Hamburg, Germany 

The E-bus-charging-mast ’Totem’ by Stephan Gahlow of Gahlow Design for SBRS GmbH is made of robust, durable, and easy-to-separate and recycle parts, with a sleek design that fits into urban, as well as historic settings. 

How do you blend visible charging infrastructure into historic, fashionable surroundings?

By taking great care in positioning the mast’s concrete base, the team created a mast with very little need for fine tuning, once set up.

This makes a single, L-shaped load-bearing structure with the slimmest cross-section possible. 

The E-bus-charging-mast ’Totem’ was awarded a 2021 Good Design Award by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.

The mast’s intention is to be a state-of-the-art product, demonstrating modern construction skills, while fitting into a historic setting. 

The asymmetric lines are almost sculptural and yet functional: the bus drivers approach the proper (flush) side, ensuring correct polarity. 

The color scheme follows the CI of ACTV and also distinguishes the different functional areas of steelwork and charging.

The reduction in CO2 is key: E-buses in combination with the masts are a smart infrastructure in reducing CO2 emissions – each mast saves 200 tons/year in Venice.

The asymmetric design gives the mast a subtle sculptural quality, but the asymmetry also serves an important, functional purpose.

Correct polarity is vital and when approaching the mast, the right-hand side is easily identified as the correct side for charging.

The status light above the charging hood, easily seen by the driver, also shows at a glance whether the mast is in service or not. 

The driver uses the edge of the hood as an orientation point.

The tapered extension arm enhances the elegant appearance and the material conscious construction of the mast.

The integration of the charging cabinet into the mast, in combination with a remarkably small footprint, is unique. 

The mast’s minimal cross section gives it a sleek and elegant narrow side appearance. 

The mast planning process started from scratch with the concrete foundation that allowed a one box design, with only a minimal need for later adjustment.

The mast achieves three major objectives: fitting aesthetically into the Venetian setting, presenting this technology understandably to users in a simple, self-evident way, and achieving a high level of acceptance.

The change to E-bus transportation also lowers noise emissions significantly by up to 8dB (A), making noisy buses a thing of the past. 

Project: E-bus-charging-mast ‘Totem’
Designers: Stephan Gahlow, Gahlow Design
Manufacturer: SBRS GmbH