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