Nokia Siemens Networks to support Germany’s electric car uptake

Munich, Germany

First telecoms vendor to join electric mobility research project

Nokia Siemens Networks has joined the Smart Wheels project consortium working toward boosting electric mobility* in Germany. The company will contribute its expertise in roaming to support field trials in the Aachen region. It will enable convenient recharging of electric vehicles at multiple locations, irrespective of the service provider.

The Smart Wheels project is one of the seven ‘ICT for Electric Mobility’ model projects funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). The project is focused on integrating electric vehicles into smart grids and public utility infrastructure to be able to offer new sources of energy and balance potential load fluctuations**.

“Nokia Siemens Networks extends the activities within our consortium and we can now include systems that are roaming ready,” said Peter Wolters, head of the Smart Wheels project consortium. “We appreciate Nokia Siemens Networks’ participation that enriches the project.”

“With large similarities between telecom networks and energy infrastructure, we are committed to using our technology to help develop smart energy solutions,” said Lydia Sommer, country director, Nokia Siemens Networks Germany. “Just like subscribers roaming in mobile networks, electric vehicle owners require the convenience of recharging their vehicle batteries at multiple locations operated by different service providers. Nokia Siemens Networks’ user-friendly approach to authentication, billing and roaming can help address this need.”

Nokia Siemens Networks’ identity management solution will ensure easy and secure user identification at electricity recharging stations, while its ‘Unified Charging and Billing’ solution will enable customers to recharge their vehicles and pay anywhere. The company will work with other consortium partners to conduct field tests with electric vehicles in the Aachen region of Germany. Nokia Siemens Networks can also provide e-mobility to service providers with its additional services such as data collection on energy use, rating, operation and maintenance.

About Smart Wheels

There are eight members in the Smart Wheels consortium that cooperate in an ‘ICT for Electric Mobility’ model projects funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). The project is focused on integrating electric vehicles into smart grids and public utility infrastructure to be able to offer new sources of energy and balance potential load fluctuations. More information at www.smart-wheels.de

About Nokia Siemens Networks

Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com

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Notes to editors:
*Electric mobility refers to a concept wherein vehicles are powered by batteries, fuel cells or through direct connections to an electric grid.

**The integration of e-mobility with the energy system allows the use of vehicle batteries as a big distributed storage to balance the generation and load-fluctuation. Batteries can charge power when renewable energies are present in the grid and feed it back into the grid in times of high demand. Furthermore, electric vehicles help the energy industry to optimize the load management of their grids. Source: Smart Wheels website.

The increased use of ICT in the society can help contain the environmental impact of business and economic growth. The ICT sector can help reduce CO2 emissions by up to five times its own footprint through initiatives such as dematerialization, smart logistics, smart cities, smart transportation, smart manufacturing and smart grids. (Source: Smart 2020 Report 2008, www.smart2020.org)

Nokia Siemens Networks offers a comprehensive portfolio of products, solutions and services to support such initiatives.