The history of the company begins in 1997, when Mr. Hardy Barth founded his one-man business, which later developed into “EDV- und Elektrotechnik Hardy Barth”.
After various phases of development and the move to larger premises, the company specialized in IT, electrical work and the installation of PV systems. EDV- und Elektrotechnik Hardy Barth alone now employs around 40 people and has well-known customers, including regional businesses and private customers.
Easy Engineering: A brief description of the company and its activities.
Hardy Barth GmbH is a family business from Bavaria, Germany. Whether e-planning, photovoltaics or charging stations – “We make electricity visible”.
The Hardy Barth Group consists of three companies: „ePlanung“, „eCharge“ and „EDV & Elektrotechnik Hardy Barth“.
In addition to the main company, two other companies were founded: “ePlanung Hardy Barth” (since 2007) and “eCharge Hardy Barth GmbH” (since 2012).
ePlanung specialises in the planning of projects and has already worked for well-known companies such as MC Donalds and KFC and Germany’s largest construction company Max Bögl. It employs 5 people.
At eCharge, everything revolves around e-mobility. Here we produce innovative charging stations for photovoltaic surplus charging, dynamic real-time load management and public billing. We were honoured with a national award for this in 2017.
eCharge operates a three-tier sales organisation and also employs around 40 people. The Hardy Barth charging stations have already been installed at prominent locations such as the Allianz Arena and several major well-known German car manufacturers.
Our teams are made up of specialists from a wide range of disciplines. This enables us to offer a wide range of services.
The merger of the companies is our great advantage, so that customers get everything from a single source.
We are constantly on the lookout for new, exciting ways to utilise the electricity generated and to find new solutions. That makes us pioneers in the energy sector.
In total, Mr Barth employs around 85 people in all three companies, including his daughters, who have been actively involved in the company since 2020. Despite its growth, the company remains family-orientated and attaches great importance to respectful interaction, both internally and with customers and business partners.
Community and respect are the focus in order to be successful together.
E.E: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
EDV- und Elektrotechnik Hardy Barth GmbH, which is responsible for the planning and commissioning of PV systems, ePlanung Hardy Barth, which only plans external projects, and eCharge Hardy Barth, which is responsible for the production of AC charging stations.
E.E: What’s the news about new products?
At eCharge Hardy Barth, we are constantly developing new updates / features to offer customers a smart wallbox. We are currently working and testing the automatic phase changeover and are working on an app that will be released in spring 2024. We are also working on ISO15118, for which our hardware has already been prepared. This is necessary in order to be able to charge bidirectionally in the future. We are also currently taking part in a research project for bidirectional, off-grid DC charging.
E.E: What are the ranges of products?
We order modules, inverters and storage systems from various manufacturers such as Fronius (inverters), SolarFabrik (modules) and Fenecon (storage systems) from EDV- und Elektrotechnik. We supply our customers with turnkey solutions in the megawatt range, from the PV system to the AC and DC infrastructure, the battery storage system and the grid connection with the associated transformer station.
At eCharge Hardy Barth GmbH, we produce different variants of charging stations in the AC range in our own production facility. The wallboxes cPµ2 and cPH2, as well as the cPP2 charging stations. The cPH2 and cPP2 can also be ordered as versions compliant with calibration law in the public sector.
All our charging stations enable PV-optimised charging and dynamic load management.
E.E: At what stage is the market where you are currently active?
The PV market is currently booming and the demand for PV systems is very high. The market for charging stations has unfortunately declined, as many people who do not yet own an electric vehicle have bought electric charging stations in recent years due to the subsidies. In addition, the cost of electricity has risen dramatically and the waiting time for vehicles is very long, which is why some people are still waiting to order their own charging station.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
PV systems for private and commercial use in view of the unstoppable electromobility in the rapidly developing market of electricity production from renewable energies with flexible electricity tariffs.
E.E: What are the most innovative products marketed?
Customised complete solutions for industrial customers with flexible electricity tariffs, large industrial battery storage systems and the PV system with the associated AC and DC charging stations
E.E: What estimations do you have for the rest of 2023?
Maximum capacity utilisation and already a large order lead for 2024 can be seen across the entire renewable energy sector. We are also slowly noticing an increase in the electromobility sector, as 2023 was a rather mixed year.