INCIT-EV Demonstrations in the city of Amsterdam and Utrecht area
USE CASE 1.a Experimenting aggregated smart charging in Haarlem, Netherlands
Over the last few years, the number of electric vehicles on the road has been steadily increasing, resulting in a growing demand for power on the electricity grid at peak hours in some areas, sometimes causing power outages.
Against that background, INCIT-EV partners TotalEnergies, GreenFlux and MRA-Elektrisch developed an innovative technology and implemented it in the City of Haarlem, in the Netherlands: aggregated smart charging.
Thanks to a smart algorithm based on various inputs such as connection time, EV charging capabilities, charge station constraints and EV drivers’ preferences, aggregated smart charging optimises the local distribution of power upon request by the local Grid operator.
It comes with a lot of benefits such as a reduced congestion on the electricity grid allowing more stations to be installed while keeping the impact on the grid at the same level or a decreased carbon footprint of electricity consumption. It also reduces costs at different levels. The grid operators and the public save money as the need for expensive grid upgrades is reduced. At the same time, EV drivers save money through a more efficient use of the network and a smarter scheduling of charging.
On top of that, it does not have any negative impact on EV drivers thanks to the algorithm using the aggregated flexibility of a pool of charging stations, and because most of the time EVs stay at the charging station much longer than required.
USE CASE 1.b Implementing a community bidirectional charging program in Odijk, in the Netherlands.
As part of INCIT-EV’s Use Case 1.b, an initiative involving the startup WeDriveSolar, MRA Elektrisch, house developers and homeowners was launched in a district of Odijk, a townlocated near Utrecht, in the Netherlands.
We Drive Solar is currently striving to push the boundaries of bidirectional charging, an innovative technology allowing electric vehicles to discharge excess power back into the local power grid (Vehicle-to-Grid).
Bidirectional charging has proven to be an effective response to cope with the surges in power demand during peak hours, to increase the share of renewable energies in the electricity mix or to decrease the future costs of electricity supply of cities, companies or individuals.
All the citizens living in the neighborhood have been offered a free three-year subscription to the We Drive Solar electric cars sharing scheme. They have access to three electric cars and to three bidirectional charging stations in the neighborhood, as well as to other shared cars of We Drive Solar. Given the fast development of the neighborhood and the steadily increasing demand in e-cars, 2 extra shared electric cars will be available in the neighborhood in the coming months. Two new bidirectional charging stations will also be installed.
This Use Case both focuses on further developing We Drive Solar’s bidirectional ecosystem and on studying the socio-economic aspects of such a shared electric cars program. It is expected to have a high replication potential, especially in newly-built districts.
USE CASE 1.c Supporting flat owners who want to switch to an electric vehicle
The use case 1.c of INCIT-EV focuses on making electric mobility more accessible.
More specifically, INCIT-EV partner MRA-Elektrisch focused on developing a methodology dedicated to flat owners who want to switch to an electric vehicle but live in an apartment block with a shared parking garage that is not equipped with a charging station yet. Being dependent on a shared parking garage has proven to be a major obstacle to the transition to electromobility. Decision-making, finances and technology are more complex and require specific expertise not available in the owner’s associations that manage the shared facilities.
The methodology covers both technical and legal points and is backed up by webinars. MRA-Elektrisch support the owners in selecting the technical and financial options and an charge point operator. This has helped them overcome the main difficulties, especially the reluctance of other inhabitants to invest in a shared charging infrastructure and a cumbersome decision-making process.
The methodology has led to the design of an affordable and high-quality solution that suits the needs of the owners and fits within the limits of grid capacity. It is about to be tested in real-life situations in Purmerend, located to the north of Amsterdam. The installation of the demonstrator will be completed in September 2023.
Demonstrations in the city of Paris
USE CASE 2. Implementing real-life dynamic induction charging infrastructures for city lines in Paris, France
Today, electric cars’ limited autonomy are one of the main obstacles to their massive adoption. As for now, increasing the vehicles’ autonomy also means increasing the weight of their batteries, therefore resulting in a decrease in the energy performance.
The second use case of the INCIT-EV project aims at quantifying the efficiency of dynamic wireless power transfer – also known as dynamic induction charging – in an urban environment, where vehicles drive at low speed (up to 30 kilometres per hour) and regularly stop at traffic lights. This technology could help reduce the size of the vehicles’ batteries by up to 80%, making them more affordable, lighter and therefore more energy-efficient.
The associated demonstrator – a 30-coils-long induction charging infrastructure embedded in the base coat of the road – will soon be installed in Paris, on Thomas Mann street. This technological feat is a first at French and international scale. The whole system will only be powered once several experiments have been conducted, under the close supervision of the associated INCIT-EV partners: VEDECOM Institute, Colas, Enedis, Stellantis, the City of Paris and Gustave Eiffel University.
The third use case of the INCIT-EV project also looks into dynamic wireless charging but in a different environment: long distance roads.
USE CASE 3. Implementing real-life dynamic induction charging infrastructures for long distance roads in Versailles, France
INCIT-EV’s third use case focuses on building the road of the future by pushing the boundaries of dynamic wireless power transfer on long distance roads.
A dynamic inductive load lane will be implemented in a test circuit in the Satory district of Versailles, in France in the coming months. This real-life demonstrator will enable INCIT-EV partners VEDECOM Institute, Eurovia, Enedis, Stellantis and Gustave Eiffel University to study the potential use of high-speed wireless loading on highways.
With a power of 90 kilowatts along 80 metres, the test circuit is expected to be able to charge vehicles travelling up to 120 kilometres per hour.
The second use case of the INCIT-EV project also looks into dynamic wireless charging but in a urban environment.
INCIT-EV Demonstrations in the city of Torino
USE CASE 4. Exploring the interoperability between public transport and electric vehicles infrastructures
The fourth use case of INCIT-EV explores the interoperability between public transport and electric vehicles infrastructures, both at technical and regulatory levels. It originates from the strong belief that the future of electric vehicles charging lies in more synergy and cooperation between local stakeholders.
The associated demonstrator is a charging station that includes ten bidirectional 3.6kW DC chargers and one 150kW DC charger whose architecture is modular (3x50kW modules) and that can be helped by the low-power chargers.
It will be located in the Torino Caio Mario Park. Its hallmark innovation stems from the power source of the charging points: a direct connection to one of Torino’s AC/DC conversion substations whose main purpose is to power part of Torino’s tramway grid.
Both sides of the equation will reap benefits:
- the direct connection in DC makes the usual AC DC conversion stage unnecessary, making the overall infrastructure more efficient and more cost-effective ;
- thanks to an extra load, the tramway grid gains stability, resulting in a decrease of the voltage spikes.
Beyond the technical aspects, an integral part of the UC4 development is to accompany the outline of a legal framework regulating the implementation of DC power supplies, especially since the replication potential of the UC is very high.
The civil works to build the demonstrator are expected to begin in September 2023. Testing of the demonstrator should begin by November 2023.
Demonstrations in the city of Tallinn
USE CASE 5. Implementing super fast chargers in European corridors
Enabling electric vehicles drivers to charge their car faster is key to boost the adoption of electric mobility.
The main objective of the fifth INCIT-EV use case is to develop an innovative high-power charging system with two 200 kilowatts DC CSS super-fast chargers. These chargers enable EV users to fully charge their vehicle in fifteen minutes. They can identify themselves and pay either through the Enefit Volt application or through a RFID payment system.
In addition to its main use, the charging system is also able to interact with the DSO SCADA platforme and thus to provide ancillary services under the distribution system operators (DSO) command:
- When there is no electric vehicle charging, it can act as a remote-controlled load and therefore directly support the power system stability ;
- It can also act as a static reactive compensator with a high response time to prevent voltage drops that could cause power failure.
The chargers are also integrated with the VPP (Virtual Power Plant) platform and can therefore help transmission system operators (TSO) regulate the grid frequency.
INCIT-EV Demonstrations in the city of Zaragoza
USE CASE 6. Powering buildings thanks to electric vehicles batteries thanks to low-power bidirectional chargers in Zaragoza, Spain.
INCIT-EV sixth use case takes on an ambitious challenge: turning an electric vehicle parking into an energy asset for a building.
Against the background of a continuously growing demand for power, meeting this challenge is absolutely key insofar as the electricity grid in some areas is nowadays regularly overloaded at peak times, resulting sometimes in power failures. One of the answers relies upon an innovative technology: bidirectional charging.
As part of the Use Case 6, INCIT-EV partner CIRCE developed several silicon carbide bidirectional chargers that were set up in the parking lot of a building located in Zaragoza, in Spain. Thanks to a smart charging infrastructure, the chargers are both connected to each other and to the building. They can charge both electric cars and electric motorcycles. One charger is also dedicated to electric bicycles. As they are bidirectional chargers, the extra energy can be stored in the batteries of the electric vehicles that are being charged when the building is producing extra power, for example thanks to photovoltaic panels.
On the contrary, the electric batteries can be used to power the building instead of the usual sources of energy in various situations: at peak hours in order to avoid power failures, when the energy cost is too high, or even to reduce the carbon footprint of the building. This process is usually referred to as Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology. Bidirectional charging has proven to be an effective response to cope with the surges in power demand during peak hours, to increase the share of renewable energies in an electricity mix or even to decrease one’s power bills.
See the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdZZkEqdfX0
USE CASE 7. Enabling public transport vehicles and taxis to recharge themselves at standstill thanks to opportunity wireless charging
Led by CIRCE, INCIT-EV’s seventh use case focuses on pushing the boundaries of an innovative technology: opportunity wireless charging, an application of static inductive charging.
This technology has a strong potential, especially for public transport vehicles such as buses and cabs. By making it possible to recharge themselves at bus stops or in the waiting areas, it would allow them to make the most of the time spent at standstill.
On a broader level, static inductive wireless charging also makes it possible to reduce the size of the batteries of electric vehicles by making it possible to recharge them more frequently, therefore increasing their energy efficiency. It also enables fleet managers to reduce the number of vehicles in their fleet by significantly reducing the time specifically dedicated to charging the vehicles.
The UC 7 demonstrator is currently being implemented in Zaragoza, in Spain. It should be operational by the end of autumn 2023.