Better use of charging infrastructure with the pass-through model
Currently, owners of electric cars have to either sign a contract with the charging station operator or charge through roaming service providers. However, to make more economical use of the existing infrastructure, it would be beneficial if drivers could simply bill their electricity consumption through their private or commercial electricity tariff.
The solution is a pass-through model. This means that electric car drivers bring their own electricity tariff and charge their batteries at the charging station using this tariff. The charging station operator receives a pass-through premium for this. This separates the costs of electricity procurement and the operation of charging infrastructure.
Manage and bill loadsThe roadshow initiated by the Banula research project is currently demonstrating how this non-discriminatory charging of heavy commercial vehicles will work in the future. It is based on the Vcharm charging and load management system developed by Vector Informatik – one of Banula's partners. This enables dynamic, grid-friendly charging. Combined with an external billing system, this creates a blueprint for companies that want to use their charging infrastructure more intelligently, for example, by integrating solar power from their own depots, publicly charging third-party electric trucks, or charging company vehicles via employees' private electricity contracts.
Bright spot: Lack of competition leads to excessive charging prices for electric vehicles
Virtual balancing group establishedThe Banula project, in which the transit model is currently being tested, demonstrates that this has long been working. The name stands for barrier-free and user-friendly charging. What's special about it is that energy management is handled via a virtual balancing area. This allows electricity volumes to be clearly allocated and transparently billed without central roaming platforms and without duplicate interfaces. This reduces complexity and creates new scope for grid-related optimization.
Special on electromobility: Smart charging of electric cars for private and business use
Information event in BerlinThe Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering (IAO), the project partner, will hold a closing event in Berlin on September 26, 2025. Here, freight forwarders, charging station operators, the energy industry, grid operators, municipal utilities, traction current suppliers, and software service providers will learn about the advantages of the pass-through model for the various market roles and how it can be implemented in practice. (see below)
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