INNOVATION
FOR OWNERS
ŠKODA AUTO HAS PUT PUBLIC RAPID-CHARGING
STATIONS INTO OPERATION AT THE CUSTOMER
CENTRE IN MLADÁ BOLESLAV
T
h e M l a d á B o le s l av c a r m a ke r around EUR 32 million to this end. An adopened three public charging sta- ditional 3,100 recharging points will be
tions at its Customer Centre, which added in the vicinity of the already more
will significantly contribute to expanding than 3,600 on the factory premises and
infrastructure in the rewill be available to all the cargion. They will offer a tomaker’s employees. Together
with the ŠKO-ENERGO enertal of nine parking spaces
RECHARGING POINTS
and be able to recharge
gy company and in cooperaWILL BE SET UP BY
up to six EVs at the same
tion with the local authorities,
THE CARMAKER IN THE
time. “We’ve been workthe carmaker wants to prepare
FACTORIES’ VICINITY
ing on alternative drives
the city of Mladá Boleslav for
for many years, and now
the era of e-mobility and transis the time for their gradform it into a smart city. A parPLACES ON THE
ual expansion. We believe
ticularly significant contriFACTORIES’ PREMISES
that, in this way, we will
bution to the infrastructure
also promote the development of e-mobil- will be the transition of ŠKODA’s authority and help disprove the myths about al- ised sales and service partners to e-mobilternative propulsion that exist among the ity centres. All brand partners in the Czech
public”, says Eva Kancnýřová, Head of Republic will meet the standards for the
sale and servicing of EVs by the end of
ŠKODA AUTO Customer Centre.
The first public rapid-charging stations 2019, and they will all have charging staare just the beginning. ŠKODA AUTO tions available starting from 2020, therewants to increase the number of charging by actively contributing to a significant exstations in the Czech Republic to almost pansion of the charging infrastructure in
7,000 by 2025 and is planning to invest every Czech region. RED
3,100
3,600
equipped with start-stop technology; in terms
of ŠKODA cars, it is mainly the SUV series that
represents this type.
MHEV – Mild Hybrid
It already has an electric motor but still uses its
internal combustion engine to drive the wheels
for the whole duration. The electric motor helps
the combustion engine, for example, when
moving off or accelerating. An auxiliary accumulator with greater power capacity is sometimes added, resulting in a higher recuperation
capability to further reduce fuel consumption
and thereby reduce CO2 emissions by around
10 percent. A typical example of an MHEV is
the Audi SQ5 TDI.
HEV – Full Hybrid
It is a fully hybrid car, which means it can run
on electric power as long as the battery capacity allows it. The combustion engine works in
unison with the electric motor; they help each
other. More advanced cars can run on electricity, and thanks to recuperation, they are able to
significantly reduce their consumption in the
city. This system works best with petrol atmospheric units, for example, the Toyota Yaris Hybrid, Kia Niro and Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid.
PHEV – Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle
Technically speaking, it is a full hybrid with
more technology. The difference between a full
hybrid and a PHEV is mainly that the HEV’s
traction battery is recharged only by recovery
during braking or through the combustion engine, while the PHEV’s extended traction battery
can also be charged from a power socket or a
charging station. As a result, it is now generally possible to reach up to 50 km of pure electric
range without having to start the combustion
engine, which is a huge advantage, especially
in city centres. A non-negligible consequence is
also the lowest production of CO2 emissions out
of all the hybrid technologies mentioned above.
The switching from combustion to electric motor will be particularly appreciated by drivers in
cities that regulate the entry of vehicles with internal combustion. And it is this category that
includes the upcoming SUPERB PHEV, which
will be presented to the public this year. RED
TESTS
IN NORMAL
OPERATION
SELECTED CZECH CUSTOMERS
TO TEST 10 CITIGO e-PILOT
PROTOTYPES WITH PURE
ELECTRIC DRIVE
B
efore entering the era of e-mobility,
ŠKODA will test the prototypes of
the electrically powered CITIGO model
built on the existing design of its Group
sibling, the Volkswagen e-up!, as part of
the pilot project. Ten CITIGO e-PILOTs
running only on batteries will be used
by selected companies, fleet customers (at least three delivered cars a year
– ed.) and government institutions. In
this way, the Czech carmaker wants to
get tangible reactions and valuable suggestions from future customers who will
thoroughly test the cars in everyday operation before the company launches
serial production and introduces the final version. Sensors in all cars will be
recording important data, such as the
temperature outside and inside the car,
acceleration etc. All information will be
automatically transmitted so that the
Technical Development staff can evaluate it. The manufacturer will then gain
valuable insights into car usage and can
also monitor the load on the battery or
the power grid during recharging.
“We want to have feedback from our
customers before the EVs go into in serial production. This is why we are using this testing fleet that will be roaming Czech roads in the next few months.
As part of the CITIGO e-PILOT project,
we will be examining a range of services related to battery EVs in order to be
perfectly prepared for the start of the
pre-sales of the first serially produced
ŠKODA EV at the end of this year”, says
Luboš Vlček from ŠKODA AUTO Czech
Republic. RED
APRIL 2019 ŠKODA MOBIL 13