Heidelberg Starts Selling its New Charging System for Electric Cars

Following its official market launch, the Heidelberg Wallbox Home Eco is available to purchase on www.amazon.de at an RRP of €499 (including VAT). Heidelberg is making a key contribution to the appeal of electric mobility in Germany with this system.

WIESLOCH/WALLDROF, Germany - June 11, 2018 - Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG (Heidelberg) has now launched its new charging system for electric cars in Germany. The Heidelberg Wallbox Home Eco is the first ever product for end customers in a company history that spans almost 170 years. The system is aimed at individuals and also at businesses and local authorities that want to use the charging station to recharge the electric vehicles in their own fleets as well as those of customers and visitors.

The Wallbox Home Eco has a CE-compliant design. Heidelberg developed all the power electronics itself and they are produced exclusively in Germany. Comparable solutions from Heidelberg have already proved a market success, with over 20,000 Wallboxes for the electric cars of a premium manufacturer and over 100,000 smart charging cables manufactured to customer specifications.

Supremely simple operation

The Heidelberg Wallbox Home Eco proved to be a big hit at the Mannheim Maimarkt. Lots of the visitors to Germany’s biggest consumer exhibition stopped by the Heidelberg booth to find out more about the opportunities and benefits of the new charging system.

The Wallbox is a stationary charging device that can be installed on a wall, in a carport or on a column. Thanks to its effective fuse protection and integrated fault current detection, customers can use it not only in garages but also in carports and outdoors. As with the company’s printing presses, the Heidelberg development engineers deemed an attractive design to be particularly important. In a similar way to an electric oven, the power is supplied via a separate cable with corresponding fuse protection. Charging system operation is based on the extremely straightforward plug & play principle. The charging power can be adjusted in a range extending to 11 kW. The exceptionally robust design and operation mean no maintenance or servicing is required. The column does, however, need to be installed by a trained electrician.

“Our Wallbox has been based around the most common charging behavior of electric vehicle owners, who normally drive the car to work every day, park there - in their employer’s car park, for example - and leave the vehicle in their garage or carport overnight. They need a reliable and economical charging option for these periods and that’s exactly what the Heidelberg Wallbox Home Eco provides,” says Stephan Plenz, Member of the Management Board Responsible for Heidelberg Digital Technology.

Various marketing channels

With an RRP of €499 (including VAT), the Heidelberg Wallbox Home Eco offers excellent value for money. It is initially being marketed via www.amazon.de. A major electrical wholesaler in the Baden-Württemberg region also stocks the charging system and takes care of installation. Marketing negotiations between Heidelberg and several electrical retail chains, a number of prefabricated house manufacturers, a well-known auto accessory retailer, and one of Germany’s largest retail groups are well advanced. In the Heidelberg area, the Wallbox is installed by electrical service providers of Heidelberger Druckmaschinen AG and the company is currently working on a nationwide service.

Also used in-house

The first charging stations are already available in the visitor car park at the Heidelberg Wiesloch-Walldorf site, where owners can recharge their electric vehicle batteries for free during their visit. A company located in the vicinity of the site which hires out and sells scooters used by Deutsche Post, among others, has also already ordered several Heidelberg Wallbox Home Eco systems. Electric vehicles are being used by an increasing number of tradesmen and service providers, too.

Heidelberg sees the Wallbox Home Eco as a basic entry-level model. It is planning further versions, including a premium product that will also integrate functions extending beyond the charging process. Billing systems for users who wish to use the charging system as a paid service provider for third parties are just one example.

Source: Heidelberg.

The preceding press release was provided by a company unaffiliated with Printing Impressions. The views expressed within do not directly reflect the thoughts or opinions of Printing Impressions.