E-Vehicle infrastructure – not just about the vehicle!
Friday 27 January 2012By Adrian Harris
So often it is engineering solutions that meet our insatiable demands to ‘push the limits’ both in technological and physical terms.
And so it is, that engineers have their brains picked and have their crystal balls consulted once again to realise those engineering solutions. E-mobility is yet another of those societal demands and indeed our European engineers will undoubtedly provide what is essentially a huge missing link in the conundrum that has been formed by calls for greener transport, lower CO2 emissions, energy efficiency and the general rising costs (and scarcity) of fossil fuels.
The European engineering industries, represented by Orgalime are the only industrial sector possessing system level expertise in all parts of the system chain - from power generation and the transport and distribution of electric power, to the control and drive elements fitted to vehicles.
The electric vehicle is part of the new world of energy. The e-vehicle and the associated charging and support infrastructure are an integral part of this whole system. It is in this area that new developments and opportunities exist for modern European infrastructures and service markets and therefore the jobs and the growth that the European economy so much needs at this time.
The expectations are that there will be around 4 million e-vehicles in Europe by 2020. This 2020 market share can be considered to be quite modest, nevertheless, our industry is seriously preparing the uptake of e-mobility in Europe. The success of electric vehicles in European markets largely depends on the availability of adequate infrastructures offering convenient solutions for the customer.
This is the main focus of electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers that are providing the essential link between the e-vehicle and the electric grid. As opposed to other alternative technologies for green mobility, the basic infrastructure for charging e-vehicles is already available in the electric grid even if it still needs some adaptations to be prepared for mass deployment of e-vehicles. New technologies and innovation are key for sustainability.
They are the second pillar of the European transport policy. Hybrid and electric vehicles have a high potential to help meeting EU policy targets and enable individual mobility. What should the European and national regulatory framework and incentives look like to stimulate research and development of new technologies and to support investment into existing technologies for charging and support infrastructures for electric vehicles?
The European Commission’s proposal for Horizon 2020, the replacement initiative for Framework Programme 7, has just been announced. There is in the order of €80 billion available for research, development and innovation over the period 2014-2020. So even in these times of the so called ‘financial crisis’, the ability to stimulate the economy and address societal needs at the same time can still be achieved. If Europe is to decarbonise transport and electricity production, managed charging of pure electric cars fuelled with low carbon electricity (preferably from renewables) should become the generalrule. Efficient off-peak charging should clearly be preferred over charging in peak hours provided this is consistent with the e-vehicle being able to obtain sufficient charge during the peak hours.
Energy and load management will help the grids to accommodate a large number of e-vehicles’ charging when electricity demand is low and supply from CO2 free electricity, such as from renewable sources is available. This will also enable integration of more electricity from decentralised production and renewables which are variable in their availability. The cost of investment to modernise the grids, which will become necessary in the coming years, can be limited through more intelligent integration of ICT.
The e-vehicle and the associated charging and support infrastructure are an integral part of the new world of energy. Our industry has technologies available for smart charging and energy management and the industry invests to improve technologies that can meet transport and energy challenges of today. From the very beginning the design of appropriate charging infrastructures for e-vehicles needs to be adapted to the following key requirements: Highest requirements for safety - Charging points in buildings are a fully-fledged element of the electrical installation.
As present EU regulations for electrical installations in buildings have brought electric safety to a very high level they must not be undermined by the introduction of e-vehicles. Managed charging processes (smart charging) as a general rule - Charging an electrical vehicle is like any other electrical load for the grids but it needs to be managed. A proper load management is necessary to ease stress on the electricity grids. A proper energy management accompanied by economic incentives is recommended to entice customers to charge when “greenest” and cheapest electricity is available.
This is part of the energy management for buildings and can be ensured either through mode 3 or mode 4 charging (as defined in IEC 61851 standard). Infrastructure availability according to the development of usage pattern over time - According to current experiments and surveys, daily distances amount to less than 100km and the majority of charging (90%) is expected to be done at home and at work as well as in parking (shopping, train stations etc.).
This suggests that low and semi-rapid power charging would satisfy most of the charging needs for the years to come.
Orgalime believes that for e-vehicles mode 3 charging from a dedicated socket outlet is best adapted to meet the three key requirements defined above. Mode 2 charging is however well adapted for the requirements of lower powered vehicles such as PHEVs and electric motorcycles.
Favourable framework conditions, non-monetary and financial incentives including R&D&I support are crucial to speed-up breakthrough innovations developed by our industries for instance in the field of energy management and battery technologies.