The expansion of public and private charging infrastructure continues to gather pace across Germany and Europe. This is why E.ON is investing heavily in its electromobility solutions business. In this context, the company today opened a new, state-of-the-art test and innovation center for charging technologies and sustainable energy solutions.

At the new site in Essen, E.ON is testing and researching charging solutions for electric vehicles and their intelligent integration into the energy ecosystem. On an area of around 10,000 square meters, more than 25 stations and digital test environments are available for testing vehicles, charging stations, wallboxes and accessories. The test lab also has five special climate chambers. These allow E.ON engineers to simulate all temperature conditions that occur around the world, from freezing cold to extreme heat. For example, the charging behavior of electric cars can be tested at temperatures between minus 40 and plus 50 degrees Celsius. This means that customers such as car manufacturers do not have to carry out time-consuming and costly tests in real environments. In addition to research and development, E.ON also uses the test center to train its customers and partners in installation and maintenance.

“In order to effectively implement and achieve the goals of energy and transport transformation, we need the active participation of the entire city society,” said Thomas Kufen, Lord Mayor of the City of Essen. “A successful and long-term process can only be achieved through innovative projects and the networking of the various players in our city. I am therefore very pleased to be able to open the E.ON TestingLab. The continuous further development of electric mobility is a key element of the energy transition and another important step towards more climate protection and less dependence on fossil fuels. E.ON is taking this step. As mayor, I am very grateful for this initiative.”

E.ON Board Member Patrick Lammers said at the opening: “Energy transition, clean transport, climate protection – all this will only succeed if electromobility gains even more momentum. We will build at least 1,000 additional public charging stations across Europe every year, further accelerating the transformation of traffic and transport. With our new test and innovation center, we are creating the necessary capacity to meet the growing demand for charging infrastructure. As a result, we are ideally positioned for the dynamic market development of electric mobility. I am very proud of our team who have created a unique and practical test environment that is also available to our partners. This brings us a big step closer to electromobility for everyone.”

Unique test environment in Europe for charging electric trucks

A special focus of the test lab is the electrification of heavy-duty vehicles. Together with vehicle manufacturers, E.ON is testing and developing charging technologies designed to meet the special requirements of electric trucks and buses. The test lab is the only facility in Europe where fast charging in heavy-duty vehicles can be tested with up to three megawatts of power. “Fast charging for trucks is crucial for electrifying road freight transport and making it climate-neutral. There is still a lot to do before we get there. Over the next few years, we will see a lot of technological innovation in this area. We can easily test new high-capacity truck charging stations with up to three megawatts of power on site and are therefore well prepared for future developments with ever higher charging capacities," said Davide Villa, CEO of E.ON Drive.

Making electromobility user-friendly and accessible to the masses

Global sales of electric cars hit a new record last year. The International Energy Agency predicts that the number of electric cars could increase tenfold by 2030. Car manufacturers and providers of charging infrastructure are working flat out to develop new products and bring them to market. With the increasing number and variety of vehicle models and charging solutions, interoperability between different systems is becoming an ever-greater challenge. The industry also has to cope with the increasing complexity of charging solutions, ranging from fast charging for electric cars and trucks to bi-directional charging, e.g. for vehicle-to-home applications.

“In our test lab, we focus on understanding and improving the entire electromobility ecosystem. This is where we try out, test and optimize for everyday use by businesses and private customers. The aim is to make electromobility possible on a broad scale and make it suitable for practical use. User-friendliness depends on the smooth interaction of various intelligent technologies. That’s why another focus of our new site is to optimize the interoperability and reliability of the charging infrastructure,” adds Davide Villa.

E.ON continues to invest in electric mobility

E.ON is pursuing a Europe-wide growth strategy with its electromobility business and continues to focus on expanding its fast-charging infrastructure. The company plans to build at least 1,000 new ultra-fast charging stations per year in its European markets. In Germany, E.ON will build around 140 new charging locations with more than 1,200 charging points for the federally subsidized German network (“Deutschlandnetz”), making it one of the largest operators of the nationwide fast-charging network. This is in addition to the charging infrastructure E.ON is building for its customers across Europe. In 2022 alone, E.ON sold more than 20,000 charging points to private and business customers in Europe.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.

• €750 million green bond maturing in January 2031 with a coupon of 3.375%
• €750 million green bond maturing in January 2036 with a coupon of 3.750%

E.ON CFO Marc Spieker said: “With today’s bond issuance we have set another cornerstone to cover our funding needs for 2024. The investor demand reflects the continued confidence in E.ON as a stable, investment-driven growth company. The green bonds enable us to fund sustainable projects driving the further decarbonization of energy systems. This underlines our position as the playmaker of the energy transition in Europe.”

The transaction attracted high investor demand with a combined orderbook of over €4.6 billion. Together with the €1.5 billion pre-funding executed in August 2023, E.ON has already been able to secure significant parts of its 2024 funding needs early in the year. The proceeds of the green bonds will finance and/or refinance Eligible Green Projects as defined in E.ON’s Green Bond Framework.

Barclays, ING, SMBC and Société Générale acted as active bookrunners in the transaction.

E.ON’s Green Bond Framework and the Second Party Opinion (a certification by the renowned rating agency Sustainalytics) are available online at: www.eon.com/greenbond

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.

"In recent years, Patrick Lammers has not only successfully positioned the Customer Solutions business, and in particular the end customer business in Europe, in a time of crisis, but has also noticeably increased customer satisfaction with E.ON. We would like to thank him for this," said Erich Clementi, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of E.ON SE. Lammers will continue to fulfil his role as COO- C, Chief Operating Officer – Commercial, until the end of his contract term. The Supervisory Board will decide on his successor in the course of the coming year.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.

Victoria Ossadnik, member of the E.ON Board of Management responsible for digitalization and innovation, says: “Generative AI is a technology that is already changing our lives and our work and will trigger even more changes in the future. Generative AI also plays an important role for us at E.ON. If we understand how we can use the technology and where its risks lie, it offers an opportunity to successfully master the energy transition for many tasks in the energy industry and is an essential tool. Our own E.ON GPT solution is now going live and gives our employees the opportunity to interact with Generative AI as much as possible in a data room that is protected for E.ON, to learn and also to solve problems.”

E.ON GPT, virtual consultant for all E.ON employees, says: “As a Generative AI assistant, I will be able to answer my human colleagues’ questions and provide solutions at any time. I have in-depth knowledge of the energy industry and can collect and provide data on renewable energy sources, energy efficiency and sustainable practices. My answers are consistent and of high quality, and I am constantly learning. This contributes to increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction and stronger collaboration within the company.”

The artificial intelligence is based on OpenAI’s GPT3.5 technology and is operated in a cloud. A team of data engineers and data scientists from E.ON developed the internal AI assistant in a short space of time. To enable employees to make the best possible use of the software, the company initiated its own training program, such as a video series in which tips and tricks are shared by internal AI experts. In addition, specific questions are answered, and assistance is offered in interactive Q&A sessions.

Note: Parts of the press release are written with the help of artificial intelligence.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.

Mannstaedt GmbH will be focusing on a sustainable energy concept in the coming years. The company, which is part of GMH Gruppe, has launched an extensive energy efficiency program to significantly reduce CO2 emissions. Overall, the Troisdorf-based manufacturer plans to save more than 1,800 tons of CO2 emissions per year with this package of measures. According to a calculation by the Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen, this corresponds to the annual emissions of 450 to 500 gas-heated older single-family homes.

This is accompanied by savings of more than eight percent in the site’s annual natural gas usage. At the heart of this program is a heat exchanger system provided by E.ON. Hot waste gases from the production plant are fed through the new system and used to warm up water, which is then piped into the site’s heating supply circuit. Previously, this valuable energy source was released as exhaust gases into the environment via the chimney.

With this measure alone, the company plans to save almost 30 percent of its thermal energy requirements in the future. As part of the collaboration with E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions Germany, Mannstaedt has also initiated various optimizations at its production facilities. These projects will result in further potential thermal energy savings of up to ten percent.

“In intensive discussions with E.ON, we examined various options for a sustainable energy concept," says Sebastian Ahrens, Commercial Director and Project Manager at Mannstaedt, describing the course of the collaboration with E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions. "We jointly came to the conclusion that the use of waste heat offers the greatest leverage for saving CO2 emissions, also due to the performance values of our production facilities – on a scale that is not commonplace even for E.ON.”

Alexander Fenzl, Chief Sales Officer at E.ON Energy Infrastructure Solutions Germany adds: “The planning and implementation of this project is a special challenge for us due to its target values and the size of the heat exchanger system. We are proud to be able to make an important contribution to Mannstaedt’s sustainable energy concept.”

E.ON’s investment in the main plant is around three million euros. The project should be subsidized from public funds to the tune of 900,000 euros. Funding applications have already been submitted to the relevant authorities.

Mannstaedt runs the plant under a lease and operating agreement. Construction work on the new project is due to begin in the middle of next year. A particular challenge will be installing the system and all other construction measures during the vacations, in a way that avoids disrupting ongoing production. The thermal unit is scheduled to go into operation at the end of 2024. The pioneering project is one of the many transformation measures currently underway at GMH Gruppe with the aim of achieving climate-neutral production by 2039.

GMH Gruppe

GMH Gruppe offers a full-range of steel products including feed stock from melted-down scrap, through to ready-to-be-assembled components and is one of the largest privately owned metalworking companies in Europe. The group comprises of 15 medium-size production companies in the steel, forging and casting industry and is present in more than 50 countries. With around 6,000 employees, the GMH Gruppe generated annual sales of around two billion euros in 2021.

GMH Gruppe is a pioneer in sustainable steel production and has also been accepted into the “Association of Climate Protection Companies.” By recycling scrap metal, the company produces Green steel and thus makes an important contribution to the circular economy. The use of electric arc furnaces at four of its sites reduces carbon dioxide emissions by a factor of five compared with conventional blast furnaces. This, in turn, also reduces the carbon footprint of GMH’s customers.

Global customers include companies from the automotive industry, mechanical and plant engineering, railroad technology, power generation, transport logistics as well as the sectors, aerospace, agriculture and construction machinery.

The GMH Gruppe has set itself the goal of being completely climate-neutral by 2039.

Mannstaedt GmbH

Mannstaedt GmbH from Troisdorf/North Rhine-Westphalia is the world’s leading manufacturer of hot-rolled special steel profiles. The GMH Gruppe company supplies international industries with steel profiles that are individually tailored to the customer in terms of geometry and grade – from special material properties including straightness, torsion, bar or piece dimensions through to excellent surface finishes. The profiles are used in the industrial truck industry, in storage and conveyor technology, in the automotive industry and in the construction industry, among others. A large proportion of the green steel from the steelworks in Georgsmarienhütte is used as a raw material, so that the finished special profiles also have a low CO2 footprint.

The QMPC project, for example, addresses the challenge of how to optimize the allocation of personnel and material for space missions when various framework conditions must be considered during planning. These so-called "timetable problems" are notoriously difficult to solve. And once they reach a certain size, it is not possible to optimally solve these issues with traditional computers in a reasonable amount of time, thus making the use of quantum computers necessary.

"I am excited about the collaboration with DLR on quantum computing: it demonstrates how outstanding technology can make a real difference. We are solving complex planning problems, whether in space exploration or electric vehicles, pioneering new paths and shaping the future of energy and mobility," emphasizes Victoria Ossadnik, Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at E.ON. "Climate protection and a successful energy transition can only be achieved through digital solutions – especially for complex applications. Collaborative development work with DLR shows how successful research can be advanced in fields that seemingly have no connection."

E.ON is introducing its own crucial use case into the project for further development, involving the efficient integration of electric vehicles into energy grids. Within QMPC, E.ON is developing improved planning for Vehicle-to-Grid systems in electromobility. A specific task illustrating the complexity of the calculations is, for instance: When is the best time to charge a car battery considering the minimum charge level at the end of the planning period, the total amount of sold electricity within a specific timeframe, and the physical conditions of car batteries?

Given the high degree of scaling in the Vehicle-to-Grid concept, traditional computers quickly reach their limits here too. For both use cases, models involving complex networks of states, conditions, and logical connections are simply too complex for classical methods.

Quantum computers are better suited for investigating such large models. However, their current capacity is still far from sufficient for both use cases.

Therefore, the QMPC project aims to implement quantum algorithms capable of solving larger problems. This is achieved, for example, through hybrid approaches, improved problem encoding, circuit optimization, and problem-specific adjustments to generic algorithms.

With E.ON’s additional use case, the basis for QMPC’s research is doubled, allowing for faster and more efficient advancements in the utilization of quantum computers. QMPC and E.ON are not only contributing to more efficient mission planning using quantum computers but also to the development of resilient and high-performance power grids.

About the DLR Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI):

The DLR Quantum Computing Initiative (DLR QCI) engages partners from industry and business, startups, and research to jointly develop quantum computers, enabling technologies, software, applications, and the necessary economic environment. The German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) has provided DLR with €740 million for this purpose. DLR consolidates expertise, technologies, and infrastructures at two innovation centers in Hamburg and Ulm, creating the industrial basis and economic environment for quantum computers in Germany: the quantum computing ecosystem.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.

The Essen-based energy company E.ON presented "Five Impulses" for a successful energy transition in Berlin on Thursday. They are the result of a series of discussion events with experts from society, business and politics, which E.ON has facilitated as host since February 2023. Joschka Fischer, Felix Matthes and Matthias Machnig were among those who contributed.

Energy policy issues were discussed, but also social issues raised by the war of aggression on Ukraine and the resulting energy crisis. The discussions focused on questions of energy security and independence, energy market design and the affordability of energy as well as the role of the state. The aim of the discussions, some of which were controversial, was to draw up an energy policy "charter", which has now been compiled in the policy paper "Five Impulses" for the energy of the future. *)

E.ON CEO Leonhard Birnbaum: “The acceptance of the energy transition among the population must not be lost. We cannot afford a pause in the energy transition, because climate change does not take a break either. With the E.ON Top Level Talks, we are giving the public debate a strong, broadly supported foundation.”

Maja Göpel: “At the moment, the willingness of political parties to reach a future-oriented understanding seems to have reached an all-time low. It is therefore all the more important that social actors take responsibility and offer constructive spaces for dialogue on the challenges and opportunities of the socio-ecological transformation.”

The "Five Impulses" for a successful energy transition in a nutshell:

1. The aspiration to achieve climate neutrality by 2045 requires an agile energy industry target triangle.
The idea of a perfectly equilateral energy triangle – aiming at environmental and climate compatibility, security of supply and affordability – corresponds to an idealised approach and must give way to a dynamic view. This involves temporary distortions when changing political contexts, especially geopolitical upheavals, lead to a (temporary) reprioritisation. Nevertheless, the goal of climate neutrality by 2045 must not be lost from focus.

2. A resilient energy system needs diversification, adaptability and sustainability.
An energy system that is as resilient as possible to crises and external geopolitical disruptions is a basic prerequisite for achieving climate neutrality. Resilience criteria include diversification in the procurement of raw materials and technologies, adaptability in order to adjust the transformation path at short notice until 2045 in the event of unforeseeable changes, and sustainability, which leads to greater acceptance of the energy transition and reduces dependence on fossil imports.

3. Deficits in the market design must be remedied; the Energy Only Market (EOM) must be intelligently supplemented by state flanks.
In the short term, Europe needs a new market design that reflects the energy industry dynamics of the coming years and offers planning security for all players. This includes incentives for the efficient provision of generation and flexibility capacities that are economically fair and regionally reasonable. 4.

4. In the transformation phase, the Energiewende needs more state funding and clear decisions on balancing and distribution issues.
The political goal of climate neutrality by 2045 is not achievable through the market alone, while at the same time ensuring supply and affordability. Therefore, the state must set framework conditions so that the transition to a climate-neutral, competitive and socially balanced economy succeeds. In this target picture, free competition is to enable markets to become more efficient again. Irrespective of this, massive investments are necessary on the path to climate neutrality, which the state can stimulate and leverage, but which it must also support itself. To this end, the energy transition must be given a larger budget as an "investment in the future". The decision of the Federal Constitutional Court of April 2021 points the way forward by granting climate protection a freedom-securing effect for future generations.

5. From knowledge to action – we need a social contract 2045.
To achieve the goal of climate neutrality in 2045, Germany needs a general consensus across all democratic parties and social groups that is sustainable over decades. A Social Contract 2045 can serve this purpose. It needs a process moderated neutrally by consensus that shapes it, explains it and describes the steps of implementation. In this process, it is important to act quickly: The parties of the political centre – in the broadest sense – should feel obligated to conclude this contract as a basic consensus before the energy transition is completely caught in the rhetorical crossfire of populist parties.

*) The "Five Impulses" are the result of the preceding discussions and explicitly do not represent an E.ON position. They are intended to stimulate the social debate on how to shape the energy world of tomorrow.

This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by E.ON Group Management and other information currently available to E.ON. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. E.ON SE does not intend, and does not assume any liability whatsoever, to update these forward-looking statements or to align them to future events or developments.