On the surface, much of the future of electrification seems to lie in new industry entrants and startups with a penchant for shaking up the status quo.
But traditional auto suppliers also are gaining footing in the electric vehicle space.
Many are leveraging their power-management expertise to join the fast-paced world of EV infrastructure.
Siemens, Eaton and Webasto are examples of suppliers navigating the rapidly accelerating EV market and applying their strengths to meet needs for plentiful and robust EV charging. Here are their approaches.
The U.S. arm of Germany’s Siemens began its play in EV charging about a decade ago, said John DeBoer, head of Siemens’ eMobility and Future Grid business unit in North America.
“We have businesses that have focused on the electrification of homes, buildings, industrial facilities and electric utilities for the last 100 years,” DeBoer said.
Over time, he said, “we’ve really had to look at every single one of the components that go into each one of the pieces and technologies that fit into that and how do they now apply to the EV market.”
Siemens’ eMobility business now specializes in something it has dubbed PlugtoGrid Solutions, for applications such as transforming parking lots into electrical depots, as well as a range of charging station technologies, starting at Level 2 products.
Siemens also has an array of fast chargers for highway and corridor electrification.
The areas Siemens expects will grow? Higher- power charging and fleet electrification.
“2021 in the United States is the year of the electric truck, so we have seen an incredible success in focus in that segment this year,” DeBoer said.
“It’s important for us that we are participating in those different marketplaces.”
Eaton Corp. is focusing its EV infrastructure supply efforts on major campuses such as hospitals, universities and data centers.
The company also supplies commercial and residential buildings, all while working with electric utilities, said John Vernacchia, energy transition segment director at Eaton.
“As we look at the electrification of transportation, we see that as a huge opportunity for Eaton in total, both on solutions that go on the vehicles themselves, but also as an opportunity for how do you charge all of those vehicles now?” he said. “Obviously, the power requirements are different.”
Eaton plans to deploy Level 2 AC chargers targeted for residential and commercial applications, and Level 3 DC chargers for fast charging, in Europe in the second half of this year. These will make their way to North America in 2022 and 2023.
The company also will launch residential and light commercial-market products in North America starting at the end of this year.
Eaton acquired Green Motion, based in Switzerland, in March. Green Motion specializes in charging hardware and software. With the added expertise, Eaton also is developing battery energy storage technology.
“That expertise lends itself well to electric vehicle charging,” Vernacchia said. “It’s not just the charger, it’s the whole infrastructure behind it.”
For Webasto Charging Systems, the goal isn’t to compete with public charging providers such as ChargePoint.
Instead, the unit of Webasto Group is specializing in residential and business charging wall boxes and cord sets.
“The main areas where people will charge in the future will be at home or at work,” Jephta Wuensch, vice president of charging systems, Americas at Webasto, told Automotive News. As a result, Webasto doesn’t see much of a need to participate in the fast charging space. “Charging at home or charging at work is more than enough.”
The German auto supplier — traditionally of sunroofs and roof systems — has been exploring more opportunities in battery and charging systems over the past few years. Notably, the company acquired AeroVironment’s Efficient Energy Systems business to supplement its own capabilities.
“Learning this takes time,” Wuensch said of the charging landscape. “That’s why suppliers that are currently Tier 1s have a significant advantage.”
In addition to home and workplace applications, Webasto says its electric future lies in vehicle-to-grid bidirectional charging.
“We don’t want to just charge a car but be the connection between a car and the grid,” Wuensch said. “We can help both sides managing that significant amount of electric power that we need to manage in the future.”
Traditional auto suppliers are gaining ground in the electric vehicle space.