Zittau electrifies

Across Germany, new electric car registrations account for well over 10% of the market share, but in Zittau, it still feels like a drop in the bucket. It will be interesting to see when the people of Upper Lusatia will be won over by electric cars.

So here, you can still feel like a pioneer—and that’s exactly how people felt at the first local get-together, which brought together those interested in e-mobility. The first meeting, held on September 30, 2021, was attended by university staff, electric car drivers, those responsible for the charging infrastructure, and interested citizens. CELSIUZ in the Mandauhöfe in Zittau provided the venue for the gathering. Over snacks and refreshments, participants exchanged insights, discussed the topic, and got to know one another.

In addition, stylish and exciting electric cars were on display in the parking lot. Attendees had the chance to get up close and personal with a Tesla Model 3 and a Hyundai Ioniq 5.

Tesla is a pioneer in terms of its radical user interface, driving performance, and charging infrastructure, and is certainly the best-known electric car manufacturer. The Ioniq 5 is particularly interesting because of its 800V—and thus very fast—charging technology and bidirectional charging capability. This means it can function as a home battery storage system, making it an attractive option for grid-friendly electric mobility. In the future, electric cars could help balance fluctuations in the power grid, but they could also, for example, power appliances directly from the car during a power outage. Incidentally, the owners hardly complained about problems with the cars themselves, but rather about charging stations blocked by parked cars.

Interestingly, at CELSIUZ, there was actually less talk about the cars themselves than about the charging infrastructure. We had Markus Jeschke from Zittau’s municipal utility company with us—a proven expert who was able to provide interesting insights into the installation of charging stations in Zittau. As is so often the case in life—it’s complicated. Consumers wonder: Why are there so few charging stations? Why is it so slow? Why isn’t it working? We got answers. They talked about billing models, site selection, and grid stability. There is all the more recognition due to the fact that the public utility continues to commit to expanding the charging infrastructure despite all the obstacles. There was also a lot of discussion about the opportunities presented by e-mobility and potential business models.

“Why are we even sitting here together?”

To get to know one another. The evening’s discussions showed that exchanging ideas leads to new insights and discoveries. We hope that this networking will result in new business models and partnerships in which the university can contribute its research expertise.

The get-together was organized as part of the Saxony5 transfer project.