, Elli gives businesses, logistics companies, and fleet operators access to one of the largest charging networks in Europe with over 750,000 charging points. Giovanni Palazzo
New collaboration model with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles At the IAA Transportation 2024, the Volkswagen Group brand Elli is presenting the integration of its charging services into the ConnectPro fleet tool developed by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. The integrated charging services make it possible to manage public charging cards, which is an important addition to comprehensive fleet management for electric vehicles. “Our solutions bundle important information from vehicle and charging data in one platform. Whether permanently assigned company cars or pool vehicles, our charging products are flexibly tailored to the requirements of different company fleets. Together with Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, we are using ConnectPro to accelerate the comprehensive electrification of plant and company locations,” explains Michael Gotthelf, Vice President Elli Commercial. A few months ago, Elli introduced “Charging Site Management”, which supports companies in setting up and managing charging infrastructure. This includes the planning, construction and installation of AC and DC charging stations, as well as the provision of software solutions so that corporate customers can efficiently manage their charging sites. Elli now offers software-based, cross-portfolio load management for this purpose, which can be set up and managed without any on-site effort. Elli Charger 2 – Next generation charger for business customers The Elli Charger 2 – made in Germany - combines state-of-the-art smart charging technology with a user-friendly design and is also celebrating its IAA trade fair premiere.
ID. Buzz Pro KR: power consumption combined: 20.7-18.9 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A. Information on fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions and CO₂ classes in ranges depending on the selected equipment of the vehicle.
ID. Buzz Pro LR: power consumption combined: 21.0-19.5 kWh/100 km; combined CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km; CO₂ class: A. Information on fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions and CO₂ classes for ranges depending on the selected vehicle equipment.
Elli enters the industrial energy storage business
The Volkswagen Group is entering a new business segment with the Elli charging and energy brand and will develop, build and operate large-scale stationary storage systems together with partners along the value chain. In the future, Elli's industrial energy storage systems will be used to supply customers and for arbitrage transactions on the electricity market. In this way, Elli is driving the transformation into a smart energy company and making a significant contribution to stabilizing and increasing the efficiency of the power grids. First Elli battery storage projects could be set up as early as next year.
The largest projects in the Elli project pipeline currently have a capacity of up to 350 MW and a storage capacity of 700 MWh. Such projects would almost double the total storage capacity installed in Germany, which currently amounts around one GWh. "Germany and Europe need sufficient storage solutions to meet the increasing demand and to compensate for the volatile feed-in of renewable energies. Our investment in stationary battery storage systems is therefore a significant contribution to the sustainable transformation of the energy supply," says Volkswagen Group Board Member for Technology Thomas Schmall. The need for storage solutions is enormous: In 2023 alone, around 10,500 GWh were not generated from renewable electricity sources in Germany due to a lack of intermediate storage options. This amount of electricity would have been enough to power more than 3.2 million electric vehicles with electricity from renewable sources for a year. In order to compensate for the volatility of renewable energies, Fraunhofer Institute estimates a demand for battery storage systems of over 100 GWh by 2030.
Introducing the all-new Elli Charger 2: cost-effective charging to drive the energy transition at home
Lower charging costs thanks to smart charging features: the new Elli Charger 2 optimizes charging according to a home’s solar energy production and electricity prices and reduces charging costs by up to 40 percent.Developed for Europe: tailored to 28 European markets, the Elli Charger 2 will be available in four product versions starting from summer 2024.All-in-one solution: Volkswagen Group offers an industry-unique ecosystem featuring an electric vehicle, home charger, an exclusive green electricity tariff, and soon a photovoltaic system via our partner Otovo.Cutting-edge design meets best-in-class technology: the new charger engineered in close coordination with vehicle experts, manufactured in Germany at high-quality standards.
The Volkswagen Group brand Elli presents a significant product innovation for charging EVs. The new Elli Charger 2 is equipped with a wide range of services, enables significantly reduced charging costs, and is characterized by a perfectly coordinated ecosystem. Volkswagen customers can now purchase their electric vehicle, charger, and electricity tariff in an easy and integrated manner from a single source. In the future, they will also be able to purchase a solar panel system via selected Volkswagen sales channels. As part of the product launch of the new charger, Elli today announced a strategic partnership with the European solar panel provider Otovo to offer e-mobility customers holistic and innovative energy solutions for their home.
"To drive e-mobility, we have to make the charging experience simpler and significantly more cost-effective for customers. This is where the new Elli Charger 2 shines. It charges when solar energy is available and electricity prices are at their lowest.
„Charging Site Management” – Elli launches new commercial product
Elli’s all-new product Charging Site Management bundles planning, construction, and operation of charging infrastructure at company sites together with charging hardware and digital software. Autobahn GmbH des Bundes commissions Elli to supply Flexpoles for loading the company's own fleet. Elli’s product range benefits from its extensive experience in charging site management at Volkswagen Group locations. In total, Elli has been operating over 8,200 charging points at 23 Volkswagen plants and 1,500 retail locations since 2020 and has developed a deep understanding of the specific requirements and challenges that companies and their fleets face in the transition to electric mobility.
The electrification of fleets is a key step in the mobility transition, and with it comes the demand for innovative B2B charging solutions that ensure smooth operation of their business activities. With Charging Site Management, Volkswagen Group subsidiary Elli is launching a completely new B2B product that offers AC and DC charging hardware (including Elli Flexpole, Elli Charger and additional charging hardware from selected partners), integrated software solutions (including Elli Site Management Console and Elli Fleet Management Console), as well as extensive consulting functions. The software solutions focus on a simple plug and play concept and offer all features for the operation of charging infrastructures, including load management. Users have the option of making important changes for their operations at any time via dashboards (e.g. usage periods, average capacity utilization).
"We are very proud to now offer companies a customized charging product that relies on state-of-the-art hardware and software solutions. Charging Site Management is a modular product portfolio for fleet operators. Companies choose the scope of charging solutions according to their individual needs," explains Michael Gotthelf, Vice President Elli Commercial.
Hannover Messe 2024: Pioneering Research Project – Charging Electric Vehicles with Wind Energy
Volkswagen Group Charging (Elli ), EnerKíte, TU Braunschweig, and other project partners are researching an energy-autonomous charging solution for e-mobility.High-tech kites harvest high-altitude winds and convert them into electricity, which can be stored in innovative battery systems and used to charge EVs.Federal Minister Stark-Watzinger: "Strong network of competencies for the energy transition."
Volkswagen Group's subsidiary Elli , airborne wind turbine manufacturer EnerKíte, and the Technical University of Braunschweig present groundbreaking research at the Hannover Messe, which could enable energy-autonomous charging for electric vehicles in the future. High-tech kites "harvest" strong and steady high-altitude winds, converting them into electricity. The energy is stored in Elli's Flexpole fast-charger and can be used to charge EVs. The project is funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research and coordinated at the Open Hybrid LabFactory Campus in Wolfsburg.
During her visit to the Hannover Messe, Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger learned about the cooperation project between science, industry and the start-up scene, whose research approach could solve a major problem for e-vehicle users in remote regions of the world and has enormous potential for the diversification of energy generation and charging infrastructure. Renewable energy sources are volatile, leading to higher costs for storage systems and network infrastructure. The collaboration between EnerKíte's base-load-capable airborne wind turbines and Elli's charging and storage technology enables grid-independent and constant power supply, even in remote regions. The new Elli Flexpole can be easily and flexibly installed as a fast-charging station and connected to the low-voltage grid thanks to its integrated battery system, without the need for a special transformer or expensive construction work.