More and more people are buying electric vehicles and want to be able to charge them at home. The freehold apartment owners at The Metropolitans in Zurich have therefore had their infrastructure prepared ready for electromobility. They opted for ewz’s range of services and thus benefit from a complete solution that is practical, flexible and sustainable.
The two towers rise some 60 metres into the sky, shaping the character of the Leutschenbach district in the north of Zurich. Not only is ‘The Metropolitans’ visually impressive, it has also recently become a flagship project in the field of electromobility. We installed around 80 charging stations in the underground car park with 187 parking spaces in the first half of 2021. All of the other parking spaces have been prepared electrically so that charging stations can be installed and connected as required. This provides the residents of the 212 apartments with a future-proof infrastructure that takes into account the rapid increase in the number of electric cars on Swiss roads.
Clear decision
When the residential towers were completed in 2015/16, there was only one charging station in the underground car park. Gradually, other residents had their parking spaces fitted out. ‘There was a certain degree of uncontrolled growth,’ explains Christian Steiger, who, in his capacity as delegate for the freehold apartment owners, has overseen the expansion from the outset. ‘When other owners expressed interest in having a charging station, we set up a project team to find a standardised solution.’ The team obtained various bids, examined them in detail and presented three proposals to the Assembly of Delegates in 2020. It also made a recommendation in favour of our offer. ‘Working with ewz during the evaluation phase was really enjoyable and productive,’ explains Steiger. ‘We were also impressed by the value for money, the expertise and the complete solution.’ The co-owners’ meeting followed the project team’s recommendation and decided in favour of our charging solution by a clear majority.
Innovative ceiling columns
After being awarded the contract, we submitted a funding application to the city of Zurich, which covers up to 60 per cent of the costs for the charging infrastructure as part of the 2000-watt contributions. The application was approved and implementation began in spring 2021. In the first phase, all 187 parking spaces in the underground car park were connected using a ribbon cable. This means that the charging station just needs to be installed and connected when registration is received. Several dozen residents have already done so: in summer 2021, more than 80 parking spaces were equipped with an easee charging station.
Load management saves costs
The charging infrastructure at ‘The Metropolitans’ includes dynamic load management. This ensures that all connected electric cars receive sufficient electricity and are charged by the next morning. At the same time, the system ensures that charging requirements are coordinated with those of households. This automatic load balancing for ‘easee’ charging stations has the advantage that up to three times as many electric vehicles can be charged at the same time – 24 hours a day and with no additional costs, thanks to the standard tariff. This prevents overloads or even power failures and ensures a reliable, stable power supply. Thanks to this load management system, it was also possible to avoid expensive expansion of the connection load of the two residential towers.
Depending on where a parking space is located, the charging station can be mounted on the wall (wallbox) or suspended from the ceiling. These ceiling-mounted columns, each with up to four charging stations, are new. They are ideal for parking spaces in the middle of underground car parks and have an impressive, high-quality design.
Simple billing
While all freehold apartment owners paid jointly for the basic expansion of the charging infrastructure based on an allocation formula, the individual owner pays for the charging station themselves. After that, operating costs are low. Users receive a smart card (RFID card) from us to identify them at their charging station and enable charging to take place. The ewz package also includes a support hotline and an app that displays electricity consumption and costs at all times. Monthly billing is done via a credit card that is stored in the app. Users pay ewz just CHF 9.90 per month for these services.
According to Christian Steiger, the feedback on the new charging infrastructure has been very positive. ‘The charging stations look great and work perfectly,’ he says. According to Steiger, acceptance of the new infrastructure is very high amongst apartment owners. The basic installation and the selection of ewz as the provider created a standardised solution for everyone. ‘At the same time, everyone can decide for themselves whether and when to install a charging station,’ says Steiger in conclusion.
Benefits of the ewz charging solution
This partnership enables residents to benefit from an all-in-one solution that is also future-proof. The project team and the management greatly appreciate having ewz as a full-service contractor, a single point of contact for the planning, implementation and operation of the charging infrastructure. This guarantees an efficient, practical solution with easy scalability. Our 24/7 customer service and our reputation as an urban partner reinforce our customers’ sense of security. They can also be sure that their electric vehicles will be charged exclusively using green electricity. Flexible, simple and sustainable: here’s how our charging solution works.
- Charging solution infrastructure for electric vehicles
- Planning, construction, installation
- Operation and maintenance
- Registration and billing service
- Support hotline and 24/7 customer service
- Electricity from sustainable energy sources
- 212 apartments
- 24,684 m² floor space
- 187 connected parking spaces, 80 of which are fully equipped
- 22 kW output per charging station
- Dynamically controlled load management
- New ceiling-column charging stations (easee type)
