The GreenCharge project is go!
In September 2018, the new electromobility-focused project kicked off in Trondheim (Norway).
A Horizon 2020-funded project under the CIVITAS Initiative, GreenCharge aims to take several important steps to achieving one of the dreams of a modern city: a zero-emission transport system based on electric vehicles running on green energy, with traffic jams and parking problems becoming things of the past.
The kick-off meeting was held from 17-20 September 2018. Partners used the time to understand and refine activities planned in the project, and to get a clear picture of how each partner will contribute to the project goals.
The GreenCharge dream can only be achieved if people feel confident that they can access charging infrastructure as and when they need it. Therefore, GreenCharge is developing a smart charging system that lets people book charging capacity in advance, so that they can easily access the power they need.
If lots of people try to charge their vehicles at the same time, public electricity suppliers may struggle to cope with the peaks in demand. For that reason, GreenCharge is developing software for automatic energy management in local areas to balance demand with available supplies.
This balancing act combines public supplies and locally produced reusable energy, using local storage as a buffer and staggering the times at which vehicles are charged.
Electric motors may make the wheels go round, but money makes the world go round. Business models are being devised and tested that encourage use of electric vehicles and sharing of energy resources, allowing all those involved to cooperate in an economically viable way.
GreenCharge is testing all of these innovations in three pilots sites: Barcelona (Spain), Bremen (Germany) and Oslo (Norway).
Together, these pilots cover a variety of factors: vehicle type (scooters, cars, buses), ownership model (private, shared use, public transport), charging locations (private residences, workplaces, public spaces, transport hubs), energy management (solar power, load balancing at one charging station or within a neighbourhood, battery swapping), and charging support (booking, priority charging).
The project is set to run until September 2021. More info is available at the project website here.
