ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE
ISSUE 10 | OCTOBER 2013 | CHARGEDEVS.COM
PORSCHE PLUGS IN
Where will it fit into the market P. 44
Panamera S E-Hybrid THE NEW A123 SYSTEMS P. 18
AMP TRUCKS: CAR CONVERTER TO TRUCK OEM P. 54
EVSE: THE LOWHANGING FRUIT OF SUSTAINABILITY P. 66
AVOIDING DEMAND CHARGES P. 78
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THE TECH contents
18
18 The new A123 Q&A with Jeff Kessen
24 oneDRIVE of a kind
KLD Energy Technologies’ system approach
30 The rise of the SSVs
Leyden Energy bets on start-stop vehicles
24
36 Web of power
Spider9 weaves a matrix of efficiency
CURRENT EVENTS 12
36
Advanced battery R&D hub opens in Indiana Modular battery concept demonstrated in Frankfurt
13
GE and Berkeley developing water-based EV battery
14
Bosch touts its compact and flexible electric motor ZF and Levant develop regenerative suspension
14
15
DOE to resume making loans for advanced vehicle tech
17
Samsung SDI to supply batteries to Tesla?
THE VEHICLES contents
DC Quick Charger • 208 Vac three-phase 20–50 kW output • Access control, payment and networking options • CHAdeMO and SAE combined charging system—coming soon
AC Level 2 Commercial Charging Station • 30, 48 and 70 amperes • Single, dual and optional Level 1 outlet styles
44
• Field-upgradable payment and networking options for future-proofing
44 Panamera
AC Level 1 & Level 2 Residential Charging Station
54
• 16 and 30 amperes • Ideal for single- and multi-family homes
S E-Hybrid
54
AMP Trucks
From car converter to truck OEM
90 Share it
Electric car sharing takes off
• Attractive stainless steel enclosure
CURRENT EVENTS
90
42
40
Houston project to deploy 30 Smith electric trucks Next-gen Prius Plug-in to have wireless charging
41
Nissan joins Tesla as seller of ZEV credits
42
California senate prolongs HOV access for plug-ins Tesla may add factories in Europe and Asia
43
New York to offer $19M in vouchers for e-trucks
Electric Vehicle Charging Stations on the
on
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road the go home DC Quick Charger
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AC Level 1 & Level 2 Residential Charging Station
...keeping you charged Learn more at Eaton.com/plugin
66 EVSE and
smart cities The low-hanging fruit of sustainability
72 rEVolution
66
Bosch invests in the infrastructure behind the infrastructure
78 Demand Charges
Reducing and avoiding
86 Connecting
72
the dots
Hardware, software, services
CURRENT EVENTS 60
Efacec to produce dual standard fast chargers
78
eVgo opens first CA charging station
61
LEAFs to provide backup power on Japan’s highways
62
New report: DCFC poised for exponential growth Envision Solar launches off-grid charging station
65
South Korean electric buses use dynamic wireless charging
61
Have You Made the Connection?
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Publisher’s Note The future stares us in the face The eventual proliferation of electrified vehicles becomes clearer with every passing month. While automakers introduced dozens of plug-in concept cars over the past few years we’re now seeing more and more of those vehicles trickle into the showrooms. The new Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards give us reassurance that the auto innovations are not likely to end soon. These regulations demand efficiency increases starting in 2017, and require the fleet-wide equivalent of 54.5 mpg by model year 2025. Countless engineers from major automakers have indicated that electrification is a big part of their strategies to meet that goal. Electric utility experts have called EVs the catalyst for change in the energy production and distribution industry. Widespread mobile storage devices will cause a paradigm shift and offer new opportunities for efficiency. Beyond plugged-in vehicles, many EV battery makers are also innovating in the stationary storage space. In a search for more volume, they are pushing the boundaries of what is capable in grid energy storage, which has profound implications for renewable energy and grid stability in general. Along with more efficient energy production and consumption, it appears that vehicle autonomy is in the near future. GM and Nissan have recently announced aggressive plans for a variety of autonomous features ranging from crash-avoidance systems to driverless cars. They join companies like Google, IBM, Continental, Ford, Toyota and Volkswagen in developing control systems that could make accidents and traffic jams things of the past. The future is right in front of us, and it appears to be electric, autonomous and hyperconnected. The big question is: How can we get there quicker? Recent headlines have revealed some of the challenges of government support for emerging industries. Charging network service provider ECOtality announced that the DOE has suspended payments under The EV Project, and the company is not able to generate enough revenue to support its operations. A few weeks later, reports emerged that the DOE was reactivating its controversial Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing loan program, which has funded EV makers like Ford, Nissan, Tesla and Fisker. In our next issue, we’ll take a pragmatic look at the different types of government support and attempt to wade through the sea of opinions to find some clear examples of success. In the meantime, you can send me your thoughts at: Chris@ChargedEVs.com. EVs are here. Try to keep up. Christian Ruoff Publisher
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Christian Ruoff Publisher Laurel Zimmer Associate Publisher Charles Morris Senior Editor Markkus Rovito Associate Editor Jeffrey Jenkins Technology Editor Joey Stetter Contributing Editor Nick Sirotich Illustrator & Designer Nate Greco Contributing Artist Contributing Writers Jeffrey Jenkins Michael Kent Charles Morris Markkus Rovito Joey Stetter Contributing Photographers Victor Bezrukov Vincent Desjardins Michael Huey Alex Nunez Nicolas Raymond Arby Reed Luc Viatour Ezra Wolfe Cover Images Courtesy of Porsche AG Special Thanks to Kelly Ruoff Sebestien Bourgeois For Letters to the Editor, Article Submissions, & Advertising Inquiries Contact Info@ChargedEVs.com
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EVS 27 November 17–20, 2013
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Ford’s
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P. 44
ARE THEY SERIOUS ABOUT ELECTRIFICATION?
THE NRG-CPUC SETTLEMENT & THE FREE MARKET P. 62 CALCHARGE: BATTERY START-UP ACCELERATOR P. 20 TESLA BEGINS MODEL S DELIVERIES P. 30 LONG-DISTANCE EV TRAVEL P. 90 ADVANCING INVERTERS P. 16
ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE CHARGEDEVS.COM AUG/SEP 2012
Promise THE
OF THE Prius Plug-in BRINGING 95 MPGE TO THE MASSES P. 50
POLYPLUS REACHES FOR 1500 WH/KG P. 24
LI–TITANATE, CITY BUSES, & THE UTILITIES P. 40
A CLOSER LOOK AT REGEN BRAKING P. 20
PAT ROMANO ON CHARGING FOR CHARGING P. 62
ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAGAZINE
CHARGEDEVS.COM AUG/SEP 2012
Fisker’s Future TONY POSAWATZ ON MOVING THE START-UP ‘ONWARD’
POLYPLUS REACHES FOR 1500 WH/KG P. 24
LI–TITANATE, CITY BUSES, & THE UTILITIES P. 40
A CLOSER LOOK AT REGEN BRAKING P. 20
PAT ROMANO ON CHARGING FOR CHARGING P. 62
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CURRENTevents
Advanced battery R&D hub opens in Indiana The Battery Innovation Center (BIC), a hub for advanced battery testing and development, opened this week in Newberry, Indiana. The 32,000-square-foot facility will serve as a center for research and development, prototyping and contract manufacturing for industrial, academic and military customers. BIC members include corporate, academic and government entities such as AeroVironment, Eaton, Purdue University and Argonne National Lab. “The need for robust energy storage operating systems becomes more apparent as the number of disparate assets in the total energy system increases,” said BIC President Charles LaSota. “The Battery Innovation Center’s diverse capabilities in energy storage system prototyping, testing and evaluation, and microgrid implementation are exactly what are needed to accelerate the development of this technology.” “The opportunities for defense, commercial and academic customers to take advantage of this new center not only will demonstrate its world-class capabilities, but it will showcase how collaboration across sectors can accelerate innovation,” said BIC Board Chairman Paul Mitchell. “The technology that can be developed at the BIC has far-reaching impacts on everything from electric vehicles to military applications to grid storage.” Several R&D projects are already under way, focusing on topics such as: next generation lithiumion cell designs; large grid array battery test and evaluation capabilities; and microgrid technologies.
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The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) will present a unique modular battery concept for electric buses at the upcoming International Motor Show in Frankfurt. The battery system consists of flat modules that can be stacked to reach the dimensions and electrical characteristics desired. The idea is that, because the size and shape of the battery packs are flexible, they can be easily integrated into the free space of a given vehicle.
The number of cells, and thus the length, of a single module can be varied, and any number of modules with the same length can be stacked. Within a stack the modules can be connected in parallel, series, series-parallel or parallel-series. To build larger distributed battery systems (e.g. for stationary energy storage), multiple battery packs can be connected. Coolant can be easily passed through a cooling channel next to the conductors. Electrical connections and cooling channels are far away from the outer surface of the battery and possible impact areas. It is also possible to heat the cells using a surrounding heating mat. The change in volume while charging and discharging a pouch cell is compensated by a compressible foam layer, which also helps to fix the cells between modules and reduces mechanical strain on the conductors. KIT will present an e-city bus demonstrator to illustrate the concept.
Image courtesy of The Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Modular battery concept demonstrated in Frankfurt
THE TECH
GE and Berkeley developing water-based EV battery
Image courtesy of GE
Scientists at GE Global Research and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are working on a system that uses water-based solutions of inorganic chemicals that can supply high energy density by ferrying more than one electron at a time. It’s called a “flow” battery because the discharge and recharge occurs in electrochemical cells that stand apart from the energy storing tanks, making them safer. The research is part of the DOE’s ARPA-E RANGE program, which has challenged America’s scientists to develop an EV battery that delivers three times the range for a third less cost than current designs (and, by the way, avoids thermal runaway and is immune to catastrophic failure). Grigorii Soloveichik, the leader of GE’s flow battery project, says he thinks they can exceed the DOE’s 240-mile range goal. Engineers from the team say that they plan to develop a working prototype and “demonstrate feasibility” of the concept over the next year.
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CURRENTevents
In a recent press release, Bosch revealed some details of its SMG 180/120 electric motor, a petite powerhouse that weighs only 32 kilos and “fits inside a typical school backpack” (a handy feature). The permanent magnet synchronous motor is already used in several production vehicles, including the smart fortwo electric drive and Fiat 500e EVs, and the Peugeot 3008 diesel hybrid. “The SMG 180/120 is the Bosch all-around solution for electromobility. It accelerates quickly over the first few meters and can be installed in electric vehicles as well as hybrids,” says Joachim Fetzer, who is in charge of electric vehicle and hybrid systems at Bosch. In hybrids, the SMG 180/120 supports the combustion engine with an output of up to 40 kW. In plug-in vehicles, the SMG 180/120 delivers an output of 80 kW. It offers up to 200 Nm of instantlyavailable torque, and works at over 90% efficiency. As is typical of electric motors, the SMG 180 includes a start-stop function and regenerative braking. It operates with only one conversion ratio, and offers flexible output speed of up to 12,800 rpm. Reverse gear is not engaged mechanically, but instead by changing the direction of electrical current. But wait! There’s more: Bosch’s motor is maintenance-free, and uses no oil or coolant. It can be placed at any desired location in the powertrain, which allows a vehicle’s front axle to be driven by the combustion engine while the rear axle is driven by the electric motor. This setup offers four-wheel-drive functionality, like that offered by the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4.
14
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Photo courtesy of Bosch
Bosch touts its compact and flexible electric motor
Photo courtesy of ZF
ZF and Levant develop regenerative suspension
German transmission manufacturer ZF Friedrichshafen and Massachusetts-based Levant Power have started working together to produce GenShock technology - a fully active system for passenger cars which will combine dynamics, safety, and comfort characteristics with minimal energy consumption. The goal is not only to recover energy, but to create a suspension that balances comfort and handling. A luxury sedan needs a soft suspension that absorbs bumps to give a comfortable ride, while sports car drivers prefer a stiff suspension for better handling. GenShock is a high-bandwidth active suspension that promises to deliver both. The core of the GenShock system is a new valve technology that has been developed specifically for this application. The compact unit is composed of its own control unit, an electric motor, and an electrohydraulic gear pump. The gear pump regulates the oil flow in the damper. The damping characteristic curve adapts to each driving situation automatically, and is designed to eliminate pitch during abrupt braking maneuvers and rolling during rapid evasion maneuvers. It is also capable of actively raising each individual wheel. The valve system automatically uses the swaying motion of the damper piston to recover energy, and guides the oil in the damper in such a way that it drives the electric pump motor. This functions like a generator, converting kinetic energy into electricity and feeding it into the vehicle power supply.
THE TECH
DOE to resume making loans for advanced vehicle tech The $25 billion Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing (ATVM) loan program, which funded Tesla, Ford, Nissan and Fisker before election-year criticism caused it to slam on the brakes, will get back on the road soon, said DOE spokeswoman Aoife McCarthy. The program, which was created in 2008 by President George W. Bush’s administration, still has about 60 percent of its funding remaining, and has made no loans since 2011. “With no sunset date and more than $15 billion in remaining authority, the program plans to conduct an active outreach campaign to educate industry associations and potential applicants about the substantial remaining funds available and the application process in general,” said McCarthy. Republican leaders, including presidential nominee Mitt Romney, roundly criticized ATVM, and Congress held a hearing in April to investigate the default
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of Fisker Automotive, which drew $193 million from its conditional $529 million loan before going belly-up. A couple of conservative lawmakers spoke against resurrecting the program. “At worst, the program threw good taxpayer money after bad,” said Representative Darrell Issa (R-California). “At best, it has risked Americans’ hard-earned money on projects that didn’t need it or didn’t truly advance vehicle technology. The program simply didn’t have the results needed to justify its revival.” Auto analyst Alan Baum of Baum & Associates suggested that there will be little demand for the loans these days as private financing is available, and applicants would have to endure the scrutiny of lawmakers and government watchdogs: “Is this money better than money you can obtain on the private side?” Baum said that the Energy Department will probably seek recipients looking for supplements to their capital rather than a main funding source.
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CURRENTevents
THE TECH
Samsung SDI to supply batteries to Tesla? Tesla is looking to diversify its supply of lithium-ion batteries, and is close to an agreement with Korean firm Samsung SDI, the Korea Herald reported, citing unidentified industry sources (an SDI official has denied the report). “We understand SDI and Tesla are undergoing last-minute tests before the Korean company starts to supply its batteries,” said the source. Before the contract is inked, Samsung will test the battery life, and the two companies will jointly conduct driving and safety tests. Samsung SDI already supplies batteries for BMW’s i3 and Chrysler’s Fiat 500e, and also has a contract with Volkswagen. The Tesla deal has been rumored for months. Tesla is currently getting all its batteries from Panasonic, and supply disruptions could be a problem in the future. Elon Musk said in a recent earnings webcast, “When our third-generation car is being produced and our factory is producing half a million cars a year, we
will exceed the entire laptop industry by a decent margin, and new battery factories will need to be built.” According to the Herald, Tesla also plans to add China’s BYD to its list of suppliers, as battery makers outside of Japan increase their technological edge. LG Chem, another Korean firm, was reportedly in the race against Samsung. “Tesla is sought after by Korean battery makers because of the sensation it is causing in the market, and because of the potential it holds,” said the source.
Image courtesy of A123 Systems
(looks a lot like the old A123)
h wit
Q&A
S
tart-ups are tough. The majority of them do not succeed, particularly those built around new technologies in burgeoning industries. Nowhere is this more evident than in the EV industry. Even with political support and government grants, many companies have miscalculated the market and the capital required to make it into the black. In October 2012, A123 Systems, a lithium-ion battery manufacturer founded in 2001, filed for bankruptcy. The process culminated in an auction, with a number of bidders participating. The Wanxiang Group won the auction, and the sale was finalized in January of this year. For $256.6 million, the China-based automotive components company took control of the majority of A123’s assets, with the exception of its military business, which was sold separately to Navitas Systems. A123’s struggles and bankruptcy were highly publicized, mainly because of politics - a divisive force that crept into the EV world when the Obama administration publicly threw its support behind the industry. The bankruptcy announcement came at the height of the 2012 presidential race, which only added to the scrutiny. As a result, a lot of confusion surrounded the entire process. Almost a year later, Charged caught up with A123’s Jeff Kessen - the spokesman for the company’s automotive business - to clear up what new ownership means for the battery maker’s US operations, customers and focus.
Charged: What led to filing for bankruptcy? Was the Livonia prismatic cell recall in March 2012 the main driver? Jeff Kessen: There was not one cause that drove A123 to its bankruptcy filing. The recall was certainly a blow, but nearly every major lithium-ion battery manufacturer has had a recall at some point in their history. It was a confluence of factors, including slower than anticipated market growth across our target applications. Charged: What is the biggest misconception about the new A123? Jeff Kessen: One thing that has been substantially misreported is the SEC filing where the company’s name was changed to B456. The purpose of that was to give a name to the “old A123” - the liabilities and legal matters which still had to be cleared up by the bankruptcy court after the purchase by Wanxiang. Wanxiang also bought the marketing rights and the brand, so we’re still operating under A123 Systems. The irony is that it was intended to reduce confusion about who A123 is, and is not, going forward. But B456 created a lot of unnecessary confusion in the market. A123 is still basically the same entity, focused on transportation and grid energy storage. The only difference is that we no longer deal with military applications. Charged: Has leadership of the US operations changed significantly? Jeff Kessen: At the business unit level, no. Because we’re now operated under the Wanxiang family of companies, the top senior executives are different, but essentially everyone else is still here. From the head of the automotive business to the R&D group, the company is substantially the same. We had one change in role on the management team subsequent to the sale, but that didn’t have anything to do with the new ownership. We’re actually managed by Wanxiang America in Chicago. People presume that we’re going to be moving all the technology and operations to China. There’s no doubt that we see market growth and opportunity for our technology in China, but that’s always been true. The fact is that our board resides in the Chicago area, and that’s where we’re managed from.
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“
People presume that we’re going to be moving all the technology and operations to China...our board resides in the Chicago area, and that’s where we’re managed from.
”
Wanxiang America has been in Chicago since 1993. And their typical investment approach is to buy a distressed asset in a business that they see a future in. Then, by and large, they bolster the local management team and then operate more as a holding company. Their method has been quite successful. It’s a business model that they’ve executed very well many times, and the majority of their US investments are in other automotive businesses. In 2008, the Harvard Business Review wrote a case study titled “Wanxiang Group: A Chinese Company’s Global Strategy” that detailed the successes of their approach. Charged: What about the company’s partnerships and projects that you had underway last year - are they still in place? Jeff Kessen: Yes. All of them, in fact. Within transportation we’re still supplying BMW for the 3 and 5 Series hybrids. We launched the Spark EV on time with GM, which just went on sale within the last month or so in California and Oregon. Our business continues with SAIC in China, and commercial vehicle customers like Smith Electric Vehicles and Daimler. All the things that we were doing prior to bankruptcy have been maintained, with the exception of Fisker, although that is mostly governed by the financial troubles that Fisker is having. We fulfilled every order that was received and that was done before bankruptcy. They’re
“
We fulfilled every order that was received [from Fisker] and that was done before bankruptcy.
”
THE TECH
“
Photo courtesy of General Motors
We’re still supplying BMW... we launched the Spark EV on time with GM...Our business continues with SAIC in China, and commercial vehicle customers like Smith Electric Vehicles and Daimler. the only customer that I could say we haven’t produced for since the bankruptcy. Charged: Have manufacturing operations moved? Jeff Kessen: No, the plants in Michigan are still operating. We have two facilities here, one is in Romulus and that feeds our facility in Livonia. That has been the core manufacturing footprint in the US. There’s really no substantial change. Our grid systems are still integrated and assembled in Westborough, Massachusetts. And our R&D department is also still located in the Boston area. Charged: In May, you announced a new division called A123 Venture Technologies. What is its focus? Jeff Kessen: It is the same R&D function that we’ve had
”
from the beginning, and it’s mostly based in the Boston area. That’s the organization that can trace its roots all the way back to the founding of A123 and our MIT affiliation, about 12 years ago now. Basically, we’re offering our services and capabilities to third parties. We looked at the laboratory space we have and some of the specialized equipment that is necessary to make prototype battery cells, and recognized that our current R&D pipeline doesn’t keep all of those assets fully utilized. Having gone through the startup phase ourselves, we know there is a lot of capital investment necessary to get off the ground. So we saw the opportunity to reach out into the startup domain for batteries and offer them services to help avoid the early stage investment costs, while gaining access to various insights, like what other people are working on in the industry. It actually represents an increase in the scope of our R&D function.
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OCT 2013 21
THE TECH Charged: What are your thoughts on the different electrified vehicle segments? Jeff Kessen: As the market has developed and progressed, one of the better opportunities that we see - particularly for our chemistry - is in micro-hybrids. If you put four of our cells in series you get the same operating voltage range as a lead-acid battery. So we can replace it with a Li-ion battery without the need for any additional power electronics in the car. And the ability to charge our 12 V battery during regenerative braking is about ten times that of the best lead-acid. What we’re finding is that in first generation micro-hybrids, or start-stops, engineers have really focused on reducing noise, vibration refinements and those sorts of things. And firstgeneration systems on any given vehicle tend not to focus so much on regen braking. But after the automaker has the basics under its belt, then the next step is often using a regenerative braking concept to make another meaningful step in fuel economy. And that’s where leadacid technology really becomes the Achilles’ heel. We’re already finding good traction in Europe where start-stop, or micro-hybrid, systems have been commonplace for some time. But we’re also starting to see more demand from North America as well. We have three production programs, two of which have already launched in the 12 V market, all in Europe.
“
”
Charged: In June 2012, A123 introduced Nanophosphate EXT (EXtreme Temperature), a new chemistry that is capable of operating at extreme temperatures without requiring thermal management. What is the status of its development? Jeff Kessen: Nanophosphate EXT is something that we are really excited about, but it won’t be ready to launch into production for a couple of years. It’s not a substantial
22
Image courtesy of A123 Systems
We’re already finding good traction in Europe where start-stop, or micro-hybrid, systems have been commonplace for some time.
change to the materials; it’s sort of a small change in the recipe that brings big changes in the capability. We are currently working on design validation across a broad range of operating conditions as we simultaneously prepare for manufacturing scale-up. We are currently producing small quantities of EXT cells, but the transition to full-scale production takes some time in the automotive industry. EXT will improve performance in the 12 V market beyond what we’ve already been able to secure. It brings us better cold cranking capability, which gets us closer to a head-to-head comparison with leadacid. And it helps us with life as well. After some studies that we did about a year ago, it’s not clear that we’ll be able to fully eliminate a thermal management system from a high-voltage pack. There are some costs that we’ll be able to avoid by using EXT for high voltage, but I think that the cold crank benefit in low voltage is where it’s likely to be more meaningful to the market.
“
...it’s sort of a small change in the recipe that brings big changes in the capability.
”
Announcing the 14th International
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oneDRIVE of a kind
In August 2013, KLD Energy announced that it has received official UN and IEC certification for the battery pack solution of its proprietary electric drive system. The announcement marked the end of a five-year development effort and the beginning of highvolume production for the company’s ultra-efficient turnkey oneDRIVE propulsion system.
By Joey Stetter
T
here are hundreds of different types of electric motors in existence, although only a handful are used for traction applications. This summer KLD Energy Technologies added one more to that short list. The Austin-based startup is beginning high-volume production of its motor, which has a unique inside-out design - internal stator, external rotor. Unlike other inside-out topologies (like the in-wheel motors made by Protean or Schaeffler, for example), KLD uses a patented “stator block” design. These blocks allow for a modular stator that’s scalable to different power outputs for a broad range of applications. To use a permanent magnet motor for different power applications, engineers will typically redesign it, changing the stator windings and other components. KLD’s stator blocks are common among all configurations of its motor. To scale the power, you can simply add more blocks - up to six in its first production model, which the company claims will lower cost, increase reliability, and simplify serviceability.
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...one of the big problems he would run up against was the motor, controller and battery integration
on this motor technology, but one of the big problems he would run up against was the motor, controller and battery integration,” Okonsky told Charged. “At that point we realized we needed to surround ourselves with experts in those areas as well.” The company decided to focus on maximizing efficiency with a fully integrated turnkey drivetrain, and the result is its oneDRIVE system, which was officially launched in June 2013.
The stator block technology, originally invented by Ray Caamano, KLD’s Chief Science Officer, uses a tape wound core design. While most permanent magnet motors have traditional laminated monolithic stators that are continually wound, KLD’s tape-wound blocks are not magnetically connected to each other. This unique low-inductance feature enables high-speed direct drive at low voltage. The company claims many advantages for its stator design, including: a reduction in rare-earth magnet content of as much as 60 percent; high-frequency operation in excess of 1,500 Hz, allowing high power density and a larger torque arm radius; direct thermal paths from the stator components out of the motor; low inductance; and very high efficiency. One system approach KLD was originally founded in 2008 by CEO Christian Okonsky to commercialize Caamano’s motor design. However, the duo quickly realized that to fully capitalize on the potential of stator block technology, the company would need to build complete drive systems. “Ray was making impressive strides building his own EVs based
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Battery The scalable powertrain features 48 V battery modules. With lithium-ion cells supplied by Samsung, the packs have KLD-designed battery management systems that fully integrate with the custom motor controllers, also designed in-house. Because of the unique attributes of the stator block motor technology, KLD was able to make some novel design choices for its pack. The motor’s extra low-inductance means that KLD can achieve high-speed operation with a low battery pack voltage. One of KLD’s first customers was the electric scooter maker Eclimo. The Malaysian company searched the globe for a direct-drive solution that could achieve 80 kph (about 50 mph) with a battery pack less than 60 V. “To the best of my knowledge, we have the only technology that can achieve that,” said Okonsky. “Many others can achieve it at 72 V or 96 V, but not below 60 V.” Eclimo wanted to have the most energy-efficient solution in the industry. With KLD’s system, it was not a problem. Because of the high overall efficiency of the system,
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Because we have such an efficient system, we actually wind up with more range, even though we use a power cell
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Image courtesy of KLD Energy
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THE TECH
KLD chose to use power cells, rather than the energy cells that are typically used in automotive applications. Power cells have a lower internal resistance, so they create less heat during cycling and are considered safer, which means no active cooling is necessary. But the trade-off is capacity. “Because we have such an efficient system, we actually wind up with more range, even though we use a power cell,” explained Okonsky. “We don’t need the capacity that most people need for the same application.” Controller The hardware in the oneDRIVE motor controller is essentially the same as a typical inverter, but the software is unique to the KLD system. The controller operates at much higher frequencies than conventional controllers to handle the high output regeneration of the motor (another benefit of KLD’s system). It also plays a major role in supporting a multitude of safety and performance vehicle features – Controller Area Network (CAN) bus communication to the BMS, charger and dashboard interface, kickstand safety switch (for motorcycles), reverse operation, etc.
The market Since receiving the critical UN and IEC certification for its battery pack - which included heavy industrial testing and allows KLD to ship the system via air cargo - oneDRIVE is beginning high-volume production and shipping to customers. Because the system is scalable, the company sees many different potential applications. For automotive use, the current product line is targeted at vehicles that are 1,000 kg or less, but it can be applied to larger vehicles in the future. “Imagine our motor is a pie, with six stator block pieces,” explained Okonsky. “It’s scalable in that sense. Each stator block has a rough equivalent of about 2 kW of power.” Two-wheel vehicle designers can use one of those motors, and its inside-out nature lends itself perfectly to in-wheel packaging. For heavier four-wheel vehicles, the KLD system is transmission-free, and has two motors side-by-side, direct drive, with an electronic differential between them. “Right now we’re focused mainly on the vehicle market, and we’re very excited about it,” said Okonsky. “We
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OCT 2013 27
Photos courtesy of KLD Energy
started in two-wheel vehicles because the infrastructure involved is much less. Then people began to come to us for the four-wheel vehicles, like Cenntro Motors.” The Kombi EV, by Cenntro Motors, is a light-duty utility vehicle - designed for maintenance, delivery and light cargo transport - and is built around KLD’s oneDrive. The product is expected to be available later this year, and it claims an impressive 250 MPGe - twice what is available on the market today. Upping efficiency Another promising area that KLD is actively exploring is the elevator market. “We’re currently in phase-two testing with Schindler elevators,” Okonsky told us. The Switzerland-based Schindler Group is one of the largest manufacturers of people movers. “They actually approached us and were very interested in our highly-efficient scalable technology.” For an elevator company, scalability is extremely important. A commodity-grade elevator is 20 stories and
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below, which accounts for about 90 percent of the world’s elevators. KLD’s drive system can provide the power for a 20-story elevator in a six stator block solution, or for shorter buildings, it can use a motor with fewer stator blocks. “They could use one motor for the entire product line of elevators, and greatly improve serviceability,” said Okonsky. The two companies Because we are also exploring the design the entire use of battery packs system, we’re to capture regenerable to achieve ated energy during an regeneration elevator’s descent. By adding the right size rates that are battery pack and revery high. generative braking for Higher than the down cycle, KLD anything we’ve says a system could seen out there in run off-grid well over 50 percent of the time. the industry.
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THE TECH Typically, an elevator company will source a motor from Company A, a motor controller from Company B and a battery from Company C. “We do all of it in one system and offer a whole different strategy,” said Okonsky. “Because we design the entire system, we’re able to achieve regeneration rates that are very high. Higher than anything we’ve seen out there in the industry.” Global reach Okonsky was one of the original six engineers in the notebook division at computer maker Dell, so it’s no surprise to learn that KLD has chosen the contract manufacturing model. The company will do all of the pilot production in-house. The engineering team will produce all of the manufacturing documents for fixtures, test equipment, processes, etc, then outsource to contract manufacturers around the world. “We use what’s called a regionalized model,” Okonsky explains. “When we’re selling heavily in the US and Europe, we’ll have US and European sup-
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We knew that they would love to buy a system technology that’s more cost-effective and efficient than buying pieces and trying to integrate them.
pliers. If we’re going to sell heavily in China, we’ll have regionalized Chinese suppliers and manufacturers. The same with Malaysia, and eventually South America.” Okonsky describes the response to the oneDRIVE product launch as “frankly overwhelming.” He says that they receive many inquiries every day about the new system. “It’s sort of what we envisioned headed in, the idea that people will come to us and say, ‘We’ve tried to put together a low-voltage high-efficiency motor, controller and battery system, and I’ve got to tell you that it’s not working.’ We knew that they would love to buy a system technology that’s more cost-effective and efficient than buying pieces and trying to integrate them.” At the moment, KLD is focused on supporting its existing customer base, and expanding the electric vehicle market with its oneDRIVE system. Although the motor technology could be used in many different applications, besides working with Schindler, the company’s main focus is the automotive market. “My time is mostly taken up by evaluating potential customers and determining whether or not it makes sense to pursue that opportunity or another opportunity,” Okonsky told us. That sounds like a good problem for a fledgling start-up company to have. With any luck, we should hear a lot more about the use of stator block technology in many industries in the coming years.
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the rise of the
SSVs Battery start-up Leyden Energy plans to profit from the forecasted groundswell at the bottom of the electrification ladder: start-stop vehicles
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Photo courtesy of Leyden Energy
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he average person may see the trademarked Liimide logo and rush to the nearest convenience store to try a tangy new soft drink. However, you, being a somewhat chemistry-savvy electric vehicle enthusiast, know that Li-imide’s likely association with lithium would make it neither delicious nor refreshing, unless of course you were a power-hungry battery for mobile electronics or EVs. Those are the areas that Leyden Energy has so far targeted for its patented lithium-ion-based chemistry, which utilizes a new electrolyte salt that the company developed using lithium-imide. Among other purported advantages, Li-imide’s greatest strength over legacy Li-ion is its thermal stability. Now, bolstered by a recent contract from the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), Leyden Energy looks to ramp up the commercialization of Li-imide for a less-publicized automotive sector: start-stop vehicles (SSVs).
Dr. Battery, Powermat Technologies and Nvidia for tablet batteries, replacement batteries, and wirelessly chargeable batteries. Concurrently, Leyden was identifying a growth market in SSVs where its cells could provide an advantage over lead-acid and existing Li-ion batteries. That focus culminated this June in a $2.28 million contract from the USABC, a group comprised of Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors, to develop a 12 V start-stop battery system using Li-imide. Mike Saft, Leyden’s Senior Director of Business Development, said that seven companies competed for the contract and he was proud that his small start-up won the first of only two contracts awarded. Of Leyden’s 55 employees, about 50 of them are scientists and engineers. “We focus on technology,” Saft said. “When Chrysler, Ford, and GM say, ‘we like your technology,’ it’s not only encouraging, but also a validation of the approach we’re taking.” The DOE will co-fund the USABC contract, with a 50 percent cost-share by Leyden. So far, four venture capital firms have funded Leyden almost exclusively. In just the last two years, Leyden raised $30 million in Series B and C funding from these four investors: Lightspeed Venture Partners, New Enterprise Associates, Sigma Partners and Walden International. “We’re proud of the fact that our investors want to
start stop
The company Born out of a patent purchased from Dupont in 2007, Fremont, California’s Leyden Energy developed that patent into its core technology, a heat-resistant, energydense and durable battery cell based on its Li-imide chemistry. It landed its first partnerships in the consumer electronics arena, securing deals in 2011 and 2012 with
OCT 2013 31
keep us going,” Saft said. “Batteries have been having a lot of negative press lately, and that reverberates. But our investors feel we have a good strategy and good technology; they stick with us. That’s verification as much as the USABC contract.” Start-stop In December 2011, Lux Research released a report on hybrids that included a vehicle electrification taxonomy beginning with non-electric internal combustion engines (ICE) and ending with fully electrified battery EVs. The most basic, first step to hybridizing an ICE vehicle is start-stop technology. An SSV does not idle; the ICE shuts off when the vehicle stops, and starts again seamlessly as the brake is released. While such a vehicle is stopped, the battery must power the lights, climate control, data and entertainment systems, etc. According to Leyden’s 2013 white paper (available on its website) basic start-stop technology alone can improve mileage by an estimated five percent, and that increases to 15 percent when “Mild hybrid” functions (including regenerative braking and part-time propulsion boost) are added. To help meet EU emissions standards, 40 percent of new cars sold in Europe already incorporate start-stop. In the US, however, current EPA tests don’t address the kind of urban traffic where start-stop affects mileage the most. With the EPA proposing new regulations to address that discrepancy, Lux Research forecasted a rosy outlook for SSVs in the US, where they could help reach the 54.5 mpg CAFE standards for 2025. Lux predicted 40 percent compound annual growth for US SSV sales, with 40 million SSVs projected to sell by 2017. That outlook meshes quite nicely with Leyden’s plans to have its commercialized Li-imide batteries in vehicles in about three years, in time for model years 2016 and 2017. Yet Leyden’s greatest leg-up for this market seems to be the shortcomings of lead-acid and existing Li-ion for start-stop applications, and the way that its Li-imide system addresses those problems. In the case of lead-acid batteries, the high-frequency charge and discharge cycles of start-stop conditions can wear out the battery in just a few months. Smaller, lighter-weight batteries are preferred. Existing Li-ion technology has filled the need so far, yet the heat generated by start-stop can also plague those cells. Most current Li-ion cells use LiPF6 electrolyte, which reacts with moisture left
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Lux Research predicted 40 percent compound annual growth for US SSV sales, with 40 million SSVs projected to sell by 2017. over from the manufacturing process to produce corrosive hydrofluoric acid, a process that accelerates at higher temperatures. Advantages of Li-imide Leyden’s lithium-imide electrolyte doesn’t react with water, which grants it greater thermal stability. “It’s also safer because the salt doesn’t decompose at lower temperatures like the LiPF6 does,” Saft said. The company claims other big advantages as well, including a faster recharge rate for greater recovery from regenerative braking, and very long cycle life and calendar life. While Saft says the electrolyte is not tied to any specific Li-ion chemistry, Leyden has tailored its battery specifically for start-stop, which has different requirements than other vehicle energy storage applications. It utilizes an LTO/LMO (lithium titanate spinel oxide/lithium manganese oxide spinel) anode/cathode electrode. “There have been some historical problems with LTO/LMO,” Saft said, “and when we used Li-imide with them, we solved a lot of those problems. All of a sudden the LTO/LMO becomes really perfect for start-stop applications. It’s high power and has low-cost raw materials. Going to automakers, we need it to be low-cost. Titanium oxide is what they use in white paint, and LMO is the lowest-cost cathode material you can buy.” LTO also contributes to a long life. “It’s called a zero strain material,” Saft said. “It doesn’t expand and contract like if you were using graphite. You’re not breaking up that structure every time you put in electrons.” So far, Leyden’s safety tests indicate that the batteries
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There have been some historic problems with LTO/ LMO, and when we used Liimide with them, we solved a lot of those problems.
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THE TECH can withstand nail penetration and overcharging, which has allowed them to simplify the battery management electronics. “Another advantage is that LTO/LMO can go down to zero volts,” Saft said. “With a lithium-ion discharge to zero volts, you’d kill the battery.” Challenges of production While it’s all optimism from Leyden concerning the theoretical advantages of its Li-imide cells, the company doesn’t expect completely smooth sailing on its way to ramping up to commercial production. “We have scaleup challenges,” Saft said. “Right now we’re working with cells that are about 1 to 3 Ah, and we need to scale up to 7, 10, 20 Ah.” For now, Leyden can produce its cells at its own pouch cell pilot manufacturing and safety/performance testing lab right at its headquarters in northern California. The facilities can build everything from the electrode slurries to the final packaging. Yet Leyden will remain primarily a technology developer with partners to do the manufacturing. Saft pointed
to a couple of domestic companies it has allied with, to be announced in the coming year. “We’re trying to keep everything here in the States,” he said. Besides its internal testing, Leyden’s goal is to send off cells to national labs within a year for integration with existing automotive systems and verification testing. “One of the advantages of our electrolyte is that it minimizes the need for thermal management,” Saft said. “We’ll have to verify that.” Because every automaker likely will have its own physical and electrical solution for start-stop batteries, Leyden has another challenge of integrating with every possible combination. “Some auto makers are looking at a two-battery solution where you have a Li-ion battery which supports the auxiliary load, and maybe a leadacid battery that does the start/stop,” Saft said. “In some architectures the lithium battery can do both. Also, this technology can fit into either a dual system with a 48 V and separate 12 V, or a single 48 V system, where you have one battery. Our battery has some flexibility to support all the OEMs’ different architectures for start/stop.”
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Webof
Power Spider9 weaves a matrix for stationary energy storage and shows that when it comes to fitting battery technology into electric vehicles, it’s not all for one and one for all. By Markkus Rovito
Photo courtesy of Luc Viatour (flickr)
M
any real-world technologists and engineers take inspiration from the worlds of science fiction, where recurring themes
Glynne Townsend Spider9 CEO
of systems theory take shape in the Grid of Tron or the matrix of, you guessed it, The Matrix. Yet such fantasy worlds of total interconnectedness are based in turn on the reality of interconnected systems. In the case of vehicle electrification, the research of academia connects to profit-driven businesses. Each of those businesses makes up a small part of the overall EV industry, which in turn benefits from the larger continuing process of making renewable energy plentiful and cost-effective. Somewhere in the middle of that mesh lies Spider9, a battery software and control system start-up in the stationary energy storage space. Appropriately located between Ann Arbor and Detroit, the Northville, Michigan company sprang forth from patents obtained from the University of Michigan in 2011 for the purpose of increasing the performance of renewable energy with intelligent system controls. CEO Glynne Townsend’s background includes working at A123 Systems in Detroit and fulfilling contracts from Chrysler, General Motors, and even McLaren. The technology that launched Spider9 was initially developed for electric cars, but here’s where we learn that all battery systems are not created equal. Just as in The Matrix, the energy storage sector has a choice to make - either to take the blue pill and continue operating batteries the same old way, or to take the red pill and move into the reality of the future. OSE Spider9 doesn’t produce any battery cells; rather, it sources them from a number of different suppliers. The company calls its core technology OSE, or Operating System for Energy, a software and control system for squeezing better performance out of batteries at a lower cost, which advertises a 20-year lifetime, 30 percent more usable energy than competing lithium-ion systems, and an 80 percent smaller footprint than lead-acid based battery solutions.
1. Reconfiguring electrical architecture in real time to adapt to customer demands, environmental conditions, and system status, thereby delivering more energy with less maintenance and increasing the life of the system. 2. Integrating all energy generation and storage components and all battery chemistries into a single user interface. 3. Predicting where the lowest-cost electricity source is according to analytics that consider utility rates, scheduled load requirements, past load requirements, and forecasted solar and wind availability. 4. Balancing each cell during every charge cycle to reduce system stress and allow more energy extraction from every cell. 5. Saving customers money through lower up-front costs, improved performance, lower operating costs, and longer life. 6. Storing energy from renewable sources so it can be used at any time. The system provides ramp rate control, voltage and frequency regulation, off-grid operation, and other management functions. 7. Alerting operators with automatic notifications if a component fails or conditions exceed normal ranges. Alerts detail the nature of the problem, its location within the system, and whether the operator should act immediately or save money by waiting until the next scheduled site visit. 8. Isolating compromised components, allowing up to 95 percent of the system to operate normally, while preventing a fault from propagating and damaging additional components. 9. Reporting to customers how much money they have saved, how each component performs, and whether any service is needed from data stored on the Spider9 Cloud.
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Worldwide storage In June, Spider9 started taking orders for its residential and light commercial system, the Energy Vault, which basically scales down Spider9’s commercial and utility product, the modular 500 kWh Mega Vault energy storage unit. Townsend eyes potential customers in growing markets spread over the globe, but immediate demands need filling in the western US and especially Germany. “It’s the leader in Europe for renewable energy,” Townsend said. “Most of its renewable energy is from residential solar. They’ve now initiated a program that funds 30 percent of the cost of energy storage for a home.” Much like EV manufacturers taking advantage of government programs to assist the adoption of electric cars and trucks, Spider9 wants to establish itself commercially at first where government requirements and assistance can lend a hand. In Europe, the EEC wants to generate a minimum of 13 percent of its grid energy from renewables, and both Italy and the UK are evaluating residential programs similar to Germany’s for subsidizing energy storage. “Without any storage, renewable energy just comes onto the grid when it’s generated, and there may not be any use for it,” Townsend said. “That can cause a lot of instability, like blackouts and failures of the grid, which is totally unacceptable.” Townsend sees every inhabited continent as a growth market for Spider9. “Japan’s energy sector investments are fueled by a lot of concern over the nuclear failure about two years ago, and they’ve become a very large market for energy storage,” he said. “China, with its incredible renewable footprint has the least amount of storage. You look at some of the areas where there’s poor power qual-
Images courtesy of Spider9
After whiteboarding OSE’s advantages for its customers, the founders noticed that their company sat in the middle of nine extending characteristics - like a spider in a web - and christened the company Spider9. If it fulfills its goals, OSE should alleviate or solve the problems of other energy storage systems, namely, huge operational and maintenance expenses, not meeting performance and life expectations, and obsolescence when new cell technologies appear. OSE’s nine core characteristics are:
THE TECH ity for consumers, like India, with the massive blackout they had last year and the chronic power supply issues they continue to face. In Africa and South America there is not enough reliable, well-supplied, high-quality electricity in a lot of the places where it needs to be. Australia’s been another very interesting market for the product. There used to be a high feed-in tariff for residential solar electricity supplied to the grid, up to 40 cents/kWh in some cases, but due to recent policy changes the feed-in tariffs have been reduced and charges increased for time of use and service connection. This forces consumers to store and use their energy rather than sell it on the grid. In these circumstances, taking a home effectively off-grid with a solar installation and storage asset becomes economically viable, and in fact provides a payback period of less than five years.” Essentially, Spider9 sees the entire power-hungry world as its oyster, and it wants a piece of the $20 billion that some forecasters predict for the renewable energy market by 2020. “It’s a very exciting market to be in,” Townsend said, “and really it’s about going where the markets are,
which is where people pay a high cost for electricity or there’s not enough supply or reliability.” Chemistry-agnostic As it tries to expand its web of energy storage around the world, an advantage for Spider9’s OSE Vault systems could be that they can work with any battery chemistry. They’re also flexible enough to install as new systems or retrofit into existing systems. Currently, Spider9 focuses mainly on Li-ion, but Townsend hesitates to say whether he thinks Li-ion will be the clear winner for energy storage. He estimates that there’s only about 150-200 MW of Li-ion energy storage units out there right now, many of them demonstration projects. Although Li-ion occupies an 80 percent smaller footprint than lead-acid batteries, Townsend thinks lead-acid is still developing and improving. “If you look at sodium batteries, I really think lithium’s got the better of them in terms of power applications,” Townsend said, “but some of the zinc-air batteries look promising in terms of power densities. The suitability of a given chemistry will depend
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reconfigure the system so that it isn’t forced offline, getting more energy out of the pack. Reconfiguring also comes in handy for maintaining energy levels while discharging a battery. “When you’re discharging from top of charge to bottom of charge, the voltage can decrease by 30 to 60 percent. As this energy is fed into an inverter, there’s a lot of heat generated at the bottom of charge where you have low voltages and high currents. We’re able to reconfigure these series-parWe’re able to reconfigure these allel elements to effectively series-parallel elements to on its life, its physical boost the voltage level of effectively boost up the voltage footprint, the budget that’s the system and maintain a level of the system and maintain available, and the system’s higher system voltage. We power and energy requireavoid inverter cutoffs; we a higher system voltage. ments. That’s why we create less heat; we extend focused on developing an operating system and architec- life on an architectural basis. Our research shows we get ture that’s not predisposed to a certain type of chemistry. up to 15 percent more energy out of the battery by doing We can manage, reconfigure, extend the life and improve that than comparable systems.” the reliability of any battery cells, essentially future-proofIt’s that usable energy that Spider9 emphasizes as an ing the system from changing technology and revenue advantage to its OSE products, as chief operating officer streams. Our early deployments have been with lithium, Dave Park has said. “Our competitors tend to quote the because that’s really what the market and applications maximum storage capacity, but are never clear on how have called for to date.” much of their energy capacity is actually usable. Usable energy is what matters.” Reconfigurability The University of Michigan’s balance control technology, No vehicles for Spiders which spawned Spider9, was an infinitely reconfigurable While reconfigurability may give Spider9 a leg up in staseries-parallel matrix structure. To commercialize the tionary energy storage, the same system doesn’t translate product, Spider9 added some system resolution to it, but well to EVs. Although this technology originated as an the reconfiguration capabilities of the company’s Vaults automotive solution, it would have passed on a signifistill count as one of the strongest selling points; they cant cost to the OEMs, which Townsend said would be make it possible to achieve more energy and longer life rejected in the EV market. It turns out that this system from the same batteries. currently makes the most sense for what, compared to As a comparative example, Townsend proposed a batEV batteries, are much larger-format arrays. tery unit with blocks of energy that are placed in series “In a vehicle battery, you really only get two parallel strings and then parallel, becoming a fixed architecture. strings, which isn’t a lot to reconfigure,” Townsend said. “If you have one cell that fails,” Townsend said, “it could “The automobile manufacturers put all their validation compromise the whole battery. Then you’ve got the issue into making sure this 2P configuration is reliable and of determining which cell failed, breaking and replacing lasts as long as it possibly can, and really they only moniwelded joints to physically remove it, replacing more cells tor those cells without actively managing them. We look than you need to due to accessibility issues, and keeping at it differently. We’re trying to pull energy out of that the system offline for an extended period of time to rebal- battery. That’s the primary function, whereas in a vehicle, ance the pack, because you’ve now put a different block of you’re trying to get a driver from point A to point B as energy into it. That’s a real litany of the real-world practi- economically as you can.” cal problems.” Spider9 has looked at some EV applications in the However, Spider9’s Vaults can isolate a cell failure, and high-performance arena, where electric motors drive
THE TECH at higher RPMs, and therefore keep a higher torque curve coming out of a power train. “We just haven’t had the bandwidth yet to try to commercialize on that,” Townsend said. There are many applications that a stationary energy storage system can support, from load shifting, which requires a slow transfer of energy, to frequency regulation, renewables firming or PHEV charging stations that need a fast transfer of power. Very similar to the differences between battery packs for EVs and HEVs, each application has differing needs and complementary battery chemistries to support them. Townsend believes that too many EV battery companies have tried to overlap into the stationary storage market when their products aren’t exactly suited for them. Because these companies don’t have enough orders yet from EV makers, they’re trying to capitalize on their products in the wrong way. “What you find is that a lot of the square pegs don’t fit into round holes,” he said. “They’re using a prismatic cell in a stationary application, and it’s not ideal. A prismatic cell was designed specifically to go down the center of
a vehicle and maximize the volumetric density of the energy sent down that tunnel. If you put that into a stationary application, it creates all sorts of cooling and serviceability issues. The driving factor is not volume package density like it is in a vehicle. It also leads to a lot of system cost issues. Imagine that these things are tasked with multiple applications. If you have a cell that fails, and you don’t have the robustness that the OSE provides, you’ve lost a system. Then you’ve got to go out and fix it. It’s a very costly problem that a lot of people in the stationary storage market aren’t considering. The up-front cost of purchasing an energy storage system is only one third of the total cost of owning and operating it over a twenty-year life. Most people miss this point. By having an intelligent battery with a flexible chemistry platform, you can ensure your investment is safe from changing revenue streams and evolving chemistries, reducing your up-front cost and slashing your operating costs, saving up to 40% compared to traditional systems. It is those issues that we are addressing in a very significant way.”
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CURRENTevents
Houston project to deploy 30 Smith electric trucks
Photo courtesy of Alex Nunez
The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC), a regional association of local governments, has partnered with the Center for Transportation and the Environment (CTE) and Smith Electric Vehicles for a pilot program that will deploy 30 of Smith’s Newton electric trucks in the Houston-Galveston region, the country’s fifth-largest metropolitan area.
The project is partly financed by a grant from the DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), which selected the Houston-Galveston area because of its high level of air pollution. CTE, a nonprofit organization focused on transportation technology, will manage the project, collect data, and report on the project’s impact. Over the two-year demonstration period, H-GAC expects to reduce diesel consumption by 250,000 gallons, and greenhouse gas emissions by 75 million tons. The vehicles that will be deployed are based on Smith’s latest production model Series 2000, and include the company’s proprietary Smith Power, with variable 40-120 kWh battery pack options, Smith Drive, and Smith Link, an onboard system for monitoring the vehicle’s vital statistics. Fleet managers operating in the Houston-Galveston area that are interested in participating in the program are encouraged to contact Smith Electric.
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With the entire collection of 23 Toyota and Lexus hybrid models as a backdrop, Toyota Managing Officer Satoshi Ogiso delivered an inspiring overview of the past, present and future of the Prius family at the 2013 Toyota Hybrid World Tour event in Michigan. By the end of 2015, Toyota plans to introduce 15 new or redesigned hybrid models. Upgrades are planned for every major component of the hybrid powertrain. The next-generation Prius will feature: new electric motors that are smaller in size and higher in power density; a gasoline engine with higher thermal efficiency (40% compared to the current 38.5%); an improved chassis with a lower center of gravity and increased structural rigidity; a roomier interior and new safety technologies. “We have stepped up our research, development and production capacity…on both nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion. And looking to the future, we have ramped up development on new battery technologies like solid state…and lithium air, as well as devoting resources to new chemistries beyond lithium, such as magnesium and other low valence materials,” said Ogiso. The next-generation Prius Plug-in Hybrid will offer a couple of key improvements. “We have been listening very carefully to Prius PHV owners and are considering their requests for additional all-electric range. We have also heard from owners that they would like a more convenient charging operation,” Ogiso said. “In response, we are developing a new wireless/inductive charging system that produces resonance between an on-floor coil and an onboard coil to transmit power to the battery, providing charging without the fuss of a cable.” Toyota will “begin verification of the system in Japan, the US and Europe in 2014.”
Photo courtesy of Toyota
Next-gen Prius Plug-in to have wireless charging
THE VEHICLES
Photo courtesy of NissanEV (flickr)
Nissan joins Tesla as seller of ZEV credits California hopes to have 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles on the road by 2025. To this end, the state’s zeroemission vehicle (ZEV) program requires the six largest auto sellers to earn a certain number of credits from the sale of ZEVs (which in practice means electric vehicles). Companies that don’t sell enough of their own vehicles can purchase credits from other automakers that do. To date, the only companies that have sold any substantial numbers of EVs in the state are Tesla and Nissan. Tesla has made a nice little business out of this deal. Each Model S sold generates up to seven ZEV credits, and the company earned $119 million, or 12 percent of its revenue, from ZEV credit sales in the first half of the year, according to Bloomberg. Recently, Nissan Executive VP Andy Palmer told reporters that the Japanese automaker has also started selling excess credits. “We’ve got carbon credits to sell, and we’re selling them - California ZEV credits,” Palmer said.
Regulators don’t set prices for ZEV credits - the sales are negotiated directly between companies. We’d all love to know how much they’re going for, but Nissan declined to provide any details. “While Nissan has been approached by other automakers regarding emission-credit transactions, these discussions and the outcome of any transactions are held in strict confidence by all involved parties,” said spokesman David Reuter.
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CURRENTevents
Tesla may add factories in Europe and Asia
Photo courtesy of GM
California senate prolongs HOV access for plug-ins
The California state senate has approved two bills (AB-266 and SB-286) that extend existing programs allowing plug-in drivers to use high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes until 2019. The Golden State is famous for its traffic jams, and access to HOV lanes is a particularly prized perquisite. A legacy vehicle must have a minimum of either two or three occupants to drive in an HOV lane, but the various types of advanced-fuel vehicles may use the lanes even with a single occupant - as long as the appropriate Clean Air Vehicle sticker is displayed. The rules governing HOV lanes are complex, but for EV and PHEV drivers, things are actually quite simple: white stickers are for pure battery electric vehicles, and green stickers are for plug-in hybrids. If Governor Jerry Brown signs the new bills into law as expected, the privileges pursuant to both types of stickers will be prolonged until January 1, 2019.
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As impressive as Model S is, it’s only phase two of Tesla’s grand strategy. The ultimate goal is to produce a mass-market car that will really get the electric revolution rolling. When that day comes, the company intends to add factories in Europe and Asia to handle the greater production volume, CEO Elon Musk told Bloomberg. Tesla plans to produce some 21,000 units of Model S at its Fremont, California plant this year, and double that number in 2014. That factory has the capacity to produce up to 500,000 vehicles a year. The company also has a small facility in Tilburg, Netherlands, where it assembles Model S components shipped from California for sale in Europe. “We’ll try to locate [the new factories] close to where people are, close to where the customers are, to minimize the logistics costs of getting the car to them,” said Musk in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “I think long term you can see Tesla establishing factories in Europe, in other parts of the US and in Asia.” In a July interview, Musk said high costs in California would make building another plant there a challenge. “The real tough question is, beyond this plant, would we establish another plant in California?” Musk said. “That’s where it gets really tricky. What I can say is we do want to ultimately bring this plant to its original production capacity of half a million vehicles a year.” Tesla’s next vehicle, the Model X crossover, is scheduled to go into production at Fremont late next year. Plans for the smaller, lower-priced vehicle are still vague, but Tesla recently filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark office to use the name Model E for an automobile. “Certainly, within five years we’ll have our massmarket electric car available,” said Musk. “We’ll start seeing hundreds of thousands of electric cars going to market every year.”
THE VEHICLES
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced the $19-million New York Truck Voucher Incentive Program, which will subsidize the purchase of electric, hybrid and alternate-fuel commercial trucks. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA), together with the non-profit organization CALSTART, will be managing the program. The program will include two voucher funds. The first will make $9 million available in vouchers up to $60,000 each, which can be applied to the purchase of class 3-8 battery-electric trucks and buses. This incentive is available in 30 counties that do not meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. Approved vendors include AMP Trucks, Boulder Electric Vehicle, Electric Vehicles International and Smith Electric Vehicles. The second part of the program applies to New York
Image by Nicolas Raymond (flickr)
New York to offer $19M in vouchers for electric trucks
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Panamera S E-Hybrid
By Christian Ruoff
n a sense, every new entry into the plug-in vehicle market competes with all the others in the field - after all, there are still just a handful available nationwide. However, while the press tends to pit plug-ins against each other for juicy headlines, like “Volt vs LEAF,” there are very few direct head-to-head matchups on the national market. One example is Toyota’s Prius Plug-in vs Ford’s C-MAX Energi. The two have almost identical drivetrain technologies, vehicle specs, and price tags. However, it’s not so clear that other models are in the same race. When BMW unveiled the i3, many headlines asked, “How will this affect sales of the LEAF, Volt and Model S?” After reading most of those articles, I can report that the consensus is: Who knows? The i3 is in a different price range than those vehicles, and its REx range-extender option is unlike anything else. The automotive market has many variables, and adding a seemingly endless variety of new drivetrain configurations has only blurred those segment lines further. The next entry into this race without any rules is the 2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid. Because it has a plug, and an MSRP approaching 100 grand, some may find it tempting to pit the new Porsche against Tesla’s Model S. However, Porsche says it’s aiming to steal market share from a different family of luxury sedans: other Porsche Panameras.
Photo courtesy of Porsche AG
I
Photos courtesy of Porsche AG
THE VEHICLES Plugged in to power The new plug-in model incorporates dramatic improvements over the hybrid model that it’s replacing. The Panamera S E-Hybrid’s electric drive produces 95 hp with a 9.4 kWh Li-ion battery pack, compared to 34 hp and a 1.7 kWh nickel-metal hydride pack in the old standard hybrid. In Porsche terms, “S” designates a higher performance model, and the S E-Hybrid combines the 95 hp electric drive with a 333 hp supercharged V6 engine for a total of 416 hp. “We really think that any Panamera customer could be a buyer for this product,” Porsche’s eMobility Project Manager Trent Warnke told Charged. “Any customer who is coming in to look for that higher-level Panamera S performance could want this car, because it’s got almost the exact same performance [as the S gas version] and it gives you a lot more benefits.” The two models have very similar specs: • The Panamera S (gas version) starts at $93,200, has 420 hp, does 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds, and has a top speed of 178 mph. • The Panamera S E-Hybrid starts at $99,000, has 416 hp, does 0-60 mph in 5.2 seconds, and has a top speed of 167 mph. Taking the federal tax credit into consideration brings the price tags even closer together. The PHEV is expected to qualify for a $4751.60 credit, which is based on the size of its battery, bringing the price down to $94,248.40. Although the plug-in version has slightly less horsepower, the extra low-end torque of the electric motor adds a welcome boost of instant acceleration. “Right away, when you launch the car from a stop, the Panamera S E-Hybrid feels faster,” said Warnke. “All the low-end torque really sets you off the line quick.” It has virtually the same price tag and drivability as the Panamera S, but the new PHEV also has the long list of benefits that comes with plugging in. That list, which Charged readers are very familiar with, begins with substantially fewer trips to the gas station. The Panamera S E-Hybrid hasn’t been officially rated by the EPA yet, but Porsche expects it to receive an all-electric range rating of around 20 miles (with an all-electric top speed of about 83 mph) and “significantly” better gas mileage than the Panamera S (rated for 27 mpg highway). In addition to the federal tax credits, many markets offer state and city
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On one end you can drive all-electric and be very environmentallyconscious, and on the other end you can put the pedal to the floor and summon 416 hp to do 0-60 in 5.2 seconds.
incentives, and some utility companies have rebates for installing residential charging equipment. There are also reduced emissions, coveted HOV lane access, and nearly-silent operating modes. The list goes on and on and, all other things equal, a plug-in hybrid vehicle is simply the more dynamic choice. “We are Porsche, so we always push performance,” said Warnke. “But with this car you get all the added side effects. So that’s why we’re really not aiming at any specific market, other than our current Panamera market. We think it really fits that buyer. It’s kind of a thrilling contradiction. On one end you can drive all-electric and be very environmentally-conscious, and on the other end you can put the pedal to the floor and summon 416 hp to do 0-60 in 5.2 seconds. It’s a lot of fun to drive, and has all those really cool Porsche characteristics.”
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The features Porsche’s first attempt at a plug-in has some unique features that have not yet been seen in any other PHEVs.
2014 Panamera Lineup Base Pricing Panamera Panamera 4 Panamera S Panamera 4S Panamera S E-Hybrid Panamera GTS Panamera 4S Executive Panamera Turbo Panamera Turbo Executive
$78,100 $82,800 $93,200 $98,300 $99,000* $113,400 $125,600 $141,300 $161,100
Base pricing does not include options, taxes, dealer charges and a destination fee of $975. *Not including the $4,751.60 (projected) federal tax credit.
OCT 2013 47
When the battery is charged, the vehicle is in E-Power Mode, and will try to maximize all-electric driving. The accelerator pedal includes a “pressure point” that allows the driver to feel the extent of the electric capabilities. “When you’re in E-Power Mode and you push the pedal, it’s going to get to a point where it’s harder to push,” said Warnke. “Kickdown, we call it - like a kickdown on an old automatic transmission. You know if you push the
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pedal harder through that point, it will turn the engine on.” It’s what engineers call haptic feedback, or tactile feedback technology, that takes advantage of our sense of touch in the user interface. There is also a meter in the gauge cluster that indicates the electric power usage, but the kickdown switch allows the driver to optimize the electric capabilities without looking at the meters. When the battery runs low on usable energy, the vehicle will operate in Hybrid Mode like a standard hybrid. Basically, it maintains the battery at a minimum charge level - stopping and starting the engine at rest and during coasting, and doing some electric driving when the power is available. There is also an E-Charge Mode that will charge the battery during driving. “In this mode you can actually charge the battery using the gas engine as you’re driving at highway speeds,” explained Warnke. “When you push E-Charge it will run the engine a little harder and charge the battery with the extra energy at about two percent per minute. So, it will fully charge the battery in about 40 minutes of driving on the highway.”
Photos courtesy of Porsche AG
It’s what engineers call haptic feedback, or tactile feedback technology, that takes advantage of our sense of touch in the user interface.
THE VEHICLES The 9.4 kWh battery is liquid cooled and heated, and can recharge from empty in about 2.5 hours at 240 V. A Porsche-designed 3.6 kW Level 2 charger is included in the base price of the vehicle. The charging unit has two swappable cords, one for Level 1 and one for Level 2, and Warnke reports that future plug-in vehicles from Porsche will have onboard chargers capable of higher rates.
The market In May 2013, Porsche celebrated the 100,000th Panamera produced in its Leipzig, Germany factory since its launch in 2009. That milestone vehicle was a Panamera S EHybrid in “rhodium-silver metallic.” The new PHEV is
The Numbers
2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid Key Stats
Engine layout Front Engine / Rear wheel drive Power Combustion Engine: 333 hp Electric Motor: 95 hp Total Output: 416 hp Torque Combustion Engine: 325 lb-ft Electric Motor: 229 lb-ft Combined: 435 lb-ft Transmission 8-speed Tiptronic S Battery pack 9.4 kWh, liquid-cooled/ heated Li-ion, 384 V
replacing the Panamera S Hybrid, and beginning with the 2014 model line only the plug-in version will be available. Automotive News Europe reported that Porsche is forecasting about 10,000 unit sales over the S E-Hybrid’s life cycle, which represents about double that of the company’s first-generation hybrid, and about 10 percent of all Panamera sales. Talking to Charged, Warnke didn’t comment on exact production figures, but he did confirm that “we’re trying to penetrate more of the market than we do with our current hybrid...and we don’t think that will be a problem, because the Panamera S E-Hybrid is a significantly quicker product.” The S E-Hybrid will be in US dealerships
All-electric range 22 miles (est., not yet rated) All-electric top speed 83 mph (est., not yet rated) EPA combined/city/hwy Not yet rated 0-60 mph 5.2 seconds Top speed 167 mph Curb weight 4,619 lbs Drag coefficient 0.29 On-board charger 3.6 kW
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OCT 2013 49
at the end of November, and the company is currently taking pre-orders from Porsche fans who can’t wait to plug in. The 2014 Porsche Cayenne is also available as an S Hybrid, and while the company has made no official announcement about upgrading it to a plug-in hybrid, the Internet is full of speculation and quotes from company insiders about that possibility. We think it’s safe to assume the Cayenne will go the way of the Panamera and announce that it’s plugging in its hybrid within the next year. The company is also planning limited production of the Porsche 918 Spyder Plug-In supercar.
Preparing for the plugs eMobility is the German way of saying electric vehicles, and as the eMobility Project Manager at Porsche, Trent Warnke is tasked with preparing the company for its forthcoming plug-ins. He is no stranger to electrification. Before joining Porsche, Warnke was Lead Powertrain Engineer for the Chevrolet Volt. He was responsible for the entire powertrain from early development and validation, through production and post-production, and then support for dealers and service centers. He also began working on the second-generation Volt before moving to Porsche Cars North America.
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“
We’re trying to penetrate more of the market than we do with our current hybrid... and we don’t think that will be a problem, because the Panamera S E-Hybrid is a significantly quicker product.
”
His new role is a shift from engineering to the business side of plug-ins - the dealership network, sales and marketing. “It’s definitely a different experience. I did some work at GM helping on the dealership end, but I was more focused on the actual powertrain. Now, I’m doing everything else to prepare the market.” When we caught up with Warnke, he was in Utah tak-
Photos courtesy of Porsche AG
Panamera S E-Hybrid 9.4 kWh Li-ion battery pack
THE VEHICLES ing 1,200 personnel from Porsche’s US dealer network through the electrification training process. The training involves various classes on the Panamera S E-Hybrid, covering things like battery technology and the behavior of a plug-in hybrid vehicle. There is also a class on charging infrastructure that reviews operation of the EVSE that’s included with the vehicle and installed at dealerships. They discuss different charging calculations, charge rates and what drives charging times for plug-in vehicles. “We take them through a lot of detail,” said Warnke.
Tesla-educated In addition to the informational classes, Porsche is giving its dealers hands-on experience. To highlight the improvements in the new model, the dealer reps drive a 2013 Panamera S Hybrid and then jump behind the wheel of the plug-in 2014 S E-Hybrid. Porsche also gives its personnel some seat time in a Tesla Model S to compare to the new Panamera.
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We’re the first plug-in hybrid in the segment. That’s nice for us, but there really isn’t anything else to compare it to.
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Although the company tells us that the S E-Hybrid wasn’t designed as a direct Model S competitor, it recognizes the inevitable comparison. “The thought process is that if you look at the current luxury market of the Panamera size - like the BMW 7 Series, S-Class Mercedes, those kind of products - there’s really nothing in that market. We’re the first plug-in hybrid in the segment,” explained Warnke. “That’s nice for us, but there really isn’t anything else to compare it to. So that’s why we’re doing that [Model S] comparison drive.” Of course, there will be some buyers who consider both
OCT 2013 51
2014 Panamera S E-Hybrid first drive reports
“As for how the 2014 S E-hybrid works as a Porsche,
its electric motor has about twice the capacity of the previous hybrid’s, and 0-to-60 sprints feel a bit stronger - we estimate it will hit benchmark speed in 5.2 seconds. That would place it roughly midway between the performance of a base Panamera and the new twin-turbo V6 S model. But more important, the Panamera S E-hybrid retains Porsche dynamic characteristics. True, the new hybrid doesn’t excite with visceral pops, rumbles, and crackles as does the V8-powered Panamera GTS, but the S E-Hybrid’s electrohydraulic steering and generously sized 245/5018 front and 275/45-18 rear tires convey Porscheworthy road feel. And the S E-hybrid’s brakes avoid most of the numbness and two-step annoyance of many regenerative braking systems.” Ron Sessions, caranddriver.com
“On the whole, the Panamera S E-Hybrid drives like
you’d expect any other Panamera to, which is to say, quite well. It’s heavier and a touch less concerned with ultimate sportiness, but it’s still a Porsche, and that engineering and tuning knowledge shows through; if you’re after a plug-in hybrid with real all-electric capabilities that doesn’t compromise on luxury or features, while also being rather quick, yet seating four in comfort, the Panamera S E-Hybrid should be at the top of your list.” Nelson Ireson, greencarreports.com
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“On the road, it’s almost impossible to notice any
difference between the S E-Hybrid and the standard gas-powered Panamera S model when in hybrid mode, and even when operating under full electric power in E-Power mode, this big boy can still scoot off the line. We spent a couple of days driving a few different Panamera models through the Bavarian Alps...While the idea of seeing a Porsche parked at an EV charging station might take some getting used to, the rest of this Panamera is exactly what we’ve come to expect from Stuttgart. The added weight of the new electrical components is offset by the enjoyment of instant torque and silent take-offs, and fortunately, the advantages of the S E-Hybrid don’t require the car to be driven gingerly.” Jeffrey N. Ross, autoblog.com
“The biggest gripe with the S E-Hybrid? Brake feel,
which is a common gasoline-electric bugbear. Also, the V6’s lack of noise. It might have the moves on the eight, but it doesn’t have the voice...The original Hybrid didn’t really add up, but this one really works. It’s quick, as frugal as the Euro diesel model in real-world driving, and that 22-mile range and 2.5-hour refill time using the fast charger means some commuters may not need to engage the gasoline engine for weeks on end. Impressive, but not our idea of Porsche entertainment.” Chris Chilton, roadandtrack.com
Photo courtesy of Porsche AG
The reviews are in
THE VEHICLES
vehicles and have questions about how they compare. “We think there may be some cross-shopping with the Model S, however we’re really looking at it from the standpoint that the dealers should really understand that product and be aware of it,” said Warnke. “Some will come in and ask about [the Model S], even our current Porsche customers will have questions. We’re just making sure our dealers are fully educated and know about all the competitors. Not unlike what we do with BMW, Mercedes and all the other companies.”
Over before it starts If you still insist on framing a toe-to-toe competition between the new Panamera S E-Hybrid and the Model S - and many in the media undoubtedly will - based on the projected production numbers, the race is decidedly over before it starts. Tesla is on course to produce 20,000 units this year, and estimates 40,000 cars annually as it expands into Europe,
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We’re just making sure our dealers are fully educated and know about all the competitors.
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Asia, and Australia (an estimate that CEO Elon Musk has implied to be very conservative). With Porsche’s unofficial goal of 10,000 units over its entire life cycle, the Panamera S E-Hybrid doesn’t have much of a chance at first place. If the Fisker Karma were still in production, we’d have ourselves a bona fide head-to-head race to the top of the Luxury PHEV market segment. But unfortunately for Fisker fans, and those of us who like to watch a good fight, the company suspended production in November 2012. So, like many of the other currently available plug-in vehicle options, the 2014 Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid is a one-of-a-kind buy.
S The unusual journey of AMP Electric Vehicles has positioned it to become a leading OEM producing alternativefuel vehicles for the medium-duty market. 54
By Michael Kent
even years ago, AMP Electric Vehicles was founded on the idea of converting passenger vehicles originally designed with an internal combustion engine, gas tank, and related components - to electric drive. The company’s goal was to design an electric powertrain around a popular vehicle model, then convince the OEM that was already mass-producing that vehicle to sell it to AMP as a “glider” - a version without a drivetrain. Over the years, however, two problems became apparent. First, the major automakers were hesitant to cooperate. Second, the passenger EV market didn’t materialize quite as fast as AMP, and other manufacturers, had hoped it would. As a small company, AMP had to shift to a different business model that promised more near-term revenue. From AMP’s point of view, the passenger EV market
THE VEHICLES
Photo courtesy of Workhorse
was being held back by a lack of public charging infrastructure and the high price premium on the vehicles. “We looked for places where those two factors wouldn’t be a problem, and we landed on fleets,” AMP CEO Steve Burns told Charged. “Specialty fleets have predictable routes, and return back to the barn every night to be charged. They never have to worry about finding a charging station, so that solves the infrastructure problem.” AMP then looked for fleet vehicles with the worst gas mileage, because the worse the gas mileage was, the quicker the payback for the electric premium. “What popped up was large step van delivery trucks. They’re heavy, and they’re not aerodynamic. In fact, they cut through the wind like a brick, and only get about get about 6 or 7 mpg,” said Burns. AMP thought that fleet EVs would make economic sense, and the revolution could really start with plug-in work vehicles that are cheaper to own and operate over their life cycles. “About a year ago we announced that we were getting out of passenger vehicles to concentrate on building a drivetrain for trucks.” AMP’s initial plan for trucks was similar to its plan for
passenger vehicles - repower some of the 300,000 step vans already built and deployed in the US. However, in a rare stroke of luck for AMP, the commercial vehicle powerhouse Navistar decided to sell off its Workhorse subsidiary, a step van chassis manufacturer, including the Workhorse factory in Indiana. Conventional wisdom is that if you’re going to build a car company from scratch, you need a billion dollars. Tesla and Fisker recently reinforced that theory (actually, it cost each of them more than a billion, but they were making electric cars from scratch). The same wisdom holds that if you’re going to build trucks - and you want to put them on American roads, with all the ensuing regulatory, durability, and engineering requirements that’s about four or five hundred million. The details of the Workhorse acquisition are not public, but Burns told us that because of the position Navistar was in, AMP “was able to get a pretty inexpensive ticket to that dance. There are not a lot of other OEMs out there, so we’re pretty excited about it.”
The commercial vehicle powerhouse Navistar decided to sell off its Workhorse subsidiary, a step van chassis manufacturer. OCT 2013 55
Photo courtesy of Ezra Wolfe (flickr)
The newly acquired factory makes gas versions, and AMP will add electric, propane, and natural gas to the lineup
In fact, in the step van industry, Freightliner and Ford are the only other major manufacturers in the US. Burns noted that Navistar/Workhorse and Freightliner have traditionally split the lion’s share of the market, each averaging about 4,000 vehicles per year for the last few years. The newly acquired factory makes gas versions, and AMP will add electric, propane, and natural gas to the lineup. “Being an OEM is a volume game,” Burns explains. “If we’re making a lot of the chassis, it keeps the cost down, so we’re going to continue to make gas versions. It’s a lot easier than waiting for the EV
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revolution to take off and then starting to build them from scratch. We’re the only truck company we know of in the medium-duty space that’s building four different versions of powertrains.”
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For the first time that I know of, all the different electric truck options are listed together with their prices...and we are significantly less expensive.
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THE VEHICLES AMP will restart the Workhorse factory in the first quarter of next year, and presumably build a lot more gas trucks in the beginning, as the market for electric vehicles expands.
vouchers bring EVs down to the same prices as diesel trucks. In fact, even without a voucher, the savings for longroute electric delivery trucks add up to big numbers over a vehicle’s lifespan, as Charged has explored in great detail in previous articles. AMP knows that it can’t build a business based on government incentives, because eventually they’ll go away. “We’ll have a battery leasing program, and it will put you into an electric truck for the same price as a diesel,” explained Burns. “Then leasing the batteries is less than the monthly diesel bill. Diesel is usually the biggest expense for these types of companies. Historically, electricity costs are extremely stable compared to diesel. What is the price of diesel going to be in ten years? Nobody knows. You would expect that it’s going to be higher than it is today, perhaps significantly higher. When diesel is your number-one expense, and it’s all over the board, it’s very hard to plan your business.” Although electric truck sales will largely follow the vouchers for as long as they’re out there - as they do in California, New York and soon in Chicago - Burns
Follow the money Just days before our interview with Burns, New York State announced a $19 million voucher incentive program to subsidize the purchase of electric, hybrid and alternativefuel commercial trucks. AMP and three other electric truck makers (Boulder Electric Vehicle, Electric Vehicles International and Smith Electric Vehicles) were listed as approved vendors. AMP had a hunch that building its own chassis, instead of buying them from a supplier, would give it a price-point advantage over the competition. Based on the documents released by New York State, it was right. “If you asked how much an electric truck cost, it was hard to answer because the prices were never really published anywhere,” said Burns. “For the first time that I know of, all the different electric truck options are listed together with their prices by New York State. And we are 189-000031_ChargedEVs_ThirdPg_Ad.pdf 1 6/15/12 3:20 PM significantly less expensive.” On the New York Truck Voucher website, AMP’s step van is listed at more than $30,000 below offerings with similar battery pack capacity from other manufacturers. AMP’s For Hybrid and EV Battery Management Walk In Van with 100 kWh pack is $133,000, compared to $166,442 for Pack De-powering Smith Electric Vehicles’ 100 kWh Newton and $185,000 for EVI’s Walk Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Service In Van with 99 kWh (although both Battery Pack / Module Diagnostics the Smith and EVI trucks have a higher maximum GVWR, at 26,000 System Troubleshooting lbs. vs. 19,500 lbs. for AMP’s truck). “It’s tougher to make money when you’re buying the chassis from someone else to start with,” said Burns, “so we’re very competitive on price.” All three trucks will qualify for the maximum $60,000 voucher. Considering the fuel savings, that should make all of these trucks a nobrainer purchase for fleet managers in New York. It’s easy math when
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Driving out costs AMP is focused on building low-cost drivetrain systems with high reliability, so its philosophy is to use proven mass-produced components whenever possible. For electric trucks, AMP’s engineers chose to use hybrid motors built by Remy. Hundreds of thousands of them are already on the road, they’re well proven, automotive grade, and all of their development costs have been fully amortized. “If we would buy a motor designed specifically for electric trucks, those would be much more expensive,” said Burns. “We’re using the same motor that Remy supplies to GM and Mercedes for hybrids, but we use two of them in each truck.” To get about 100 miles of range in a 20,000-pound truck, AMP is using 100 kWh battery packs. The company sources cells from a variety of different suppliers, then designs battery management systems and assembles the packs in-house. “If you ask a major battery company to provide a big rectangle that says ‘plug in here,’ that can be pretty expensive,” said Burns. “So, just like the motors we use, we try to find commodity cells that are used widely for something else and then pack them ourselves and control them ourselves.” AMP buys a variety of different kinds of cells, and Burns reports that the format it’s been having the most success with is also used by electric bike builders in
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Just like the motors we use, we try to find commodity cells that are used widely for something else and then pack them ourselves and control them ourselves.
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China. The cells are mass-produced in a fully automated process, so the quality is consistent and the price is fair. Because AMP does the packaging, including electronics and heating and cooling, it can switch cell vendors if a battery maker has quality trouble or goes out of business. That also allows AMP to continually look for the best deal on the market. Burns says, “in this business someone always has a carrot out there saying ‘we’ve got a better battery for less money.’” As new technology emerges into commercial availability, AMP is poised to take advantage of it. In the New York voucher program, AMP is offering its step van with a 100 kWh pack. At present, the company doesn’t plan to build any trucks with “small” packs. For
Photos courtesy of Ezra Wolfe (flickr)
believes that a wise fleet manager will look at the numbers and see big potential. Even with no voucher and a high initial price, an electric truck could realize a payback in as little as three years. “If you keep the trucks for 20 years, that’s 17 years of gravy,” said Burns.
THE VEHICLES like fast charging, heavy regeneration or quick accelerations. With a larger pack, the relative ins and outs aren’t as dramatic. It turns out that the larger the pack, the less capacity fade will occur. If you’re bringing a smaller pack to its knees every day, it’s not going to last very long. We’re making trucks that will last for more than ten years, so they’re all relatively big batteries.”
The delivery truck world is very rigorous. The payload weight can swing wildly... Trucks can make hundreds of stops per day...subject to extreme temperatures. one thing, longer routes have shorter payback periods for EVs, so long-range trucks are more financially attractive. Also, AMP has found that the longevity of a battery pack increases with its capacity. “With a small pack, high charge and discharge rates make more of a problem -
Neither snow nor rain nor heat... The delivery truck world is very rigorous. The payload weight can swing wildly each day 3,000 lbs. one day, 7,000 lbs. the next. Trucks can make hundreds of stops per day, and twice as many during the holidays. They’re subject to extreme temperatures. The doors are constantly opening, so heating the cabin can be tough. But the show must always go on - missing or delaying deliveries is not an option, so reliability is critical. AMP is confident that it has designed a robust electric drivetrain. In April, the company announced the completion of third-party reliability testing. Accelerated durability testing by the Transportation Research Center took place in Ohio, and ran for 4,000 miles in the middle of winter. The comprehensive workout included “traversing a series of resonance, chatter, and impact bumps...moderate washboards, frame twists, dips, inverted chuckholes, stopping and starting on a 20% brake slope, ‘lock-to-lock’ figure-8 maneuvers, a short slalom course and traversing gravel roads.” Burns proudly reports passing with flying colors. “Nothing went wrong, which is really quite phenomenal for a smaller company.” With a drivetrain developed and optimized in gas-toelectric conversions, and now a truck-building factory, AMP is on a path reminiscent of another phenomenal EV story, Tesla Motors. Before cranking out the Model S in its Fremont, California plant, Tesla was essentially a conversion company working closely with Lotus to build Roadsters. Burns is happy to be compared to the EV standard-bearer, and hopes to continue down the path Tesla is blazing towards substantial price breakthroughs for plug-in vehicles of all shapes and sizes.
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CURRENTevents
Photo courtesy of NRG eVgo
Efacec to produce dual standard fast chargers
eVgo opens first California charging station
As pundits agonize over the senseless war of the fast charging standards, EVSE manufacturers are simply sidestepping the issue by building chargers that support both systems. Efacec, a Portuguese company that has its US headquarters in Norcross, Georgia, has received certification from the electrical product safety organization ETL to produce chargers compatible with the new SAE Combo fast charging standard, and will begin selling DC fast chargers with two connectors - one for CHAdeMO and one for SAE. It introduced its dual connector model at last year’s EVS26 Exhibition in Los Angeles. “This goes a long way toward resolving the VHS/ Betamax-type issue, where Japanese-made cars require one type of charger, and American/European cars require another,” said Jorge Guerra, Efacec’s Chief Operating Officer for North America. “Efacec is now the first manufacturer to obtain ETL certification for the SAE Combo standard. Our new combo fast charger can now serve both systems.” “Being able to find charging stations is important to the adoption of electric vehicles,” said Mike Anderson, Efacec’s EV Chargers Sales Manager. “People don’t want to worry about being away from home and running out of juice. To be first with dual connector capability is a victory worth celebrating.”
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NRG eVgo has announced the opening of a public charging station at Westlake Shopping Center in Daly City, California. The new Freedom Station offers both Level 2 and DC fast charging, and is the first of seven such sites that eVgo plans to open at Kimco Realty-owned retail centers in California this year. Public charging stations are not a rare sight in California these days, but this particular station has a tale behind it, one that reaches back to the 2001 Enron debacle. As the result of a complex, decadelong legal battle, eVgo’s parent company, NRG Energy, made a deal with the state to invest $100 million to build an EV charging network, including 200 DC fast charging stations and the electrical infrastructure to support 10,000 future Level 2 stations. To competitor ECOtality, operator of the Blink Network, this smelled more like a sweetheart deal than a punishment, and the company filed a lawsuit in May 2012 seeking to kill the agreement. A California appeals judge threw out the lawsuit in October. “We’re thrilled to have our first NRG eVgo Freedom Station up and running at Westlake,” said Kimco VP David Jamieson. “Californians drive more than one-third of the electric vehicles in the country, so building a network of quick-charge stations at Kimco centers, which are easily accessible by commuters, is a valued amenity to our customers and retailers.”
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
LEAFs to provide backup power on Japan’s highways Nissan plans to donate 47 LEAFs and LEAF-to-Home power supply systems to roadside rest area stations (called michi-no-eki) in all of Japan’s 47 prefectures. The idea is that each LEAF, paired with a LEAF-toHome power supply system, can be used as a backup power source in emergency situations, and will also help stabilize the electrical grid by charging with electricity generated during the night or sourced from solar panels, and supplying it to homes during peak hours. The michi-no-eki network in Japan has three functions: a rest area for travelers; an information source for local residents and road users; and a community center at which towns hold activities. As the stations are located alongside important arterial roads, they sometimes serve as bases of operations during natural disasters. In the event of a disaster, michi-no-eki road stations will function as evacuation centers for local residents or bases for support activities, with the LEAF’s 24 kWh lithium-ion batteries supplying emergency power. The
donated Nissan LEAFs can also be used to transport the elderly and expectant mothers to the roadside stations’ stores.
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DC fast charging is about to take off like a rocketpowered drag racer, according to IHS Automotive (NYSE: IHS). The market analysis firm’s new report predicts that the worldwide number of public fast chargers will grow to 5,900 by the end of 2013, nearly triple to 15,200 in 2014, and explode to almost 200,000 stations by 2020. “The length of time it takes to recharge an EV continues to be one of the major stumbling blocks inhibiting the widespread adoption of electric vehicles,” said IHS Associate Research Director Alastair Hayfield. “Compared to the time it takes to refuel an ICE vehicle, the recharge time for EVs is incredibly slow, at about four hours to charge a 24 kWh capacity battery using a 6.6 kW on-board charger. If EV auto manufacturers could overcome this obstacle, it could lead to a high rate of adoption from environmentally minded consumers as well as those seeking to cut gasoline expenses. That’s where fast charging comes in.” The report describes the competing fast-charging standards - CHAdeMO, favored by Japanese automakers, and CCS, supported by German and US OEMs, and notes the advantages of Tesla’s third “Supercharger” standard, which operates at a higher power rating than current CHAdeMO or CCS chargers, and uses a proprietary plug interface. “The charging stations are free to use for Tesla owners, and there are plans to power all stations using photovoltaics,” Hayfield said. “These Superchargers represent a powerful proposition for Tesla - drivers can charge faster, have US-wide coverage by 2015 and will charge for free for life. This triple threat will aim to lock drivers into the Tesla experience, and also will give Tesla a perceived advantage over other original equipment manufacturers competing in the same market.” IHS declined to predict the victor of the charging war, saying that “it’s clear that DC charging is becoming the favored means for supporting rapid, range-extension electric vehicles. But it is less clear as to whether CHAdeMO or CCS will win the battle for the consumer.”
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San Diego-based Envision Solar has announced that its EV ARC - an easyto-install, standalone solar charging station that requires no foundation, no trenching, no building permit and no grid connection - is ready to ship to customers. The EV ARC is designed to fit inside one standard parking space, is delivered to the customer site ready to operate and requires no installation work. It will offer EV charging day or night through the use of on-board battery storage. It’s even fully compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). “EV ARC is a paradigm-shifting technology product which should appeal to anyone who is interested in rolling out EV chargers,” said Desmond Wheatley, President and CEO of Envision Solar. According to the company, the US-made EV ARC generates approximately 16 kWh per day, and stores the energy in a 22 kWh on-board battery pack. The solar panels use the company’s EnvisionTrak technology, which enables the solar array to follow the sun, generating 18 to 25 percent more electricity than a conventional fixed array. Wheatley told Plugincars.com that the new system is “agnostic” to EVSEs, uses batteries from All-Cell in Chicago, and solar modules from Mage. He said the off-grid charger costs $40,000, although the price will drop by as much as 50 percent with large orders. “We believe the cost points will end up being incredibly competitive,” he said. “First, you will get half the cost off your federal tax liability, and there’s no need to dig a trench, install a transformer, face demand charges or, indeed, any bills from the utility - it’s instant EV charging.”
Photo courtesy of Envision Solar
New report: DCFC poised for exponential growth
Envision Solar launches off-grid charging station
Fuji Electric’s New 25kW DC Quick Charger for Electric Vehicles Reinvented in the New Year Featuring a Slimmer Profile to Suit More Locations and Applications
Fuji Electric’s 25kW DC Quick Charging Station has a reputation for helping station owners minimize utility costs; now it features a sleeker design to save them valuable space, too. EV owners will continue to enjoy the benefits of our cutting edge power electronics technology and convenient payment systems. The ability to recharge quickly and economically gives electric vehicle owners the reassurance they need to guarantee the continued success of the EV market. As a Global Leader with over 300 DC Quick Charging stations installed worldwide, we have the capability to support both charging and payment systems that promote the growth of EV infrastructure.
Some say downsizing is a negative… we disagree.
Learn more at (201) 490-3914 www.americas.fujielectric.com
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE ELECTRIC HIGHWAY?
Plug-in electric vehicles are at a crossroads.
September 30 – October 3, 2013 San Diego Convention Center San Diego, California USA
Sales are accelerating, but questions remain about technology costs, market evolution, consumer education and infrastructure development. At Plug-In 2013, we will discuss, debate and, ultimately, answer these questions. • Join us for real-world reporting as we analyze how best to move forward using the data collected over the last three years. • Secure your spot on our diverse exposition floor to connect with and develop long-term relationships with decision-makers who drive the vehicle and infrastructure markets. It’s all here at Plug-In 2013 – the international gathering of automakers, utilities, EVSE and other component manufacturers, policymakers and key stakeholders – so mark your calendars now!
Bookmark www.plugin2013.com for continuing details.
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South Korean electric buses use dynamic wireless charging to distinguish OLEV buses from regular cars, switching on the power strip when OLEV buses pass, but switching it off for other vehicles, thereby preventing EMF exposure and standby power consumption. “It’s quite remarkable that we succeeded with the OLEV project so that buses are offering public transportation services to passengers,” said Professor Dong-Ho Cho of KAIST. “This is certainly a turning point for OLEV to become more commercialized and widely accepted for mass transportation in our daily living.” After the successful conclusion of the OLEV pilot at the end of this year, Gumi plans to provide ten more such buses by 2015.
www.liteoncleanenergy.com
Photo courtesy of KAIST
The city of Gumi in South Korea has deployed two electric buses that use dynamic wireless charging. Gumi’s new Online Electric Vehicles (OLEVs) were developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), which has been working on dynamic wireless since 2009. The two OLEV buses will serve a 24 km inner-city route between Gumi Train Station and the In-dong district. They receive electricity at 20 kHz and 100 kW, with an 85% maximum efficiency rate and a 17 cm air gap between the underbody of the vehicle and the road surface. Power comes from cables buried under the surface of the road, and is transmitted to a receiving device on the underbody of the OLEV. The buried power strips cover 5-15% of the length of the road, requiring only a few sections to be rebuilt with the embedded cables. The OLEV’s battery is only a third the size that an ordinary EV would require. The system is smart enough
EVSE:
the low-hanging
fruit of
smart city buildout Photo by Michael Huey (flickr)
How installing a few charging stations is more of a long-term solution than meets the eye
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
h wit
Q&A
We often hear about the need for smart cities, smart grids, and sustainability in general, but what does it really mean? How can we ever hope to build a smart and sustainable global ecosystem, considering the energyconsuming path that we’re on? Charged talked to Mike Calise, Director of Electric Vehicles at Schneider Electric, about the challenge of sustainability and where EVs fit into the short-term and long-term solution. Charged: How would you sum up the need for sustainable energy consumption? Mike Calise: If you look at what’s happening in the world, there is a real energy dilemma that we’re experiencing globally. Analyst data suggests that between now and the end of 2050, our global energy demands are going to double. Think about how short a time that is considering the history of global energy needs to this date.
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So you have a battlefield, and the whole game of an energy dilemma gets won or lost in the major cities.
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On top of that, we want to reduce our CO2 emissions by half while our global energy demands are growing. It’s a mass-scale grand challenge, but there are strategies that can help get us there. Charged: So how do we tackle that problem? It’s fairly vast. Mike Calise: Cities today contain about 50 percent of the world’s population, consume about 75 percent of global energy, and produce about 80 percent of the CO2 emissions. By 2050, with more urbanization, people moving rapidly into cities, cities will contain about 70 percent of the world’s population. So you have a battlefield, and the whole game of an energy dilemma gets won or lost in the major cities. A “smart city” has to be sustainable, and that’s really all about data and efficiency. An intelligent, efficient system within the city - and intelligent, efficient systems within
Charged: Where does EV charging infrastructure fit in, and what do you expect to see moving forward?
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Mike Calise: It is a pretty tough challenge because it requires collaboration among many stakeholders, including policy makers, consumers, technology vendors, city planners, advocacy groups, investors and utilities. But charging infrastructure is one of those paradigms where the technology today is advanced, affordable and intelligent. With collaboration, we have a real strategy to make a significant impact on the future of a city by deploying mass-scale connected EV charging infrastructure now. We like to frame adoption of EVs and its impact on global sustainability in three phases: EV Ready, EV Willing, and EV Able. It goes beyond the classic “chicken and egg” we speak about. For simplicity, we’ve called this our “9 inning (year) ballgame.” EV Ready is this first phase of the overall EV market. If we assume 2011 is year zero, first production vehicles launched, then the EV Ready years still take about three years during 2012, 2013, 2014. It’s putting the charging infrastructure in ahead of mass EV adoption, and becoming ready for real EV adoption. EVs are doing well, and we’re thrilled with the early adoption growth - growing in orders of magnitude - but they’re still not the car of choice for most. We still have to put in pervasive EV charging infrastructure within cities that allows people to identify that the infrastructure exists out there. By doing so, we extend the “effective” range of all EVs. We have infrastructure that can be put in place and deployed in mass scale today, so the technology is here with few technology barriers. The price is quite inexpensive on a relative scale, and there are intelligent stations that talk to the cloud and manage session, energy, and carbon data, while delivering an excellent driver and host experience. When the masses see that infrastructure in place, then we transfer into the EV Willing period during 2015, 2016 and 2017. People see them and are willing to make an
Traffic and transportation is a major challenge in any city, one that is particularly visible to people.
systems - sharing information. There’s an energy efficiency element in all of it - less energy loss, reduced carbon emissions, and of course, economically there needs to be operational savings, otherwise it’s just a vision. In addition, efficiency in the water/waste water system, efficiency in public services, efficiency and accessibility to information in all these systems play key roles. There’s an energy system, the grid that impacts a smart city in a big way. We need to deliver smart, reliable, efficient energy without any blackouts. And one of the biggest sources of energy loss is in buildings and homes. Mobility is a huge factor, like improved control over systems for traffic lights, traffic routing relating to congestion, efficient mass transit and drivers/travelers having real-time, accessible information about where to go. Traffic and transportation is a major challenge in any city, one that is particularly visible to people. So more efficient and sustainable transportation is key to any smart city, and it has a significant and visible impact. After all, if you cannot get in and out of a city efficiently, and you waste energy along the way, this is counter to the city’s sustainability initiatives. You want to improve this system of mobility, and that really includes reducing traffic and congestion. That means less carbon emissions, less energy demand and more efficient travel routes. So, it is the inte-
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Photo by Victor Bezrukov (flickr)
gration of intelligent systems around mass transit and the integration of informed drivers and connected vehicles. Electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure will be paramount for these strategies both short and long term.
Photo courtesy of Schneider Electric
THE INFRASTRUCTURE EV decision. “Oh, my work has chargers and I’ve been waiting for this. I’m not one to take risks, and now the risk looks relatively low so now I’m going to buy an EV.” The same applies to their favorite hotel chain, retail store, university, ballpark, etc. There are a lot of great examples of this and it will continue to unleash strong demand for EVs. Workplaces install some stations for early drivers who ask to charge at work. In some cases, the workplace might pay for the energy, but even if they don’t, employees don’t have to go to the gas station anymore so everyone gets excited about it. As soon as a building has the first few working stations, they immediately see more drivers than stations. So they say “OK, we’ll put in some more chargers in.” and so on. We are already seeing examples of this in EV adoption hotbeds, but it will take a few years before it is common throughout North America and other major global EV markets. What we see is that by taking the first step and becoming EV Ready, you make a significant impact, because you get people to become willing to make an EV buying decision. And these new vehicles are technology enriched; they intelligently interact with other intelligent devices and systems within the city. So, now you’re starting to really make a difference in creating a smart transportation strategy by rolling over these highly inefficient fossil-fuelbased vehicles to a new highly-connected, highly-efficient way to get to work and back, and typically in and out of a city. You’re now starting to challenge the energy dilemma in an impactful way, because we’re talking about transportation, which is 40 percent of carbon emissions using fossil fuel. By just installing your first charging station, you have this tremendous ripple effect. And then by installing more, you have an exponential effect. Eventually we’ll get to the point where you’re able to charge everywhere, and you’re able to do that without ever thinking about it, and we transfer into the EV Able period - 2018, 2019, and 2020 inclusive. At that time you will see a tipping point for EV adoption, and a significant disruption to gas powered vehicles. Beyond those years you may you even start to hear a small impact in noise pollution and incrementally better air quality, key plat-
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By just installing your first charging station, you have this tremendous ripple effect. And then by installing more you have an exponential effect.
forms for measuring smart cities. Charged: Has it been difficult to convince workplaces and retail to install EVSE?
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Mike Calise: We’re seeing that early adopter EV owners are starting to demand charging at work from their employers. We are also seeing that they are requesting chargers at places they frequent including their favorite travel destinations and where they tend to park the most outside of the home. So we have a decent start from the LEAF, Volt and Tesla growth, and that will expand with new models from Toyota, Ford, BMW and others. You’ve got a pretty vocal contingent who are saying, “Hey, I want to charge at work, what are you going to do for me?” The demographic of EVers happens to be technically savvy and usually well educated. Their demands are well received, and the leaders of great companies deliver, and we are seeing this at small-medium businesses and office parks as well. You do see some “chicken and egg” here, but on a tiny scale relatively speaking. Today we’re seeing an emphasis on the importance of sustainability being driven by innovative companies. A recent example is Caesar’s Entertainment, the leading gaming company with resorts everywhere. Their number
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OCT 2013 69
Photo by Vincent Desjardins (flickr)
three mission now as an organization is based around social responsibility. They’ve created a sustainability initiative within the organization called CodeGreen. To deliver on that they can do things like recycle, put renewable power generation on the roof, reduce energy consumption with intelligent building energy managements systems and retrofitted LEDs, and they are making that happen. But if they were remiss and didn’t put in available and accessible charging stations, then the public would not see the real impact of that mission. So now they’re doing that, and it’s a great way to create public and employee visibility, literally right at the front of the building. In many ways on a small scale, it’s not that challenging to get workplaces and retail onboard, but it’s just the beginning. We are only in the bottom of the second inning, so it is still early days. The innovative and more sustainability-oriented companies recognize that when surveyed, people say they would actually spend more money on goods and services with a company that they know is socially responsible. This is well-known data, so they have a dual benefit from these initiatives when they are realized. There may still be a small challenge to be overcome at the facility manager’s level, since chargers may not be an obvious benefit because it is infrastructure buildout and more building energy usage. They own the instal-
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lation project, so some may be more hesitant to deploy. However, after further discussions, facility managers begin to understand the automated charging solutions and begin to see the beneficial impact and the power of cloud-connected chargers that require little maintenance. This hurdle is being addressed with more education and testimonials. Those who understand the short-term importance of EV Ready will prove that Workplace and Retail charging is inevitable, and will spiral up at unprecedented rates between now and the end of the decade. And by doing so, they’re doing their fair share to mitigate carbon emissions and promote efficient travel within their city. They can also manage that energy at work with building energy management integration. So, now you can see this mass-scale potential of that relatively small decision. When somebody puts in an EV charger, it means a heck of a lot more than they might think it does, and goes well beyond supplying electricity to a car.
In many ways on a small scale, it’s not that challenging to get workplaces and retail onboard, but it’s just the beginning.
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Charged: What is the importance of “smart” chargers at home in this equation? Mike Calise: Most of the home charging today is still basic or “dumb” charging, with no connectivity to the cloud. We sell basic chargers, and our competitors sell basic
THE INFRASTRUCTURE chargers because frankly, there is not a lot of grid anxiety yet. In my area, the public utility PG&E offers a special EV rate for electricity. In order to get this rate you have to give them the serial number of your car. And that’s great because residents get cheaper charging rates and the utility they can see whether the car is a Tesla or a Volt and what power it could demand. They’re doing their homework to keep the grid reliable for Northern California residents. So far, it’s all working with no big headaches, and basic chargers are fine to keep costs down during the EV Ready period. In the not-too-distant future we will see connected home chargers become pervasive, but the feature sets and networks are still being ironed out. However, in the commercial domain, basic chargers have a limited market. They are great to keep costs down, and as starter kits, but cannot scale and easily integrate into building energy management systems.
Charged: Will a smart grid be able to meet the demand of exponential growth?
Charged: Then commercial charging is all about smart charging?
Mike Calise: As the grid and buildings continue to get smarter, EVs continue to become more advanced, and battery cycles improve, the grid peak load problem of the future will be solved by the very same technology that will put the most demands on the grid during peak charging. The “solution lies in the problem.” So we’ll do vehicle-to-building and vehicle-to-grid, sourcing energy through a mobile battery storage device called a car. This is why EVs will invariably see an adoption tipping point within the decade. The stakes are high for this, both as a transportation paradigm shift and a smart grid paradigm shift. Almost every battery that demands energy from the grid will also be an energy storage device for the grid, what we envision as swarming energy storage in the future. You can see a massive impact, really massive when millions of energy storage devices are mobilized everywhere. During that EV Able period, the problems are actually the solutions that will manage the grid in a smart city. We’re not quite there yet, but the technology is within our grasp today with pilots everywhere. It is likely within in our 9 inning (year) ballgame, but we may have to go into extra innings… But, to bring us back from the future, the real message is: Simply deploy some charging stations now, and you will see how big of a difference you can really make between now and the end of the decade. This simple action is the start of solving a mass-scale grand challenge.
Mike Calise: We’re delivering what we call EVlink cloudconnected chargers with a robust secure connection to a network. They offer the ability to manage station sessions and set rates on the fly, mitigate energy use, report carbon usage and alert data, and process payments. We refer to this as “involved intelligence.” The amount of energy that’s distributed to these chargers is integrated into intelligent building automation and management systems, which Schneider is a leader in. A building can be programmed to pick and choose how much energy it wants to allocate to vehicle charging vs HVAC and other loads depending on the time of day, temperature, season, etc. You can see that this is sort of a holistic integration of intelligent charging as part of building management. This is the state of the technology today, and it’s not that expensive. So now we are establishing a footprint of highly intelligent EVSE to start the ball rolling. Eventually, EVs will have a pretty significant impact on the grid - you don’t get something for nothing. Right now, during the EV Ready period, driver anxiety is relatively high but grid anxiety is relatively low. Utilities are not panicking just because people are buying EVs. But as driver anxiety goes down with pervasive charging, and we transfer to the EV Willing and EV Able periods, then we’ll be taxing the grid during peak, and utility anxiety is going to be up and play a pretty significant role.
Mike Calise: Utility anxiety will be mitigated through integrated smart charging - the connection of demand response systems and charge scheduling schemes, etc. At the workplace, where cars sit most of the time during peak, does everyone need to be charging at once? At home you can charge at night while you sleep - not a big grid impact. But it will be critical to deploy more and more demand response and energy management systems that tie the vehicle to the building’s or campus’s energy management system. Charged: What role will vehicle-to-building and vehicle-to-grid play?
OCT 2013 71
rEVolution Bosch is taking the Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) market very seriously, investing heavily in the infrastructure behind the infrastructure
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THE INFRASTRUCTURE
signs the EV market is here to stay
O
By Michael Kent
ne of dozens of indicators that suggest plug-in vehicles are here to stay is that companies like Bosch - the multinational engineering and electronics powerhouse - are jockeying for an early lead in the charging infrastructure space. Bosch has the same goal as most of the players with skin in the EV game: to accelerate the growth of this industry in an economically sustainable way. As the largest supplier of automotive components (measured by revenue), the company is leveraging its many resources to drive down infrastructure costs and quickly bring affordable charging products to market. “Our research indicated that most EV owners will charge their car overnight at home,” Tanvir Arfi, President of Bosch Automotive Service Solutions, told Charged. “So we made residential charging our initial focus and are making that more and more affordable to get more and more people adopting EVs faster.” In May, Bosch introduced the lowest priced Level 2 residential charging station on the market. At $449, it’s half the cost of some other products in the space. The new Power Max line has three models: 16 Amps with a 12 ft cord ($449); 30 A, 18 ft cord ($593); and 30 A, 25 ft cord ($749). All are very competitively priced. “Bosch is about offering choice for the consumer,” said Arfi. “You don’t have to buy just one model, and you can use our installation services or install it yourself.”
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we made residential charging our initial focus and are making that more and more affordable to get more and more people adopting EVs faster.
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Photo courtesy Bosch
The infrastructure behind the infrastructure One of Bosch’s biggest behind-the-scenes investments in the charging industry is its sprawling network of certified and trained EVSE (aka charging station) installers. Establishing the network was a significant investment in both time and money, which is often overlooked by the average consumer. “Providing a true national installation program for an OEM partner essentially required us to launch a start-up business within the Bosch organization,” said Arfi. Bosch partners with approximately 300 companies who work as installers. Each has to meet certain criteria, including specialized training, maintaining proper insurance, and passing business and criminal background checks. If you count the number of electricians in each company, you’ll find that there are more than 700 certified and trained in the North American network, and another 3,000 in Europe. While the company continuously works to lower instal-
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We’ll continue to drive the cost out of our installation network. The primary factor of that is volume, obviously.
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lation costs, it will never be able to beat the quote from your “neighborhood electrician” who does not have the same overhead or obligations that come with an OEM, utility or government agency partnership. A close look at the details of its network could help consumers understand why there is a price difference. When a customer buys a charging product online and indicates interest in installation services, Bosch will coordinate with its dealer network to provide a free onsite estimate. It’s not uncommon for other companies to charge a fee for similar estimation services. Apart from the electrician estimate, Bosch employs experts who audit the installation quotes for accuracy and pricing, to
Photo by Green Energy Futures (flickr)
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
Bosch was the installation partner for Chevrolet Volt owners who participated in the EV Project and Chargepoint America, and did about 3,500 installations between the two programs. match the company’s expectation for service, installation time and affordability. Most of the company’s charging products have a one-year warranty, and if the installation is done by a certified installer, a three-year warranty. Bosch installers also will, in most cases, handle all local and federal rebate paperwork for eligible incentives, saving customers time and money. For example, Michigan residents can claim rebates of up to $2,500 for buying and installing charging stations.
All of that extra overhead - the training, legal expense, back-office support, computer systems and the three-year warranty on installations, etc. - is what makes it difficult for Bosch to compete with a neighborhood electrician who will do the installation for cash. “We’ll continue to drive the cost out of our installation network,” Arfi told us. “The primary factor in that is volume, obviously.” He believes that as more OEMs launch new plug-in platforms - particularly high-end vehicles like the Cadillac ELR, BMW i3, and Porsche Panamera S E-Hybrid - the demand for white-glove installation support will only increase. Bosch was the installation partner for Chevrolet Volt owners who participated in the EV Project and Chargepoint America, and did about 3,500 installations between the two programs. Now, many believe we’re moving into the post-incentive era for EVSE installations, and the big question is: What will the market look like without government aid?
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OCT 2013 75
Photo courtesy Bosch
Financing for all Along with the aggressive price point of its new product line, Bosch hopes that providing financing will help widen the field of buyers considering plug-ins. For EVSE and installation bills from $1,000 to $3,499, it offers zero percent down and no interest for 12 months. For purchases of $3,500 and up, a 2.99 percent interest, five-year plan is available. “We really think that’s going to drive more adoption of Level 2 because the consumer is going to have another option,” said Arfi. “It’s not in any way tied to the vehicle purchase, so the financing is available to all customers through Bosch irrespective of which EV they purchase” A unique pairing Through a partnership with Evatran, Inc. announced in June, Bosch has also delivered another first for the industry: commercially available wireless charging via Evatran’s Plugless system. In July, the pair began taking orders for
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systems that are designed as an upfit for the Nissan LEAF and Chevrolet Volt. What makes this partnership such a good fit are two unique elements of Bosch’s existing infrastructure: its EVSE installation network and its nationwide franchise network of Bosch Car Service centers. When a Plugless system is purchased through Bosch, customers bring their vehicle to one of Bosch’s 1,400 service centers in the US, where the aftermarket wireless vehicle adapter is mounted on the undercarriage of the vehicle. A Bosch-certified electrician will then install the parking pad and control panel equipment at the customer’s home. Bosch reports “strong early interest” from LEAF and Volt owners. The 3.3 kW Plugless Level 2 system is priced at $3,098 for the LEAF and $2,998 for the Volt - which includes hardware installation on the car but not the electrical work at home. At that price, it won’t be for everyone, but Bosch says there are a lot of hand raisers
Photos courtesy EVATRAN
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
who want to be the first to go wireless. Beyond that, the company thinks there will be a good market for EV drivers who already have a Level 2 corded system installed and want to exchange it for a Plugless system. “There is cost involved with bringing a dedicated 240 V circuit to your wall,” said Arfi. “We believe that out of the thousands of people that have already done this, a good percentage of that population will want to go wireless. But it’s more than just dipping our toe in the water. We do believe that there is a real market for this.” At first glance, wireless residential charging might seem totally unnecessary - after all, EV proponents often tout the fact that plugging in at the end of the day is simple and takes but a few seconds. However, many believe the added convenience is something that drivers won’t want to go without once they’ve been exposed to it, particu-
larly with the high-end EVs coming out soon. It could be akin to features like windshield wipers and headlights that turn on when they’re needed, automatic door openers, or remote start. You never thought you needed it, but please don’t take it away now that it’s here. “If you think about it, most people don’t need Level 2 charging systems at home, but it’s a convenience and peace of mind,” said Arfi. “Wireless is just another level of convenience. It’s not going to be for everybody, but there will be a market for it.” At the moment, there is no other company with a wireless system close to commercial availability. While other companies were working to install wireless charging during vehicle production, Evatran started with the aftermarket approach, partnering with Bosch for distribution and installation. As the EV market expands in the coming years, Bosch’s early investments could prove to be a shrewd move that gives the company a solid foothold in an industry with gigantic potential. In the next few decades, it’s quite possible that the automotive market and EV market merge into one and the same. With the recent launch of its priced-to-sell Level 2 charging station and the first commercially available wireless system, the 130-year old company is delivering on its goal to help nudge the needle in that direction.
OCT 2013 77
DEMAND CHARGES &EVSE By Jeffrey Wishart, Ph.D.
Photo courtesy of ECOtality
Jeffrey Wishart, Senior Principal Engineer at ECOtality since 2009, conducts research and development on products and services in the areas of energy, the environment, and advanced transportation. In addition to his supervisory position at ECOtality, Dr Wishart worked for several years at a utility company in Queensland, Australia, conducting research into emerging energy technologies.
W
Photo courtesy of arbyreed (flickr)
hat are demand charges? One of the barriers that EVs have faced is convincing business owners and government decision-makers to host public charging stations. The difficulty is especially acute for DC Fast Chargers (DCFCs), not just because of installation and energy costs and permitting headaches, but also due to high power costs that show up as “demand charges� on the host’s utility bill.
This could very well deter commercial EVSE usage and negatively affect the nascent EV industry. A demand charge is a fee imposed by a utility, typically for commercial properties, for the peak power used during a billing cycle, regardless of the amount of energy drawn at this power rate. In contrast to the total energy usage that is the more familiar utility charge, a demand charge is triggered by a one-time occurrence of an elevated power level (usually an average over a 15-minute interval) and is not a cumulative charge. Demand charge rates are specified in $/kW, and are usually incurred when the peak power used during a billing cycle rises above a specified threshold, but they are sometimes incurred for any power level above zero. Certain utilities even levy a yearly peak power demand charge. Simply put, demand charges are the method by which utilities penalize high power consumption during peak demand periods. Demand charges can add significantly to the utility bill for an EVSE host, and can make EVSE hosting cost-prohibitive. As a result, hosts may attempt to recoup the demand charges by increasing fees for vehicle charging. This could very well deter commercial EVSE usage and negatively affect the nascent EV industry.
Why do demand charges exist?
Demand charges have less of an impact on AC Level 2 EVSE deployment, due to a relatively low output power that is often below the demand charge threshold. However, a cluster of AC Level 2 units can incur demand charges with their aggregate power demand, if on the same service. Conversely, the higher power levels of a single DCFC incur demand charges much more frequently. Real-world demand charge examples While deploying DCFCs around the country for the The EV Project, ECOtality worked with many different utilities and encountered a variety of different demand charge rates. But there are also utilities that do not impose demand charges for DCFC installations, including Tucson Electric Power, Alameda Municipal Power, Silicon Valley Power, Pacific Gas and Electric, City of Palo Alto Utilities, and all of the utilities in the state of Tennessee. Among the many utilities that do have demand charges on the books, the three with the highest rates (that we encountered) are all in California. Looking at the worstcase scenario, for example on a summer day during the peak period, the following demand charges would be incurred: • • •
San Diego Gas and Electric: up to $30.68 per kW Southern California Edison: up to $29.20 per kW Burbank Water and Power: up to $21.21 per kW
Using those rates, an analysis of the demand charges associated with a particular DCFC duty cycle can be developed1. Assuming the DCFC to be the only load on the meter, and using the published base, energy, and demand charge rates for the three high demand charge utilities above, the monthly (30.4 days) bill for a DCFC installation with the assumed duty cycle could reach: Footnote
The assumed duty cycle involves three vehicles charging from 30-90% and seven vehicles charging from 30-60% per day, all at the maximum rate of 60 kW AC (the DC power delivered will be less because of conversion efficiency). For this example, Nissan LEAFs, with an approximate usable energy storage system capacity of approximately 20 kWh, will be used. The first three vehicles will each receive 12 kWh and the seven others will each receive 6 kWh for a total of 78 kWh per day. 1
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The basic rationale for demand charges is that they will reduce peak power demands by financially impacting power usage behavior. This is based on the premise that utilities should reduce peak demand, which will reduce the need for additional generation facilities by using existing plants more efficiently, and also reduce the need for inefficient spinning reserve plants. This premise remains appropriate in the absence of smart grid technologies and distributed energy storage. However, smart grid technology and distributed energy storage will allow for much more utility control over electricity demand. Eliminating demand charges, at least in certain circumstances, in exchange for more utility control, may be in both the public’s and utilities’ interest for a number of reasons, including the advancement of EVs.
•
•
•
San Diego Gas and Electric: $58.22 (base) + $230.53 (energy) + $1,840.80 (demand), for a total of $2,149.55. The demand charge would be 86% of the total monthly bill. Southern California Edison: $134.17 (base) + $211.13 (energy) + $1,752.00 (demand), for a total of $2,097.30. The demand charge would be 84% of the total monthly bill. Burbank Water and Power: $16.27 (base) + $274.11 (energy) + $1,272.60 (demand), for a total of $1,562.98. The demand charge would be 81% of the total monthly bill.
As you can see from these examples, devising solutions to the demand charge problem is imperative to the growth of the industry. How to avoid demand charges? There are a variety of different methods for avoiding or reducing demand charges. However, it is unlikely that any one will be optimal for each specific location, so it’s important to evaluate all options on a case-by-case basis. The first step is to determine the following information for a given DCFC installation: • •
What is the expected peak demand for the site owner in a billing period? Over how much of the 15-minute interval does the peak demand span? What is the average site demand?
Photo courtesy of ECOtality
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
•
•
What is the utility rate structure? Is there a yearly maximum average power demand charge in addition to the billing cycle maximum average power demand charge? What is the tolerance for an incurred demand charge, i.e., how much is the EVSE host willing to pay in demand charges?
Once these parameters are specified, the next step is to choose from the possible methods for reducing the demand charge. ECOtality came up with six ways (although there are likely several other possibilities): 1. Never allow the overall site power demand to exceed a specified value. 2. Attempt to ensure that the average power over the interval is less than or equal to a specified value. 3. Attempt to recoup the demand charge cost through structured pricing for EVSE charging. 4. Add an energy storage system that buffers the EVSE unit from high power demands during charging. 5. Aggregate demand among multiple EVSE installations into one demand charge calculation, taking advantage of the diversity that may exist in individual unit usage.
A cluster of AC Level 2 units can incur demand charges with their aggregate power demand, if on the same service. 6. Provide demand response capability to the utility to either offset or circumvent demand charges. [A seventh “solution” would be to work with utilities to create a tariff that exempts EVSE usage from demand charges. Since this is within the purview of the utility, we’ll focus only on the EVSE side for demand charge avoidance and reduction.] The six possibilities vary considerably in cost and effort involved, as well as in likely effectiveness at reducing the demand charge without simultaneously reducing the utility of the DCFC. Never allow the overall site power demand to exceed a specified value This method is the most conservative and least expensive of the six. It basically involves de-rating the DCFC so that the EVSE host can be assured that the unit will
OCT 2013 81
not exceed the value that is the difference between the demand charge tolerance and the expected peak demand of the host. Historical data can reveal the expected peak site demand. With the peak site demand known, the maximum DCFC power allowable to obtain the tolerated demand charge can be calculated, and the DCFC can then be electrically limited at the time of installation or on an individual charge basis. The drawback is that a de-rated DCFC means a slower charge, and the amount of required de-rating could be overestimated. Thus, EV owners may not take kindly to this reduced charge rate and the increased time it takes to charge.
Attempt to recoup the demand charge cost through structured pricing for EVSE charging This method is conceptually simple, and there is no de-rating of the DCFC unit. The EVSE host sets either a single rate or tiered rate structure (for different charge power rates) in an attempt to amortize the demand charge cost over all of the vehicles that are charged during a billing period. The host may actually make a larger profit with this method, but could also experience a larger deficit if the predicted usage is inaccurate. The host might also see a backlash if customers do not like having different charging rates available, or if the usage is underestimated and the rates are higher than needed to cover the demand charge incurred. Add an energy storage system that buffers the EVSE unit from high power demands during charging Pairing the DCFC with stationary energy storage would buffer the power demand of the DCFC, and reduce or eliminate the need to exceed the demand charge
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Pairing the DCFC with stationary energy storage would buffer the power demand of the DCFC, and reduce or eliminate the need to exceed the demand charge threshold threshold. The stationary battery pack is replenished by grid electricity, which can be timed to take advantage of off-peak rates and be at sufficiently low power rates to avoid (or at least minimize) demand charges. This
Photo courtesy of ECOtality
Attempt to ensure that the average power over the interval is less than or equal to a specified value This tactic depends on having accurate historical data and/or a very predictable site demand. If the DCFC is on its own service, the complexity is reduced considerably. This method requires de-rating of the DCFC just as in Method 1; however, the de-rating will be just enough to ensure that the average power during the 15-minute interval will not incur a demand charge exceeding the tolerance threshold. Although the de-rating is less severe, the charge will still be slower, and there is a greater chance of exceeding the tolerance threshold if the DCFC is on a shared service.
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
configuration is also useful for future advancements in grid-DCFC connections like vehicle-to-grid (V2G) where the flow of electricity is bidirectional. Naturally, the drawback to this strategy is the additional expense of the energy storage, although a return on investment (ROI) can be developed via the savings on demand charges. Aggregate demand among multiple EVSE installations into one demand charge calculation, taking advantage of the diversity that may exist in individual unit usage This involves putting multiple DCFCs on one service or developing an arrangement with the utility to treat multiple DCFC installations as a single load, and then relying on demand diversity so that the aggregate demand charge is less than the total of individual demand charges. For this to work, not all DCFCs can be at the
peak load at the same time, which may imply that the utilization factor of the DCFCs cannot be very high. Demand charges will be incurred, so this method is only a way to decrease demand charges, not avoid them. Provide demand response capability to the utility to either offset or circumvent demand charges This method incorporates some utility policies that are already in place and applies them to DCFCs. Utilities are very eager to work with customers to reduce peak loads not only to avoid grid failures but also to postpone generation, transmission, and distribution capacity increases, which require heavy capital expenditures. To accomplish these goals, utilities offer incentives, such as time-of-use (TOU) rates that push customers to use electricity more during off-peak times, and
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OCT 2013 83
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THE INFRASTRUCTURE This decision must be made on a case-by-case basis, and will largely depend on the tolerance of the DCFC host to large and varying demand charges. demand response programs whereby a customer can be compensated for reducing their electricity demand when required by the utility. EVSE hosts could either sign up for demand response programs directly with the utility, or, more likely, sign with an aggregator, a company that signs up a number of electrical load owners, and then takes a cut of the utility’s incentive while eliminating the risk of not meeting the utility’s requirements for demand response in situations where there is no vehicle charging. Demand charges will still be incurred by the EVSE host, but the payments from the utility or aggregator should offset the costs and perhaps even result in a net benefit. Case-by-case Analyzing the methods presented here leads to several conclusions. First, it’s important that reliable historical energy use data is available for any prospective DCFC site. Each site must be vetted thoroughly for the appropriateness of DCFC deployment, including the obvious permitting and installation costs and complexities, but also from the standpoint of site demand data reliability and uniformity. If the data are unavailable or the demand varies widely, the site may not be suitable for a DCFC unit. This decision must be made on a caseby-case basis, and will largely depend on the tolerance of the DCFC host for large and varying demand charges. Some of the charge reduction methods will require an energy management system or remote EVSE monitoring and demand control capabilities. These features are more easily included in “smart” EVSE units rather than in “dumb” EVSE units. While a dumb charger may cost less upfront, as with most things, cheaper is not always better in the long term. These various solutions offer different degrees of certainty. An EVSE host needs to balance the desire to reduce demand charges on one hand with maintaining the level of service his customers/users expect from the EVSE charging on the other.
OCT 2013 85
connecting the dots
M
ore and more organizations are finding that it makes sense to offer EV charging to their employees and/or customers. However, installing and administering the charging stations, especially across a large enterprise, can be a complicated proposition. Not the least of the headaches is finding a way to quantify the return on investment (ROI) in charging infrastructure. This emerging set of challenges has created a great opportunity for a company that can offer some sort of turnkey package - a company like EV Connect. EV Connect is an EV charging software and solution provider that focuses on enterprise-class software. Unlike public networks, EV Connect partners with owners of charging sites, and provides them with solutions that help them cut through the complexity of dealing with multiple types of hardware and charging networks. EV Connect CEO Jordan Ramer spent seven years with EVSE manufacturer AeroVironment, where he built a charging management system for off-road industrial
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By Charles Morris
vehicles. He was inspired to start his own company when he realized that, as more and more vehicles began plugging in, there would be a critical need for something similar in the on-road market. The owner of an EV charging station needs three things: hardware; installation and maintenance; and software to manage the system. EV Connect focuses on services and software, and partners with other companies to provide the hardware. It sells a range of Level 1 and 2 charging stations from various manufacturers, but its services can work with almost any hardware and any charging network. This flexibility can be very important for larger organizations that may find themselves dealing with hardware and/or charging networks from different vendors. EV Connect can help them organize it all into a unified network. Even if a vendor goes out of business or changes its network plan, an organization can continue using the hardware it has already invested in without
THE INFRASTRUCTURE
“
if they just subscribe to a public charging network, they never have control…
”
getting into compatibility nightmares. “We have an Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)compliant communication layer, and can interface with other charging station networks, so we give customers the utmost in flexibility,” said Ramer. “They can have different hardware and different networks, all integrated into a cohesive product that we call EV Connect’s EVCloud.” The system also offers API support, so customers can develop their own custom applications. EV Connect’s platform allows it to build industryand client-specific features into the software. This is important because different types of organizations need to manage their charging networks in different ways. A workplace has specific needs for managing employee charging, whereas a hotel chain has a different set of priorities, such as tying charging to reservations, and perhaps also to a loyalty program. A university may not want to join a charging network, because it may already have a student/faculty ID card system that it wants to use for access control. As an example of the kind of integration that EV Connect does, Ramer told us about a project that the company is working on with the Los Angeles public transport authority, LA Metro. EV Connect is managing a charging network at LA Metro’s park-and-ride locations that’s based on open protocols, but that works with the system’s existing program, under which riders use refillable cards to pay for train and bus rides - the same cards could be used to pay for EV charging. Managing a charging network and integrating it with an organization’s existing systems are invaluable services. However, EV Connect provides another service as well, one that the casual observer might not even see the need for - it helps organizations quantify the benefits of their charging infrastructure. For most organizations, deploying charging stations is not about reselling electricity - most EVSE insiders see little profit potential in that. The payoff is more likely to come in the form of things like customer loyalty (for businesses) or employee satisfaction (for workplaces). However, the value of such indirect benefits can be hard to translate into dollars and cents, and that’s where EV
Connect comes in. “With hotels, we are finding that if they just subscribe to a public charging network, they never have control… they don’t understand how EV drivers are using their charging stations…but if we integrate with their loyalty program, they can connect that to their existing customer communications database, and start to monetize the value of EV drivers,” says Ramer. When it comes to workplaces, “You want to drive employee retention. Providing EV charging is one way to do that, but if you can’t measure it by knowing who is charging, how much, etc., you can’t quantify ROI, so we provide the tools to do that.” EV Connect has won three grants from the California Energy Commission, one for the LA Metro project, and two to deploy workplace charging. It has also partnered with the DOE-supported charging networks operated by ECOtality and ChargePoint. Ramer believes the best role for government is to provide incentives without picking winners, and that open standards are critical. “The EV market is doing well, but we still need subsidies for now. It could be done better - the government agencies that have done it have learned a lot.” For example, Better Place installed hundreds of Level 2 chargers in Hawaii under a state-financed project, but when the company left the market, an Oregon-based firm called OpConnect
“
...if we integrate with their loyalty program, they can connect that to their existing customer communications database, and start to monetize the value of EV drivers
”
acquired the network, and is now swapping out the hardware with its own. “That’s a perfect example of bad use of resources,” says Ramer. “Stranded assets…aren’t good for anybody. Having common standards is critical so people can easily come in and substitute [their own assets] when a company goes belly-up, on the network side and on the hardware side. The need for openness and flexibility is critical, and we’re sitting in that sweet spot with our platform.”
OCT 2013 87
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CHARGING FORWARD
EVS FOR SHARE OR RENT? The world’s transportation ecosystem has hundreds of species of vehicles, each one adapted to the requirements of its particular niche. Some niches are clearly well-suited to EVs, and others are probably not. Urban delivery trucks, which typically make routebased journeys from a central depot and consume a lot of diesel fuel, can quickly recoup an investment in electrification. AMP Electric Vehicles, discussed on page 54, is just one of several EV makers poised for success in this field. Other applications are less suitable for EVs, at least within the limits of current technology. Many believe that while gas/electric hybrids make excellent taxis, pure EVs will not, as cab drivers like to keep their vehicles rolling, and don’t want to lose time charging. Not everyone agrees, however. In April, New York City deployed six LEAF taxis, and some drivers say they don’t mind a coffee break in the middle of a shift. The real benefits and drawbacks of any new technology only become apparent after a certain amount of real-world experience. Some of the predictions about how EVs will and won’t be used are sure to be wrong. What about car sharing? This increasingly popular service is handy for people who usually use public transport but occasionally need a car. Customers pay a subscription fee, and can rent a vehicle at short notice, perhaps for only a few hours. Some see car sharing as a killer app for EVs - users make short journeys, return the cars to designated locations, and needn’t worry about high up-front costs. Others are skeptical, pointing out that some customers need shared cars to get to remote locations or to move large objects. In Paris, the yea-sayers are winning the day. Autolib, which launched in late 2011 with a fleet of 250 twodoor Bolloré Bluecar EVs, now has 1,800 vehicles and
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4,000 charging points. Customers have made the City of Light one of the world’s EV capitals. The company plans to expand to Lyon, Bordeaux and Indianapolis. Daimler subsidiary Car2go introduced electric car sharing to Amsterdam in 2011 with a fleet of 300 smart fortwo electric drives, and has since expanded to Austin, Vancouver and San Diego. Other ventures have seen less success. Peugeot Citroën’s sharing service has 350 EVs in Berlin, but has no plans to expand that number. The Swiss firm Mobility began offering EVs in late 2011, but currently has only 19 Think Citys in service, out of a total fleet of 2,650 vehicles. Traditional car rental customers may seem a poor fit for EVs. Most are vacationers or business travelers who reached their destination city by air, and need a car to get around in sprawling suburbia for a few days. However, a new partnership called Drive Electric Orlando (DEO) believes visitors to the Sunshine State will find driving an EV to be another fun Florida experience. “Orlando’s visitors now have an opportunity to try out an exciting technology while saving time, saving money and making a difference,” said Robbie Diamond, CEO of the Electrification Coalition, the coordinator of DEO. “We see this program as Orlando’s newest and smartest ride.” With 57 million visitors a year, Orlando is the world’s largest rental car market. The area also has over 300 EV charging stations. “Where better to introduce Americans to the electric car?” says Diamond. Partner Enterprise Rent-A-Car now offers LEAFs at Orlando International Airport. Lee Broughton, Enterprise’s Head of Sustainability, offered what may be the most compelling reason of all for rental EVs: “We know that the car rental experience is often an extended test drive.”
Photo by ehpien (flickr)
By Charles Morris
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