Electric car charging solution in shopping center Sello
Public spaces are filled with electric vehicles. Shopping centers feel this maybe more than any other business out there is. It is getting clear that these new battery powered cars need sufficient charger infrastructure to move around their masters behind the wheel.
Shopping center Sello understands this maybe better than anyone else, as they are the second largest shopping mall in Finland and see the growing demand for electric vehicle charging every day.
What makes Sello interesting, is that Sello thinks their electricity distribution systems as a holistic solution and electric car charging is one component of this grand system.
A very smart system indeed.
You see, Sello’s smart electricity system powers the whole mall as one entity and balances energy consumption within the whole shopping mall based on local demand within the shopping mall. This system allocates electricity where it is most needed when it is needed, without raising the aggregate energy demand of the entire mall.
This is a cost effective way to balance the entire electricity demand of the mall. Let’s see how this works in tandem with Ensto’s electric vehicle charging systems.
Sello solution: Smart mall and smart charging
The aforementioned energy demand balancing system was created for Sello by Siemens. An innovative solution I have to say as they are looking at the whole shopping mall as one source of energy demand.
They are not focusing on just a single light bulb, elevator or an EV charger, but rather balancing the energy consumption between all of these at once. Else they would run the risk of overloading their local energy grid which may lead into penalty fees (in certain countries) if done so. So, energy bills and carbon footprint are not the only two things that smart electricity solutions cut for Sello.
For this innovative solution Sello shopping center was even awarded Energy Service Award from EU and the platinum tier LEED certification for their energy and environmental design (as the first mall in Europe, in 2015).
What is interesting in this entire solution and individual Ensto Pro smart EV chargers (that Sello installed) is that Ensto Pro chargers can do the same thing on a small scale. This I guess, is one of the reasons why Ensto Pro chargers got selected to serve the customers of Sello.
Why did Ensto Pro smart chargers get selected for Sello?
First of all, Ensto Pro smart chargers (with dynamic load balancing) are able to balance the energy demand between individual chargers. So they operate in tandem with each other as one entity, very much like the Sello solution for energy management.
If one electric car that is connected to an Ensto Pro charger has almost empty battery (thus the EV requires more rapid charging), then Ensto Pros (with dynamic load balancing) charge this electric car to a certain % of the full battery while simultaneously limiting the load given to other cars in aggregate.
The end result is that now each car gets the power they need without increasing the overall energy demand of the entire system.
Secondly, even so that these electric car chargers sit in the parking hall of Sello, not a single charger needs attention from Sello employees, as the charger usage is operated by the visiting customer via smartphone app Ecariot.
Ensto Pro chargers are natively compatible with Ecariot which made it easy to implement the charging solution. Just the initial configuration of the chargers was needed. From now on only the maintenance personnel of Sello need to access the chargers from time to time, luckily each charger has their maintenance hatch easily accessible on the side of the charger.
Knowing this, it was a pleasure hearing from Sello system designer (Siemens) Anssi Laaksonen that:
“I have followed Ensto’s footsteps on electric car charging ever since they stepped into this business in 2012. It was easy to do work with the company that I already knew. Ensto’s chargers have taken great leaps in terms of technology while I know these chargers work and are capable of adapting to future needs. Few of the great benefits of these chargers are their local energy measurement, standardized measurement and cost effectiveness. It is clear that this charging solution works as agreed and intended, so we can even deepen our collaboration.”
- Anssi Laaksonen, from Siemens who selected Ensto Pro for Sello.
So, this is how we ended up delivering 24 Ensto Pro smart chargers for Sello, to operate as part of their award winning green energy solution.
If you are interested in a similar kind of electric car charging solution for your own business, we have outlined your possible business models for it in our Electric Car Charging for Retail Guide. Feel free to try it out.
Conclusion
Ensto Pro was a no brainer charger for Sello. It helps the environment friendly and forward thinking shopping mall to be what it aims to do.
As Sello feels it’s not only a “shopping center” but rather a “city center”, Ensto Pro helps electric car owners fill their car batteries while restaurants fill the bellies of the EV owners. All this works seamlessly for the car owner, for the car, and for Sello, as the customers mind their daily business on the mall, be it visiting the concert hall, library, or hyper market of Sello.
A remarkable achievement that was put in use together with the combo of Siemens, Ecariot and Ensto, to provide Sello with the solution that they needed. Thus, it is no wonder that Sello has won the prize of Best shopping mall in Finland.
To start drafting your own electric car charging solution, read our Electric Car Charging for Retail Guide.
If you wish to know more about Ensto Pro electric car chargers and it’s wide tool set head here.
We trust this EV charger can fill your charging needs with
- dynamic load management
- low lifecycle cost
- robust structure and powerful charging (2x22kW, model 2)
Get to know the Ensto Pro charger here.