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johannesweber03
Associate
Associate
2,105
SAP E-Mobility is now available as free trial allowing you to get a first-hand experience of our charge point operations management solution within a 14 days trial period.

In this blog post you will not only learn about the scope of our SAP E-Mobility trial but also be guided through the functionalities and capabilities of the solution.

 

What is the functional scope of this trial?

This free trial offering allows you to

  • Get hands-on experience on a live SAP E-Mobility system

  • Explore the key capabilities of SAP E-Mobility and learn how to build, run, and monitor Electric Vehicle charging networks on one platform in real time

  • Monitor charging infrastructure and charging sessions status remotely

  • Gain full transparency of charging processes, energy costs, and power grid utilization


In this trial you can explore charge point session management, charge point device management, badge management and charge point statistics. It provides you with preconfigured set of charge points and an overview of how to manage access authorizations. You will also get an insight into the possibility of administrating companies and sites, as well as site areas.

Please note: This trial provides only a limited feature scope and overview of the full SAP E-Mobility solution. The trial solution is based on a shared environment “view-only” and therefore features limited solution capabilities.

 

What are the main capabilities of SAP E-Mobility in the trial system?

 How can I get information about charge point device management?


The landing screen provides an overview of the charge points(1) connected to SAP E-Mobility showing the current charging utilization(5) in real time and additional information about the localization of the charge points using the assignment in sites and site areas(2).


A quick overview of the current status(3) and the availability of your charging infrastructure is provided in order to quickly initiate necessary maintenance measures if required.

The registration status(4) shows the status of the connection between the charge point and the charge point management system (CPMS).

In addition, detailed information about the current firmware, the manufacturer, and the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) version of the charge point(6) is shown to centrally check the status of the charging assets.


The usage of the individual charge point connectors(2) and the currently dispatching services are forwarded in real time to the SAP E-Mobility system and help to identify local problems of a user by setting up remote support.

The detailed view of the individual connectors is used with information about the current issuing service, the totaled submitted service, and display a possible error message(5) on the part of the charge point.

The status indicates the current availability(3) of the connector. This can be “available”, “unavailable” or “in use”, for example.

A determination of inactivity(4) is also measured in terms of time and gives you information about possible blocked charge points or the basis for further optimizations of your charging infrastructure.

If you require a more detailed view of the current charging session, you can open a detailed view(1) by clicking on it.

 

How can I start a charging session?


On the Charging Stations tab(1), in the detail view(2) of the charging station, you can start(3) each individual connector of the charging station.


To start the charging session, a logon must be simulated by selecting a badge. The selection of predefined badges can be called up and selected(1) for this purpose.


Predefined badges are listed and one of these badges can be selected(1). The authentication and charging process can then be started by clicking on select(2).


After charging session has been started, you can see a change of symbols and new status message of the charge point(2).

In addition, the parameters of the current charging session are displayed by a graph in real time(3). Parameters can be displayed or hidden as required.

You can also call up a view with more information about the current or last charging session by clicking on the eye-icon(5).


In this overview, you can see the total costs(1), the electricity charged in kWh(2), the battery level at the start and end of the batch session(3), the start and end time(4), the charging time(5), and the inactive time(6) during which the vehicle was connected to the charging station but not charging.

The individual energy management parameters, such as for example grid power, grid limit, etc.(8), can be retrieved from the bottom column and is visually represented within the graph.

It is also possible to change the unit of the parameters between kWh and ampere as desired.

 

Is it possible to onboard a new charge point device within the trial version?

In the trial version it is unfortunately not possible to onboard new charging stations. However, you have the chance to look at some onboarding functionalities.


Within this trial version, you also have an insight into the onboarding of new charge points(1). A charge point is assigned to a previously created site area.

The status valid symbolize that a handshake was performed directly between the back-end solution and the batch point and the charge point can be used in the system.


As mentioned above, SAP E-Mobility allows you configure remote remotely. On the In Error tab page(1), you can briefly see all charge points that are in an error state(2&4) within your linked charge infrastructure. With the possibility of a detailed message(3), you can therefore quickly and easily take further action from your central position, providing sufficient information to the affected user without having to investigate the situation on site.

 

What kind of information do I get provided about charging session management?


On the tab “Charging Sessions” you will get a full overview of all current and historical charging sessions. During a charging session(1), all charge stations currently in use are listed(3). Important parameters are provided directly for an initial overview.

You can also filter the list(2) to restrict specific areas or charge points.

It’s also possible to open a view with an overview of the current charging process at a specific charge point (5).

You can extend the information about a charging session and receive full transparency about the parameters of the current charging process in real time(4).

This includes the resulting energy costs and the power grid utilization(6).

 

What is Badge Management about?


With SAP E-Mobility, you can manage the access of your EV-drivers. For this purpose, the trial version provides an insight into the management of badges(1).

This enables to recognize how this solution can be used to implement grouping in the different scenarios charge@home(3), charge@work(4), and charge@(semi)public(2) by using separate access badges.

It provides the ability to allow different target groups, such as your employees, customers, suppliers, or partners by using separate badges for your charging infrastructure. Badges can also be restricted for correspondingly defined site areas.

The acquisitions can be assigned personally in any granular manner according to your requirements and local regulations.

 

Which functions do I have for managing locations?


SAP E-Mobility adapts flexibly to your company’s size and decentralization of your locations along the charging infrastructure.

First, you can create several organizational units(1) within your company(2).


In the step, you can create specific sites(1). The site must be assigned to an organization(2). This includes, for example, the division of your charging infrastructure into different company locations or production sites within the organization.


Site areas(1) offer the possibility to subdivide the infrastructure of your respective location. You can group the entire infrastructure of the site.

In this way, SAP E-Mobility provides the division of your charging infrastructure, for example, into charge points for employees, for customers, or for management. Scenarios or production sites can also be realized by including additional site areas for partners, logistics, or suppliers(2).

Site areas are also stored and grouped in the system using the maximum power limit and the number of phases(3).

This division of the charging infrastructure is supported by the possible restriction of badges for authentication to individual site areas.

While these examples correspond to the charge@work scenario, site areas can also be created for local charge points that are located at home for employees. This results in a split for the charge@home scenario.

 

Can I get statistics about past charge sessions?


Within the scope of the trial version a statistical overview of conducted charging sessions(1) is included.

This allows you to view statistics about the charging process during past periods, which you can specify by date.

Statistics can be calculated on the total energy consumed(2), charging time(3), inactivity(4), duration of charging sessions(5) and costs(6).The statistics can be displayed for the entire organization, individual sites, or site areas according to your configuration(8). Even filtering of individual charge points is possible.

This gives you a clear and quick overview of important characteristics of your charging infrastructure. It can help you comply with legal requirements within the company or by the legislator. You can also gain insight into the efficiency and usage rate of your charging infrastructure at the respective locations.

In addition, the statistics can be exported(7), and you can therefore further process them to calculate relevant company internal KPIs or to analyze further optimization potential.


With a simple pricing included, you can define the price(2) and currency(3) per kWh in the settings(1).

 

Does SAP E-Mobility offer the option of obtaining more detailed information for troubleshooting?


For a deeper error analysis of problems between the communication of SAP E-Mobility and your charge points, you can access a log(1). You can search and analyze logs within the corresponding time periods for each charge point(2). In addition, the individual logs are divided into levels(3) (e.g., Debug, Error, Info, Warning) and filtering using the action and the host supports targeted troubleshooting for a charging infrastructure.

 

Additional FAQ:

Can I upload my own data to the trial system?

No. The trial system only offers a limited functional scope including a pre-defined demo data set.

Can I export data from the trial system?

Yes. The trial system offers the possibility to export the data from trial.

Can I connect own charging stations in the trial system?

Unfortunately, it is not possible to connect own charging stations as this trial is a “view-only”- offering. Please contact us directly for a Cloud Free Trial contract.

With a Cloud Free Trial contract, you get the ability to connect a contractually agreed number of charge points for non-productive purposes for a limited timeframe.

Are real physical charging stations connected to the SAP E-Mobility Trial?

No, the charging stations are virtual, and the charging sessions are reproduced by a simulator. However, the integration of the simulated data into SAP E-Mobility Trial corresponds to the same functionality as well as real charging stations.

 

Summary

Now you should be enabled and knowledgeable

  • on how to use the SAP E-Mobility trial

  • about the key capabilities of SAP E-Mobility and

  • how to monitor charging infrastructure and charging sessions status remotely.


 

Feedback

Please stay in touch and provide feedback. What other topics do you want to discuss about SAP E-Mobility?

Please use this Q&A tag link on SAP Community:
https://answers.sap.com/tags/8077228b-f0b1-4176-ad1b-61a78d61a847

You are good to go with these assets:

SAP E-Mobility

SAP Certification Programm for SAP E-Mobility

SAP Certified Solutions Directory

 

Special thanks to Lucas Merkel in supporting the SAP trial and this guided tour blog!
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