The German enclosure-maker Rittal is aiming for a foothold in a potentially vast new market – charging stations for electric vehicles. By 2020, it is estimated that there could be a million battery-powered vehicles in Germany alone.

At the recent Hannover Fair, Rittal demonstrated a prototype charging station (shown above) which is being developed as part of an alliance of more than 20 European car-makers and energy suppliers who are trying to standardise items such as plugs and sockets for EV charging stations.