// Case Study
City of Zwickau
Smart parking & charging at EV charging stations.
Increased transparency and more effective use of parking spaces at EV charging stations through digital real-time display – as a basis for data-driven decisions on expanding electromobility in the region.
- Sector: Municipality / electromobility
- Use case: Smart parking at EV charging stations
- Area type: Parking spaces at public charging points
- Technology: NB-IoT parking sensors & dashboard
// Overview
Initial situation & objectives.
With scientific support from the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences Zwickau, the City of Zwickau aims to design charging infrastructure for commuter traffic intelligently and based on data.
Combined parking and charging data are intended to show where parking pressure is high and how the parking spaces at EV charging stations are actually used. On this basis, measures can be planned and prioritised – from expanding charging infrastructure to adapting parking regulations.
Project challenges.
- Unclear use of parking spaces at charging stations over the course of the day
- Charging data alone was not sufficient to assess blocking of charging points
- No reliable data basis for expansion decisions on EV infrastructure
- Need for a solution without extensive civil engineering work and additional power supply
// Solution & implementation
Digital parking solution with IoT sensors.
The Smart City System solution provides a real-time overview of the parking situation and blocking of charging points – without civil engineering and without additional on-site power supply.
- Installation of ground sensors on parking spaces at EV charging stations
- Sensors glued to the surface instead of extensive road excavation works
- NB-IoT sensors that operate autonomously and do not require a local power supply
- Combining parking and charging data for joint analysis
Implementation & rollout.
The rollout was carried out in close coordination with the city’s project partners – from concept and installation through to use in the dashboard.
- Analysis of charging locations and relevant parking spaces
- Planning of sensor positions with a focus on commuter and residential areas
- Installation and commissioning of NB-IoT sensors without civil engineering
- Connection to the Smart City System dashboard and joint evaluation with charging data
// Results & transformation
Data-driven decisions for smart parking & e-mobility.
The live data from the sensors are checked daily in the dashboard and, together with historical analyses, form the basis for well-founded decisions on charging infrastructure and parking management.
Transparent usage patterns
Creation of commuter profiles: it becomes visible on which days of the week and at what times parking spaces at EV charging stations are used – per location and over time.
Increased area efficiency
Vehicles blocking charging points are identified, parking spaces can be used more purposefully and measures can be derived for bottlenecks.
Robust data basis for decisions
Data-driven decisions on expanding electromobility in the region – supported by historical statistics, location comparisons and trend analyses.
// Practical statement
Practical view from the City of Zwickau.
The combination of charging and parking data was crucial to being able to assess the actual blocking of charging stations.
“The biggest problem has always been the blocking of EV charging stations. But it quickly became clear that it would not be possible to record this using only the charging data. We needed another system so that we could put data from both systems side by side and analyse the problem in more detail. That’s how we came to ground sensors.”
Christoph Mewes
City of Zwickau
// Project video
Smart parking & charging in Zwickau on video.
The project video shows how parking sensors, charging data and the dashboard interact to make utilisation of EV charging stations transparent and to reveal vehicles that are blocking them.
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More Information// Technical data sheet
Project parameters at a glance.
Project scope
- Parking spaces at EV charging stations in the city of Zwickau
- Combined view of parking and charging data
- Focus on commuter traffic and residential areas
Technology
- NB-IoT ground sensors from Smart City System
- Data transmission via mobile network / NB-IoT
- Connection to Smart City System dashboard & evaluations
Want to implement smart parking at EV charging stations?
Are you planning a digital solution for parking spaces at EV charging stations or would you like to realise similar projects to the one in Zwickau? We support you from the initial idea to live operation – including sensors, dashboard and evaluations.
// Contact & demo