Retail4Multi-Use

There are major differences in the way commercial vehicles are used compared to private cars. These differences mainly relate to the different economic sectors and their respective vehicle operating concepts. To date, the planning and development of public charging infrastructure has mainly focused on private cars. However, in order to meet the increasing demand for charging infrastructure in commercial transport, it is necessary to identify the requirements of the relevant stakeholders. One objective is to analyse how the use of charging infrastructure could be enabled by the combined use of passenger cars and commercial vehicles at retail markets and shopping centres in Berlin. In addition, stakeholders in the commercial transport sector have other requirements, such as reservation options, pricing systems and access to locations with charging infrastructure. As part of our research into charging infrastructure for commercial vehicles, we are collecting data on vehicle usage patterns and charging preferences. This data will be used to determine charging requirements and identify the potential for multi-use.

Confidence on market ramp-up of electromobility

The transformation process for increasing the share of electromobility in Germany plays a key role in ensuring that the German government's climate protection targets for 2030 by a contribution of the transport sector. This can only be achieved if the development of the charging infrastructure precedes the market uptake of vehicles. However, the charging infrastructure will only be profitable for charging point operators if the number of electric vehicles increases significantly and the charging points are easily accessible. The Retail4Multi-Use project contributes to an improved utilisation of the charging infrastructure at retail markets and shopping malls at Berlin.

Analysing the multi-use potential

The Retail4Multi-Use project is investigating the use of charging infrastructure at several retail locations. Different user groups, in particular from the commercial transport sector, will be involved. The aim is to determine the potential of multiple use of charging infrastructure. To this end, the requirements of the relevant stakeholders for multiple use of the charging infrastructure will first be collected using various empirical survey formats. These include retail surveys, interviews and expert workshops with stakeholders. The DLR MovingLab will be used to collect driving profiles of different commercial vehicle users in order to obtain information on charging requirements and preferences. In addition, legal and procedural challenges will be analysed in order to accelerate the development of a multi-use charging infrastructure.

Project partners

• Reiner Lemoine Institut gGmbH

Associate partners