MEISTER

MEISTER (Mobility Environmentally-friendly, Integrated and economically Sustainable Through innovative Electromobility and Recharging infrastructure) is an EU-funded smart city project with Berlin as one of its key pilot cities, focused on accelerating the deployment of electric vehicle charging infrastructure and integrating electromobility into urban energy and transport systems. The project brings together municipalities, energy utilities, transport operators, technology providers, and research institutions across several European cities to develop and test scalable models for electric mobility that work within the specific regulatory, infrastructural, and cultural contexts of each participating city. In Berlin, MEISTER activities focus on optimising the placement and operation of public charging stations, developing interoperable payment and access systems that allow electric vehicle users to charge seamlessly across different networks and cities, and creating data-driven tools for municipal planning of charging infrastructure. The project also explores the integration of electric vehicle charging with renewable energy generation and building energy management systems, ensuring that the growth of electromobility supports rather than strains urban electricity grids. Smart charging algorithms developed within MEISTER align vehicle charging with periods of high renewable energy availability and low grid demand, maximising the environmental benefits of electric mobility. The project generates comparative data and policy recommendations from its multi-city pilot approach, enabling Berlin to learn from approaches taken in other European cities and vice versa. MEISTER's findings feed directly into Berlin's municipal electromobility strategy and its Gemeinsam Digital smart city framework. The project contributes to EU-level policy development on clean transport, urban charging infrastructure standards, and cross-border interoperability of electric mobility services. Its collaborative, multi-stakeholder approach demonstrates how European cities can work together to accelerate the transition to sustainable urban transport.