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fASt and Smart charging solutions for full size URban hEavy Duty applications

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - ASSURED (fASt and Smart charging solutions for full size URban hEavy Duty applications)

Période du rapport: 2020-10-01 au 2022-03-31

There is an increasing need for cleaner air within city limits by reducing vehicular emissions both from public and private transport. Electrification of vehicles is one solution that can address this need. The problem with electrifying the current heavy duty vehicles (HD) is that every OEM and charging solution provider has a different type of device which is not compatible with one another.
ASSURED looks into how this can be solved and builds on the interoperability concept where different types of HD medium duty (MD) vehicles can be charged with different charging solutions, thereby making them operate in any kind of environment, alleviating stakeholder concerns. ASSURED also builds on solutions to reduce the charging of the batteries by introducing super-fast charging concept for the heavy duty vehicles, thereby addressing end user and/or stakeholder concerns.
This is very relevant for the society because it solves two problems with one solution viz. improvement in local air quality & reduction of noise. In addition, it increases the user acceptance towards introducing electric vehicle technology in the public domain.
Overall objectives:
- Assessment of the needs of the cities, operators and end users of the next generation of electrically chargeable HD, MD and light-duty (LD) vehicles for urban environment.
- Improvement in the TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) by making an assessment of the impact of fast charging profiles on battery lifetime.
- Carrying out the sizing, safety, grid reliability and energy- efficiency study of the electric drivetrain.
- Development of next generation high-power charging solutions (up to 600kW) for electrified HD and MD vehicles in terms of standardized interfaces and interoperability. Defining and developing a common set of standards and protocols for superfast charging systems and their integration with the local grid.
- Development of interoperable and scalable high-power charging solutions among different key European charging solution providers and bus/trucks OEMs.
- Development of a novel simulation platform where innovative energy and charging management strategies can be implemented which not only improves the TCO, operational cost and the impact on the grid but also provides a base to implement the solution to any city thereby helping in scaling up of fleet.
- Development of several use cases to boost confidence among relevant stakeholders and demonstration of the uses cases in cities in real life conditions.
- Evaluation the ASSURED outputs based on defined KPIs for cost, energy efficiency, impact on the grid, battery ageing, noise and environmental and health impact of the different use cases.
- To actively support development of business cases and the exploitation of the project results across Europe.
- To effectively transfer knowledge and network with relevant stakeholders and governmental authorities for exchange of experience with the User Group, cities, PTAs and PTOs
WP1 was used to create an effective platform as well as necessary tools for the beneficiaries, ensuring smooth running of the project activities. Clear guidelines were developed and communicated, General Assembly and Executive Board meetings were held as described in the GA.

Within WP2, a complete analysis on the following topics was carried out i) Specifications of city and Public Transport (PT) needs for uptake of electric vehciles in the public transport sector ii) Constraints on the electricity grid due to conection of high power chargers and vehicles to it and iii) Specification of operational constraints where the challenges involved in operating different kinds of heavy duty vehicles in the city were studied. In WP3, key issues such as transfer of large magnitudes of power into the vehicle from the grid and its subsequent consequences, the effect on battery lifetime and ageing due to superfast charging and investigation on grid stability when a large number of electric vehicles (EVs) are plugged to the grid have were analysed in detail.

In WP4, a background study on the currently utilised and existing HD vehicle charging methods was carried out. An initial draft of the conformance and inter-operability test protocol has been formulated and is continuously being revised. These will serve as a base for the ‘ASSURED 1.0’ protocol, which is being drafted. Also information gathering to chalk out a pre-normative roadmap has been completed and this will be executed via two sets of questionnaires – one addressed to the partners within the project and the other targeted at the end users.

A complete facility upgrade and test tool development has been carried out in WP 5 where different charging solutions and heavy-duty vehicles can be tested. Uses cases and testing activities, a simulation tool is also being developed and this falls under WP 6. The simulation platform has been finalised and a preliminary generic model is available. The results arising from this generic tool can provide valuable data and a quick assessment on the different charging strategies and a host of other information.

Under WP 7, the use cases for different cities, which forms an important part of the project, were described in detail based on the city’s needs and requirements and realization is ongoing.

WP 8 deals with the demonstrations of the buses and chargers in real city driving conditions. A coordination calls in order to align the activities of the use cases from WP 7 with the demonstrations planned were conducted. Also to ensure a smooth transition from the testing activities in WP5 to actual demonstrations, interactions and bilateral exchanges between WP8 and WP5 was started. The demo setup works are ongoing.

In WP 9, the KPI tree has been defined and agreed by all partners. An overarching assessment approach has been erected that is based upon the main research questions in the project. The approach is data driven and where possible data is sourced from actual vehicles under test or in operation, and complemented by data from numerical simulation or ther sources.

WP 10 delves into the business aspects of the project, thereby making the outreach of the project wider. D10.1 which lists down the ASSURED bus service functions and D10.2 which details out the business cases to be developed have been completed.
- Inter-operable charging solutions between three pillars of public transport – buses, trucks and vans.
- Exploration of fast charging technology (with powers up to 600 kW) for HD vehicles
- Testing of different charging solution solutions with different vehicles, thereby proving the concept of inter-operability.
- Development of a common standard for charging heavy duty vehicles and the interaction between the electricity grid and vehicle.
The following results will be available at the end of the project
- Effects on battery ageing and lifetime due to fast charging
- Effects on electric grids due to installation of high power chargers (up to 600 kW).
- A common standard, laying out the guidelines for interoperable operation of HD vehicles with chargers.
- Test results from interoperability.
- Results from use cases and demonstrations of the vehicles in cities.
- A simulation tool to complement all the above, basically a virtual platform for anyone wanting to use the ASSURED solution.
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