The German Federal Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the starting signal for the National Platform for Electromobility (NPE) on May 3, 2010. The objective of this initiative by the German federal government is to turn Germany into the leading market for electromobility and to have one million electric vehicles on the roads of Germany by 2020.
Government and the affected industries have resolved to develop a joint approach with customer-oriented and sustainable solutions. Seven working groups were established in pursuit of this objective.
Michael Dick, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, heads the working group "Standardization and Certification." "We are striving for global standards to achieve the greatest possible synergies of national and international concepts, primarily to best serve the interests of the customer" said Mr Dick. Assisting him in this function are his two deputies, Roland Bent, Managing Director of Phoenix Contact GmbH & Co. KG, and Dr. Norbert Verweyen, Managing Director of RWE Effizienz GmbH.
The "Standardization and Certification" working group has focused on two main topics since it was established. First, it develped the "German Standardization Roadmap for Electromobility."
This provides an overview of the existing structures and specifications in the standards landscape and identifies fundamental requirements and recommended actions. The project groups have also identified the most important requirements for the market introduction of electromobility – charging interface, charging stations and battery safety – in order to contribute to the worldwide breakthrough of electromobility. In the days ahead, the working group will publish a document that provides an overview of specifications in the areas of motor vehicle technology and hazardous goods transport.
A benchmark paper summarizing the standardization roadmap has also been prepared to foster efficient working within European and international committees. It summarizes the requirements of the standardization roadmap and outlines the required boundary conditions, gives concrete recommendations and shows where further action is required by standards organizations. The benchmark paper has already been presented to the European standards and standardization institutes so that standards and standardization can be implemented quickly and transparently.
