EU pilot project for usability of charging stations

The eCharge4Drivers project is to conduct demonstrations across key cities in the EU to understand better consumers’ perspective on EV charging infrastructure. As one of 32 stakeholders, ABB will test new DC charging stations to EU standards.

The eCharge4Drivers project is part of the Low Carbon Green Vehicles program ‘User-centric charging infrastructure’ – a European Commission initiative which supports consortia to develop smarter and more convenient electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Based on previous surveys conducted the EC’s Horizon 2020 program, the eCharge4Drivers project will now “detail users’ perceptions and expectations on various charging and mobility options and parking habits across the EU,” according to press information.

The project brings together 32 e-mobility organizations, including ABB alongside companies such as Bosch, BMW, Volvo, Fiat and several European educational institutions, which ABB has not included in the communications. The initiative has a budget of €18.8 million with pilot demonstrations due to start in the second half of 2021. The partners will focus on ten regions across Europe, including metropolitan areas and Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) corridors.

In the case of ABB, they say they will supply multiple chargers for use in the majority of the pilot areas. For the sake of demonstration, the company will develop what it calls “easy-to-use, scalable EV chargers” that aim for usability with functionalities such as large digital displays and plug&charge according to ISO 15118. ABB will carry the modular chargers across demo sites in containers.

More so, they will feature ABB’s Dynamic DC sharing technology. The latter supports power-sharing across multiple charging points, thus also enabling high power charging for vehicles able to take the higher charging powers. All energy measurements will be following the European Measurement Instruments Directive (MID), says ABB.

eCharge4Drivers is a 4-year project of 14 million euros co-financed by the European Union under the Horizon 2020 Programme. The demo sites for EV charging will be rolled out from summer 2021.

abb.com