micro-mobility charging infrastructure

navigating the micromobility charging landscape

simon Fellin TeLePorT mobiLiTY

A Tier Scooter & Powerbox (Source: Tier press release)

Ahot topic these days is charging infrastructure. The german micromobility operator Tier recently landed a €250M investment from Softbank to establish its energy network. Why is infrastructure so important anyway?

Charging infrastructure is seen as a key component in driving per charge costs down from the HIGH single digit $ and € numbers we have seen in the last years (Which made up almost half of the mobility operators cost base) down to LOW single-digit numbers (2-3 $/€ per recharge) that will make micro-mobility operations financially sustainable.

The legacy operating model of micromobility operators comes with a big environmental impact. Gig-workers and logistics teams have been driving combustion engine vans filled with discharged and broken vehicles back and forth to warehouses for charging and repairs.

Cities and their inhabitants have also grown weary of scooters thrown on the pavement. Often, the rider has run out of battery and simply abandoned the vehicle on the sidewalk or cycling path, leaving behind a useless piece of metal for others to trip over.

This article goes through the upsides and downsides and opportunities of the two leading solutions in the market.

charging stations

Several companies have been working on addressing both the issues of free-floating micro-mobility by moving back towards docked mobility, modeled after the many well-tested docked bike and ebike sharing schemes that have been emerging in cities, mainly over the past 10 years.

This operational model requires users to start and end their rides at designated locations in a city where parking racks are set up, which may work great when infrastructure is well built out and there are stations at every block, but may also cause disappointment and stress when vehicles are not available or when you arrive to the train station at rush hour and there are not slots available where you want to go.

strengths

parking

Setting up a charging rack implicitly means that you are also helping solve the parking situation for scooters and bikes. Research from Oslo shows that when parking racks are available there are many less scooters poorly parked.

hub

Setting up a parking rack gives customers a fixed location where they can go and expect to find vehicles.

security

Having the vehicle locked into the charging rack reduces the risk of theft.

no logistics

When users park the vehicles in charging racks there is no need for an operational team to carry out that task.

Weaknesses docked, not dockless

Docking stations go against the basic free-floating paradigm that has made scooters popular, having true doorto-door transportation. Sure, entirely docked bike systems work, but they are usually heavily subsidized by the city, because the stations are expensive to establish and it is not as convenient for the end-users.

curbside locations

The operators will want the charging stations to be on central curbside locations which can be difficult and/or expensive to access in order to scale the network.

space limitation

The number of vehicles possible to charge in one location is limited by the parking space available, over-capacity of parking and charging spaces is required in order for the system to operate smoothly.

suppliers l Swiftmile

A Jelbi mobility hub with a Swiftmile charging station and a Nextbike docking station (Source: Techcrunch)

l Charge l Duckt l Kuhmute l Bikeep l Nubsee l Knot l Samocat l Magment l Parkent l Tranzito l Oonee l EnergyBus

opportunities standardization

Most station suppliers have a proprietary connector that is added to the different vehicles and allow them to be docked and charged in their network. This is a process which is more or less convenient and inhibits the growth of the network. Cities are much less likely to invest in fixed infrastructure that needs to be replaced at the end of each tender period. EnergyBus has been working on an open design of a standard charge & lock connector as well as communication protocol for several years, which will become commercially available in 2021.

Wireless charging

Magment and a few other companies have created wireless charging concepts where in vehicles are usually charged through a coil in the pavement below the vehicle. This eliminates any mechanical wear and tear thus reducing the need for service.

charging plugs

Not every location has the possibility to put up a rack. LEON Mobility addresses this with the Nubsee that is a small wall or pole-mounted charger for a single vehicle. A great contribution to making charging slightly more “dockless”.

solar charging

Where grid connection is difficult or a moveable chagrer suitable for quick or temporary deployment solar powered charging stations can be great. An American startup called Optivolt Labs even have a stack that makes it simpler to integrate solar ON the vehicles - basically getting a self-charging vehicle which surely could be beneficial for some locations.

Battery swapping

The biggest operational change in micromobility the last year was the shift to battery swapping vehicles by all the major Europeans players. In the chase for cutting operational costs, battery swapping was added as a mandatory for all new vehicles.

As timelines were pushed, most projects opted to reduce the technical risk by building the battery in a very similar way as they previously had done, just adding a pigtail connector and a lockable hatch to their existing scooter designs.

Some pioneers such as Feishen and Pushme saw what was coming and had more intricate designs prepared for user swapping. Operators also saw a possibility to distribute charging, especially in large cities like Paris, London or New York, where long distances and traffic congestion make it extremely inefficient to go back and forth to a warehouse in the city outskirts.

Now with the second and third generations of vehicles being defined, integrated user swappable batteries are high up on most operators requirement specifications. Not all operators agree that it makes sense to rely on unqualified personnel to swap the batteries, but as the savings that can be realized from making a less user-friendly swapping solution is very marginal and the potential downside of not allowing user swapping is a huge business risk, the industry is moving quickly in the user swappable direction.

strengths Fleet uptime

Maximizes fleet uptime, a boost of ~5% (3 hour charge time/2.5 days between charges) compared to charging the battery with a charger.

levs for operations

More efficient logistics by allowing the

A Teleport battery Swapping station with integrated parking (Source: Teleport)

use of light emission free vehicles (Such as cargo bikes) to transport batteries.

easier service

Replacement of batteries does not require the vehicle to be taken in for repair and it is now easier to separate the economics of the batteries with the rest of the vehicle.

scalability

The network is comparably easy to scale due to possible separation from vehicle parking. A swapping station is easier to fit and does not require a curbside location.

Utilization end-user swappable only

Helps operators increase the utilization of low battery vehicles, since incentives can be offered for those vehicles and range is practically unlimited with a well built out battery swap network.

market penetration end-user swappable only

The incentives given out to customers for swapping batteries help operators penetrate new cost-sensitive market segments and also drives brand loyalty (let’s face it, it’s actually quite expensive to ride scooters in many markets today).

Weaknesses more Batteries

Requires more than one battery per vehicle. At Teleport we are calculating 1.35 batteries per scooter, with some room to increase that efficiency over time.

packing

Swappable batteries are often less space efficient than integrated ones, resulting in slightly shorter range.

moving parts

More moving parts in the vehicle that could require service more often than for an integrated battery.

reliant on customer performance end-user swappable only

Additional point of failure in allowing unqualified personnel to perform a critical task, the industry has previous experiences of this from the prime gig-working days of charging.

suppliers

l Teleport l Swobbee l Sun Mobility l OKAI l Gogoro l Ionex l Raido l Immotor l Voltup

opportunities standardization

A standardized battery format does not only make batteries interchangeable between different vehicles, it will also allow operators to access economies of scale benefits by collaborating in the same network, multiplying the density of both swapping stations as well as vehicles in need of swapping.

It will also make it much easier for consumers to compare price and quality of batteries, creating more satisfied customers and a healthy competition that will push both price as well as battery and vehicle innovation.

Furthermore, the LEVs are improving so rapidly that in a few years operators will be pressed to invest in new vehicles to stay relevant and competitive. Then, the second hand value of both vehicle and battery are greatly improved by having the battery format standardized.

The second hand value and the possibility to industrialize disassembly & recycling reduces the battery’s life cycle impact and makes the battery much more attractive for Battery-as-a-Service financing. Operators

aUthor

simon Fellin

TeLePorT mobiLiTY

Simon Fellin is ceo of Teleport, a battery swapping service provider that has created an open-source, swappable battery standard. Simon has a background in the automotive industry but has spent the last five years in executive positions in the Light electric Vehicle industry with safety and sustainability as guiding principles. that pay up-front for batteries waiting to get them delivered from China will quickly be outcompeted in the current environment.

In a few years, battery swapping will not only bfor shared fleets of scooters and ebikes. Package and food delivery companies as well as individuals owning scooters and eBikes will also utilize the network. This will continue to push the cost of swapping down and further increase the density of the network.

ess system

With the addition of an inverter battery swapping stations can be used by real estate owners not only to swap vehicle batteries and provide a transportation service for customers and tenants. The batteries are also an important asset in their electrical installation. Buildings with solar panels can charge the batteries with excess solar instead of selling it back to the grid and they can cut consumption peaks from heavy machinery such as elevators. Giving the host lower utility bills as well as a power backup system.

conclusions

There is not likely to be a one solution fits all, but different solutions are suitable for different geographies and regulations. In most cases, parking, charging and swapping solutions will co-exist and complement each other.

If a city strongly believes in docked micromobility and is willing to dedicate curb-side locations with electrical connections for a standardized vehicle charging station, it’s a great solution! If there is already a place to park, always consider integrating charging.

A battery swapping network is easier to establish as parking is separated from the charging. It increases fleet uptime and user swapping drives utilization by removing range as a factor in choosing a vehicle. Thus it is the best solution for dockless systems.

Operators also carefully need to calculate the need for in-field teams in their markets, even if charging could be made completely autonomous there will always be a need for in-field teams to do maintenance, rebalancing and vehicle rescue.

There are many smaller startups in the micro-mobility charging space, currently with limited differentiation. This means that the space is very dynamic and innovative, but that a winning solution has not quite emerged yet. Besides innovation - consolidation and standardization are two parameters that we believe will define the winners in this market.. o

tech Frontiers in ev

dr. rashi gUpta

ViSioN mecHATroNicS PVT LTd

The era of Electric Vehicles (EV) has begun. With growing environmental concerns and the advent of lithium batteries there have been consistent advancements in development of electric vehicles. However, the rate of EV adoption has been slow in many countries. Some of the common technology frontiers beyond which there could be an exponential rise in EV adoption are discussed.

Batteries used in EV have less energy density as compared to conventional fuel vehicles. Due to which EVs have lesser range than internal combustion engine vehicles. Although lithium ion batteries have increased power handling capacities, life and energy density of batteries in EV, to some extent. Still energy density of EV battery needs improvement and is a topic of high priority. Latest solutions under test for improving energy density include Metal Air battery, Solid state battery and modifications in chemistry and designing of lithium ion battery for improving their energy density. Metal Air batteries have their anodes made of pure metals and ambient air as their external cathode. Solid state batteries make use of solid electrolyte instead of liquid or polymer electrolyte used in current Lithium ion batteries. Apart from increasing energy density, they also improve safety and performance of batteries. Both Metal Air and Solid state batteries still suffer from challenges like durability, higher cost, efficiency etc. Hydrogen Fuel cells having very high energy density and faster refueling are also considered for EVs. However, they suffer from low efficiency and high cost which has prevented them from becoming main stream. Advances in Hydrogen fuel cells are being made such as storing hydrogen at lower pressure.

Another area of innovation in electric vehicles is reducing their cost. Batteries account for major portion of the cost of EV. Efforts are being made in finding cheaper battery technology with long life time. EVs have high initial cost however the levelized cost of EV is less over their lifetime. There is a huge potential in reducing the high upfront cost of EV by making cheaper batteries with large energy density and long life or cheaper fuel cells. Increase in life of batteries also reduces the overall cost of EV by avoiding the battery replacement cost.

One way of reducing the high initial cost of batteries is by selling EV without battery. Batteries can be leased separately or EV and battery can both be leased. It reduces concern of battery life, their maintenance and replacement among EV buyers. Also, as the battery technology is changing at a fast rate it ensures EV user can easily switch to newer battery technology. The Government of India has recently allowed sales and registration of two and three wheeler EVs without prefitted batteries. Battery leasing requires the battery pack design to be capable of implementing leasing. Although most of the EV manufacturers sell EV with battery, some have gone the path of battery leasing and have managed to top the EV sales chart.

Another way of handling the range anxiety of EV is by bringing innovation in EV charging and improving EV charging infrastructure. Public charging stations are required for faster adoption of EV, but in many countries EV charging infrastructure is very poor. Residents living in compact urban areas may not have possibility of charging from home and rely on public charging infrastructure.

latest solUtions Under test For improving energy density inclUde metal air Battery, solid state Battery and modiFications in chemistry and designing oF lithiUm ion Battery For improving their energy density

Peer to Peer (P2P) EV charging station are also considered for improving charging infrastructure, wherein private charger owners make their charger available for public use at suitable rate. It helps in improving utilization of private chargers. and also creates energy trading opportunity for individuals who have excess generation like solar.

Increase in EV charging demand will put stress on the grid, and there will be need of updating grid infrastructure. Charger should be designed such that it minimizes the charging peak demand on the grid. Also, there is issue of incompatible chargers which also needs to be taken care of. As different vehicles

Figure 1 Fast charging

have different battery voltages and type of connectors. The issue of insufficient charging infrastructure and relatively long charging time could also be tackled to some extent with efficient scheduling of EV charging. While implementing EV charge scheduling special attention needs to be given to demand and constraints of customer. Also, there is constraint over the capacity of electrical grid and availability of charging station. Further, EVs should be charged from renewable energy source to make them more greener. This is being achieved with a collaboration between EVs and Smart grid. Modern smart grids will be capable of incorporating advanced equipment and process large data. Artificial intelligence can be used for coordinating EV charging using the data available from grid and EV. Optimal management of EV charging stations will ensure better availability of chargers and reduce stress on grid infrastructure as well and make EVs more greener.

Improving charging techniques like wireless charging can reduce the number of refuel breaks needed by EV. Need of frequent charging has been one of the hurdles for EV. Dynamic wireless Charging systems (DWCS) which charges the EV even while in motion needs to be developed on commercial scale. Some of the wireless charger manufacturers are claiming to have achieved 94% efficiency. However, cost of wireless chargers is much higher than equivalent plugin charger and EVs capable of wireless charging are also rarely available. Research is being made to develop dynamic wireless charging technology capable of allowing data transfer between road and vehicles for assisting autonomous driving.

The charging time of EV needs to be reduced for faster adoption of EV. Users expect refueling experience similar to fuel engine vehicles of refueling within few minutes. Fast chargers of around 350kW have been developed. However, they reduce life of current lithium batteries and are much costlier than existing slower counterparts. Fast chargers need to be made cheaper and easily available. Power handling capacity of batteries also needs to be improved for charging faster without degradation in their life time. For meeting need of large scale rapid charging infrastructure manufactures are designing systems and parts for EV like liquid cooled charging inlet and couplers designed to dissipate waste heat from fast charging. Battery swapping is also considered as a means of reducing charging time wherein charged battery replaces discharged

Figure 2: Wireless charging`

ones. However, it limits the flexibility of EV design and requires standardization. Nevertheless, it can be implemented as an intermediary step in transition towards EV. Implementing AI with EV opens number of avenues for advancement such as estimating remaining range in EV. Route optimization for maximum range of EV. EV being in a nascent stage lacks easy

Figure 3:Autonomous electric Vehicles

Figure 4: Vehicle To Grid

Figure 5: blockchain in eV

availability of expert service personnel and spare parts for maintenance. Predictive and preventive maintenance for increasing their reliability can be improved by using AI. One of the key applications of AI is Autonomous driving. Major EV manufacturers have invested heavily in developing Autonomous driving. EV software solution for enhancing safety, connectivity and infotainment will always be an area of development. A widespread adoption and deployment of 5G network is expected

aUthor

dr. rashi gUpta

mANAGiNG direcTor, ViSioN mecHATroNicS PVT LTd

dr. rashi Gupta, fondly known as “batterywali of india”, is the pioneer of manufacturing of Advanced Lithium batteries in india alongwith the “World’s Smartest Lithium battery”. She is the Founder & managing director of Vision mechatronics Private Ltd, leading it towards a name to reckon for in the field of Robotics, Renewable Energy & energy Storage. A Women entrepreneur who has been fearless & ferocious in creating a brand for herself & the company in these male dominated fields. which will enable better implementation of Autonomous driving. The low-latency and high-speed connectivity of 5G will be harnessed by EV software developer to make extremely safe and autonomous driving really possible. Big players in EV sector are already engaged in developing autonomous driving vehicles. Partnerships are being made between manufacturing companies for faster rollout of autonomous driving vehicles.

Implementing Vehicle to Grid (V2G) can help in reducing ownership cost of Electric vehicles and providing support to the grid at the same time. In V2G, EV supplies stored energy to grid during peak demand to reduce stress on the grid and consumes excess generation. It is often found that on average cars are parked 90% of the day, this time can be used for implementing V2G. This enables EV to receive discount on charging cost and is some cases even earn from providing grid services, thereby reducing their ownership cost. Electric vehicles and their chargers capable of implementing energy management needs to be developed on commercial scale. There have been few implementations of V2G which are mostly under testing phase in some countries.

Electric planes and electric watercrafts are also being developed by few startups. Electric planes capable of short hauls have been developed but their commercialization is still remaining. Electric planes will need highly durable and reliable EV charging components and high energy density batteries.

Powered by digitization a rise in connected and shared mobility is expected in the future of mobility sector. Managing financial aspect of EV while implementing EV related services like battery leasing, battery swapping will need collaboration between diverse organizations. Implementing energy trading services like V2G and other P2P application in EV requires trust, transparency, privacy and governance between the stake holders. This can be achieved by incorporating upcoming digital technologies like Blockchain and augmented intelligence. Blockchain offers a trust layer in the form of distributed ledger. Being highly secure, transparent and immutable in nature blockchain enables parties to interact with each other without need of central authority. o