Clean streets: Hamburg’s city cleaning service goes electric
Stadtreinigung Hamburg (SRH) has a clear mission: Hamburg should be clean. Complete climate neutrality from 2035 is one of SRH’s most important goals. Electrification of the fleet is an important element in ridding the Hanseatic city not only of waste, but also of emissions. From 2025, most newly purchased vehicles are to be equipped with alternative drive technologies.
The company is already well advanced with the conversion of drive systems for cars and vans. The next step will now be to electrify the commercial vehicle fleet. Thanks to major advances made by vehicle manufacturers, electrically powered roll-off tippers are now being used, for example.
Our goal is to convert the entire vehicle fleet to emission-free drive technologies,’ emphasises Thomas Maas, responsible for SRH’s own vehicle fleet. ‘Our recent experiences have been positive. We are optimistically working on any remaining challenges, because electrification is the right path to take.”
Efficient charging infrastructure as the key to success
However, the introduction of electric vehicles requires not only the purchase of the vehicles, but also an intelligent charging infrastructure. SRH has implemented a customised solution to ensure the operation of the fleet: 16 charging points, i.e. eight double-arm Kempower Satellites, supply 160kW per arm to charge the fleet more efficiently.
For the newly acquired hooklifts, this means that they are fully charged within 1 to 2 hours, depending on the state of charge (SoC). This allows the vehicles to be used in the best possible way and avoids long downtimes.
The cloud-based charging management system Kempower ChargEye is also used. This system enables SRH to monitor the charging status in real time and dynamically adjust the power distribution. This ensures that the vehicles are optimally charged.
‘The charging infrastructure is an integral part of our electrification strategy,’ explains Thomas Maas. ‘By integrating Kempower technology, we can precisely control the charging processes and ensure that our fleet is always ready for use.’
Strategic decision in favour of sustainability
The choice of Kempower as a technology partner was a conscious one. Stadtreinigung Hamburg was looking for a provider that understood both the technical requirements and the company’s sustainability goals. Kempower, known for its modular and flexible charging solutions, proved to be the ideal partner to support the transition to an electric fleet.
The planning and implementation was carried out by Kempower’s project planning and distribution partner GP JOULE CONNECT. We are proud to be part of this pioneering project, as it impressively demonstrates that e-mobility is undoubtedly the future for heavy commercial vehicles too,’ says Manuel Reich, Managing Director of GP JOULE CONNECT.
Kempower’s charging infrastructure fits seamlessly into the existing operational processes of Hamburg’s municipal waste disposal service. The modular charging system is particularly efficient in a densely populated metropolitan region like Hamburg, where space and electricity capacities are limited. The dynamic power distribution ensures that the vehicles are charged at the optimum times without any bottlenecks occurring.
‘With the innovative charging infrastructure, we are not only equipped for today’s requirements, but also for the future positioning of the fleet,’ adds Thomas Maas. In this way, SRH is ensuring that Hamburg is clean – starting with its own fleet.
