Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SCALE (SCALE - Smart Charging ALignment for Europe)
Reporting period: 2022-06-01 to 2023-11-30
SCALE is a three-year project (2022-2025) co-funded by the new Horizon Europe Programme with a budget of around 10 million EUR. It aims to advance smart charging infrastructure and facilitate the mass deployment of electric vehicles. The project will reduce uncertainties around the roll-out of smart charging, interoperable and V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) solutions, whether these are technical, organizational, economic, social or policy-related, and help shape a new energy eco-system wherein the flexibility of EV batteries’ is harnessed. A consortium of 28 partners composed of leading European cities, universities and knowledge partners, charging infrastructure companies, electric vehicle (EV) industry pioneers and more will steer the project.
SCALE's main achievements include the open system architecture which is developed under work package 2. The consumer beahvior analyses report (D1.1) stakeholder analysis (D1.2) city needs (D1.3) as well as hard- and software requirements have been valuable input, providing real life experiences. This approach assured interoperability, connectivity, openness of the system and fair market conditions. To deploy the user-centric approach, consumer research has been conducted twice, at the start of SCALE and in September 2023, resulting in two consumer reports (D1.1). A third survey is planned for the end of the project. User involvement exceeded our expectations. Instead of the target of 800, we have had over 3000 responses. Furthermore, deployment of charging infrastructure in the different use-cases also guarantees daily usage. The data generated is also creating knowledge for improvements.
Models show that there is a significant reduction of load to the grid by applying smart charging, with a multiplier for V2X. A scientific paper by the University of Utrecht is written on this matter. During mid-term reporting this article is under peer-review. In the second term of SCALE the use cases will be deployed, and KPIs being monitored have to validate the models. The report on city needs and challenges (D1.3) will help other European cities in integrated planning for smart charging and V2X services which will be formally documented in the form of SCALE Blueprint in the second period. The Analysis of hard- and software requirements (D1.5) is a step forward in standardization, allowing a more efficient roll out of the smart charging and V2X network og charging infrastrcuture and vehicles.
In the Utrecht Use Case, WDS and partners are scaling up the smart charging EV sharing program, and at the same time implementing the recent protocols for bidirectional charging of those EVs. The city did in the second half a public tender to purchase another 1700 charging stations, following the recommendations from D1.5 the analasys of hard- and software requirements. As a frst step towards V2X alliance, an Advisory Board has been setup ncluding experts from across the value chain. And since there is a lot of momentum created by the automotive sector with their first V2X to the market in 2024, additional efforts will be deployed, for example by identifying technical and regulatory barriers experienced by the partners. Finally, the project partners have participated in various and diverse events disseminating the project’s results and liaising with projects and initiatives sharing the same goals and objectives.
Models show that there is a significant reduction of load to the grid by applying smart charging, with a multiplier for V2X. A scientific paper by the University of Utrecht is written on this matter. During mid-term reporting this article is under peer-review. In the second term of SCALE the use cases will be deployed, and KPIs being monitored have to validate the models. The report on city needs and challenges (D1.3) will help other European cities in integrated planning for smart charging and V2X services which will be formally documented in the form of SCALE Blueprint in the second period. The Analysis of hard- and software requirements (D1.5) is a step forward in standardization, allowing a more efficient roll out of the smart charging and V2X network og charging infrastrcuture and vehicles.
In the Utrecht Use Case, WDS and partners are scaling up the smart charging EV sharing program, and at the same time implementing the recent protocols for bidirectional charging of those EVs. The city did in the second half a public tender to purchase another 1700 charging stations, following the recommendations from D1.5 the analasys of hard- and software requirements. As a frst step towards V2X alliance, an Advisory Board has been setup ncluding experts from across the value chain. And since there is a lot of momentum created by the automotive sector with their first V2X to the market in 2024, additional efforts will be deployed, for example by identifying technical and regulatory barriers experienced by the partners. Finally, the project partners have participated in various and diverse events disseminating the project’s results and liaising with projects and initiatives sharing the same goals and objectives.
While our primary focus remains on project implementation in different use case sites, all the use case leaders have been active in setting up their site ready for testing the smart charging and V2X solutions. it's crucial to underline that the SCALE project has the potential to significantly advance the momentum much needed for the upscaling efforts of smart charging and V2X solutions making the green European transition. SCLAE's emphasis on bringing all Europe along in this progress and our interdisciplinary approach rooted in sustainability transition studies are poised to contribute innovative solutions for decarbonization of road transport. By assessing the needs of the cities and other stakeholders in the unique value chain combining both energy and mobility actors, and their potentials using surveys, interviews and also desk research and on the ground conducting demonstrations in all the use case sites, we aim to provide valuable insights into the role of vehicle and charger OEMs, CPOs, grid operators and aggregators among others, achieving the Green European Transition. In the future, regions wishing to implement the smart charging and V2X on ground and at scale will be able to use the SCALE blueprint, the guiding document necessary to adapt the solutions to their needs.