Doesn’t take up any space

Rheinmetall and TankE are developing a kerb with charging infrastructure

Doordat de laadinfrastructuur in de stoeprand is geïntegreerd neemt ze geen extra ruimte in. Rheinmetall, 2026

The German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and TankE have jointly designed a charging infrastructure aimed at towns and local authorities. It supplies EVs with electricity from the kerb.

Rheinmetall may be best known for its military activities, but its subsidiary Pierburg has now turned its attention to the charging infrastructure market. It has developed a modular kerb that also functions as a charging point. To this end, the charging technology has been integrated into the kerb. The system enables AC charging with a power output of up to 22 kW via a 400V three-phase connection.

The concept has been tested since April 2024 in the Lindenthal district of Cologne, where four charging kerbs at two locations were put into use by residents. The pilot yielded positive results. The kerbs proved to be technically available more than 99 per cent of the time, regardless of weather conditions, and recorded over 2,800 charging sessions – an average of more than two per charging point per day.

Unaltered street scene

Because the charging kerb has a modular design, installation and maintenance are cheaper, and the system is less susceptible to vandalism. It also offers the advantage of being highly space-efficient. Whilst traditional charging points can sometimes conflict with the needs of pedestrians and cyclists, these do not take up any space that would otherwise be available to others. The streetscape remains virtually unchanged.

The company now aims to bring this innovation to market with the help of TankE, a subsidiary of the Cologne-based energy supplier RheinEnergie, which will be responsible for the planning, installation, operation and maintenance of the charging points. The kerbs can now also be found in other German cities such as Neuss, Düsseldorf and Dortmund. According to Rheinmetall, more are to follow, and there is growing interest from cities and network operators across Europe. Nothing is yet known about a roll-out in the Netherlands or Belgium.

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This article was automatically translated from the original Dutch text into English (British).

Author: Matthieu Van Steenkiste

Source: Mobility Energy

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