Electric vehicles are the future. Yet the electric car is not readily accepted by consumers, who are deterred by a number of obstacles.
The limited autonomy is not the only reason for this – the limited possibilities offered by charging stations also deter them. Various companies are therefore on the lookout for solutions to eliminate these obstacles. eNovates, an initiative of Ecological Innovation NV, was looking for a partner to make the concept of Smart Charging even safer in VITO/Energyville.
Return electricity
The Charge de Move (CHAdeMO) ["Charge 'n go"] charging station from eNovates not only allows the battery of an electric car to be charged with direct current, but also makes it possible to safely return the electricity contained in the battery to the grid (vehicle to grid or V2G) via the same charging station – potentially for a cost. One of the challenges for the Western market was to develop a safety system for this charging station that detects electrical incidents, such as electrical insulation faults. The electronics behind this system – the DC-save® – were patented by VITO/Energyville and developed for the CHAdeMO at the request of eNovates. The concept developed by VITO will now be reproduced by eNovates on a large scale – something which is possible due to the fact that eNovates has access to the VITO/Energyville patent.
The development of this V2G CHAdeMO charging station offers eNovates a number of opportunities for the future. If we want to further develop the concept of Smart Charging, this V2G CHAdeMO charging station offers unique opportunities with the possibility of returning energy to the grid. After all, it means that, during peak times for the electrical grid, we can use an electric car’s battery to transfer electricity to, for example, the empty battery of another car. Or, going even further, that we could supply our house with electricity using the car's charged battery during the hours when the switch-off plan is in force.
This project is one of a kind: the initial contact with eNovates took place in February 2018. In October 2018 – nine months later – the entire system was presented at a trade fair. But that's not the end of the story, because VITO/Energyville is now working on extending the functionalities of the system.
