Professionals of electromobility gathered at the SWIO Days

On June 6, ACL participated in the SWIO Days, a day dedicated to electromobility, featuring several conferences led by industry experts. With the emergence of electrification of company fleets, electromobility has become a topic of concern and questions for fleet managers, CEOs, and entrepreneurs. Moreover, Luxembourg aims to become a leader in electromobility while the current vehicle fleet is still largely dominated by combustion engine vehicles.

However, the barriers to electric transition are still numerous. Moreover, a recent ADAC study highlighted that only 22% of consumers are considering purchasing an EV for their next vehicle, compared to 41% for combustion engines. “In our duty to decarbonize the planet, mobility plays an important role. Combustion cars will be replaced by electric cars,” said Alex Michels (Losch), SWIO administrator, in the introduction of this day in the presence of Frank Wies (Socom SA), also an SWIO administrator.

The day started with a first conference entitled “Quo Vadis Electromobility in Luxembourg.” On the agenda were four speakers: Gerry Wagner, spokesperson for the House of Automobile, Frank Dillschneider, managing director of Volkswagen Losch Financial Services, David Grandjean, sales manager at KBC, and Frank Maas, responsible for promoting mobility solutions at ACL. For about an hour, the experts discussed various topics related to the future of electrified mobility.

Then, until noon, two other conferences took place, including “Innovation in Electromobility,” which addressed many interesting points on contemporary challenges of electric vehicles. This highlighted the importance of adequate charging infrastructure to support the transition to electric vehicles. Gilles Caspar, an attaché at the Ministry of Mobility and Public Works, emphasized the challenges related to installing public AC and DC charging stations, as well as private solutions. He also highlighted the future integration of photovoltaic solar energy, a low-cost renewable energy source, to power these charging stations. Innovation in this sector is crucial to achieving the sustainability goals set by the European Union, which aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030.

Another crucial point addressed during the conference was cybersecurity in electromobility. With the increase in the use of electric vehicles, it is crucial to ensure that charging infrastructures are secure against cyberattacks. Marusa Zlof, Key Account Manager at Landis & Gyr, pointed out that electric vehicles are only as clean as the energy that powers them, thus highlighting the importance of securing not only the charging stations but also the renewable energy sources used.

After a break and “test-drive” sessions as well as a visit to the stands of various partner companies of the event, the day of exchange continued with no less than five conferences.

Also worthy of note is the presence of the legendary Georges Christen to close this day.

By Max Jung