Europe | February 11, 2025

Aral Pulse Installs 350 New Digital Substations from Siemens

Aral Pulse, the electric vehicle (EV) charging division of BP, is teaming up with Siemens to ramp up its charging infrastructure across Germany.

 

Image for illustration purposes.

Aral Pulse has awarded Siemens Smart Infrastructure a five-year contract to implement its Electrification X platform. This will allow Aral Pulse to manage, optimise, and secure its network of EV charging stations from a central point.

Digital Substations: The Power Behind the Charge

A key part of this initiative is the installation of 350 new digital substations at Aral service stations throughout Germany. Siemens has already begun this process, building on the 300 intelligent substations it has delivered and connected to Electrification X over the past four years. Each digital substation can provide up to 400 kW of power.

Electrification X: Centralised Management and Optimisation

The Electrification X platform is a cloud-based system designed for commercial, industrial, and utility customers. It’s intended to manage, optimise, and automate electrification infrastructure. Aral Pulse will use it to centrally monitor its charging stations and energy grid connections.

Real-Time Monitoring and Load Management

Aral benefits from Electrification X’s user-friendly dashboard. The dashboard displays real-time safety-related messages from each charging station. It also provides digital condition monitoring, visualising energy distribution and operating data across medium and low-voltage levels, highlighting any issues. Dynamic load management and remote control help avoid capacity limitations.

Collaboration for Efficient Charging

“To make charging as quick as refuelling vehicles with conventional fuels, we’re investing in ultra-fast chargers with outputs of up to 400 kW,” said Alexander Junge of Aral. “But the chargers alone are not enough. Upgrades also require an efficient and reliable connection to the power grid. That’s why we’re happy to have Siemens on board as an expert in electrical infrastructure.”

Stephan May of Siemens Smart Infrastructure highlighted the importance of the digital connection, stating, “The substations are the physical heart of the energy supply for Aral’s charging infrastructure, but without the connection to the digital world, each system would remain siloed. This central connection enables us to provide an efficient and secure charging infrastructure.”

Source: ChargedEVs