Making e-mobility more attractive

The mobility turnaround and the associated electromobility is a major challenge for the automotive industry. As a supplier to the premium automotive industry, the DRÄXLMAIER Group is directly involved in the development and production of new e-mobility concepts. As a further key element on the way to more sustainable mobility, the DRÄXLMAIER Group has now invested in the construction of what is currently the largest photovoltaic plant with connected charging infrastructure in Germany. With an area of around 7,000 square meters and 1.28 megawatts of peak power, the photovoltaic system installed in Vilsbiburg is capable of supplying around 350 charging points with pure solar energy every day. This means that both electric company vehicles and electric cars driven by employees can draw particularly environmentally friendly electricity. "With the completion of the new photovoltaic system, which we realized without subsidies, we are actively supporting the attractiveness and spread of electromobility, and at the same time have set an important mosaic stone for achieving our ambitious sustainability goals," said Chairman Fritz Dräxlmaier during the commissioning ceremony. He emphasized that the mobility turnaround would only succeed if policymakers made a strong and energetic commitment to the energy turnaround and the necessary infrastructure.

Strong on electrification and sustainability

The topics of climate and environmental protection have always had a high priority at DRÄXLMAIER. Thus, DRÄXLMAIER follows the example of the German government and has committed itself to be climate neutral by 2050. In order to implement this goal in practice, numerous environmental protection and sustainability projects are being driven at all DRÄXLMAIER Group locations worldwide. The DRÄXLMAIER Group relies, among other things, on regenerative energies to contribute to the global <1.5° target. Accordingly, the commissioning of the photovoltaic plant in Vilsbiburg is in the context of the company's global catalog of measures. "The new plant alone can save around 560 tons of CO₂ per year. The electricity not only flows into the batteries of the parked vehicles, but is also used for the general operation of the site. In addition, pure green electricity is purchased from external suppliers. In this way, the Vilsbiburg site will cover 100 percent of its electricity needs from renewable resources in the future," explains Fritz Dräxlmaier. In addition, DRÄXLMAIER is consistently expanding its own electric car fleet and is increasingly setting up new charging points that even have a Wi-Fi connection for vehicle updates. Already today, all German locations have charging options for electric cars.

Innovative solar roof concept

With its innovative roof construction of translucent photovoltaic elements from the manufacturer SOLARWATT, the solar roof of the parking garage at the DRÄXLMAIER site in Vilsbiburg installed by HÖRMANN not only offers technical highlights. For employees who use the top parking deck, the roof also increases comfort. Especially in the summer months, solar radiation is reduced to a pleasant level, so that the interiors of parked vehicles heat up much less than without a roof. This means that far fewer resources are needed to keep parked cars at a comfortable temperature. At the same time, enough light falls through the roof structure during the day to create a pleasant atmosphere on the parking deck even without artificial lighting. Numerous benefits can also be expected in winter: For example, the roof protects parked vehicles from wind and snow. This means that the use of de-icing salt to secure traffic routes can be dispensed with as far as possible.

Extensive investment in the Vilsbiburg site

In 2020, in addition to the construction of the new parking garage roof with photovoltaic system, numerous other construction projects were already completed at the DRÄXLMAIER headquarters in Vilsbiburg. For example, the company restaurant was modernized in order to offer employees at the site even better service in the future. In addition, a new access road was created on the eastern side of the company premises, which will allow trucks to be routed in a more traffic-friendly manner in the future. This will ensure a better distribution of traffic. "With the investments at the Vilsbiburg site, DRÄXLMAIER is making a clear commitment to Lower Bavaria as a business location. This strengthens the region and increases its attractiveness for highly qualified specialists. I am also extremely pleased that the new photovoltaic system, in conjunction with the numerous charging stations installed for electric vehicles, will make sustainable mobility solutions directly usable on site," said Bavarian Deputy Minister President and Minister of Economic Affairs Hubert Aiwanger at the commissioning ceremony on October 16, 2020.