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Electric Vehicle Research Infrastructure


In the project COTEVOS (Concepts, Capacities and Methods for Testing EV systems and their interoperability within smart grids), the interoperability of Electric Vehicles and their smart charging will be assessed in several laboratories below according to the new test procedures developed in COTEVOS. We welcome also external laboratories to participate to this work. Should you be interested, please contact us.

COTEVOS has received funding from the European Union´s Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No.: 608934

Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)
Facilities:

Electric Drive Technologies
Description: The development of new vehicle concepts necessitates detailed information about the electrical, thermal and mechanical characteristics of individual components and entire drives. Thanks to a sophisticated laboratory infrastructure, the Mobility Department of AIT is able to provide this data for all relevant components – from electrical machines and power electronics to electric energy storage systems and entire vehicles.The department also specialises in combining measuring techniques with simulation for demanding Hardware-in-the-Loop tests. As an accredited test centre, the AIT boasts several years‘ experience in the performance of standards testing on technical devices and, as a member of international standards committees, is actively involved in the definition of new testing procedures and standards.



Centre for Renewable Energy Sources and Saving (CRES)
Facilities:

Electric Vehicle Laboratory
Description: CRES is actively involved in testing, evaluation and dissemination of Electric Vehicles (EV). CRES has designed, developed and evaluated a Simplified Monitoring System (SMS) for performance monitoring of EV fleets with built-in GPS capable of performance evaluation and fleet management. CRES has received a patent for the SMS. CRES is also carrying out EV performance, energy consumption, battery testing and related studies. It also possesses laboratories for EV battery and electrical subsystems testing, such as battery units and battery management systems. Last year CRES participated in a report prepared for the Ministry of Environment, Energy and Climatic Change, titled: “Investigating ways for the development and penetration of electric vehicles in Greece."



Commisariat à l´Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives (CEA) - INES
Facilities:

Multi Micro grid platform (PRISMES) - Solar Mobility Concept
Description: PRISMES consists of a LV microgrid, including several generators with different technologies (renewable and conventional), controllable loads, electrical vehicles and storage systems. PRISMES can provide electricity to the main grid and is supervised. The availability of a real time simulator allows to test advanced inverter concepts. PRISMES allows to integrate PV generators, stationary storage, and energy management systems to validate smart grid integration concepts for electric vehicles. A centralised supervision system is visible in a control room, demonstrating the operation of the vehicle charging platform andthe aggregation of energy management systems. 160kW PV are available for PRISMES. There is also a solar charging station located at CEA in Grenoble, and both facilities enable technology development and demonstration for industrial partners.



Fraunhofer-Institut fuer Windenergie und Energiesystemtechnik
Facilities:

IWES-TPE: Test Center for Electromobility
Description: Several Fraunhofer IWES departments have brought together their know-how to create virtual development platforms for lithium ion batteries, charging units, and grid simulators in the new Test Center for Electromobility IWES-TPE. Based on an existing collaborative agreement with the University of Kassel, the collaborative work is being expanded via the Research Alliance for Vehicle System Technology. The focus of Fraunhofer IWES here is grid integration and the supply of renewable energies. The University of Kassel is focusing on the vehicle system technology.



Institute for Systems and Computer Engineering of Porto (INESC)
Facilities:

Smart Grids and Electric Vehicle Laboratory - Electric Vehicles Research
Description: The Laboratory of Smart Grids and Electric Vehicles was designed in order to support the development and testing of solutions and prototypes both for hardware and software modules related to Smart Grid applications, promoting an active and intelligent management of electric grids in scenarios characterized by a progressive integration of microgeneration units and EV. A distinct feature of this laboratory relies on the integration of both commercially available solutions and in-house developed prototypes. The laboratory constitutes the physical space that integrates both equipment and software modules that allows individual and fully integrated development and testing of concepts, algorithms and communication solutions that will allow the operation of a distribution network under normal and emergency conditions.



National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Facilities:

Vehicle Testing and Integration Facility
Description: The Vehicle Testing and IntegrationFacility (VTIF) at the NationalRenewable Energy Laboratory wasbuilt with a specific focus on testingelectric vehicles, charging options,and grid integration – all of which arecritical for expanded transportationinfrastructure around plug-inelectric vehicles (PEVs). Capabilitiesat the VTIF include vehicle energymanagement within smart grids,vehicle charge integration withrenewable energy resources, bidirectionalvehicle charge testing anddemonstration and vehicle thermalmanagement. Four test bays at thefacility allow for multiple tests tobe conducted at once in controlledenvironments and can accommodatea wide variety of vehicles, includingone test bay built specifically toconduct testing on heavy dutyvehicles. An upcoming addition tothe capability of the facility is an 18kilowatt solar array which will betied directly to vehicle charging andwill allow researchers to do moreexpanded work around the useof solar energy to charge electricvehicles within microgrids.



National Technical University of Athens - Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (NTUA-ICCS)

Facilities:

Electric Vehicles simulation
Description: An evaluation suite of tools for analyzing and optimizing the process of charging electric vehicles. Using simulation tools enables both static and dynamic analyses of EV grid integration. Various technical,economic and environmental issues can be investigated, includingnetwork power losses and loading, voltage and frequency profile, energymarket prices, ancillary services and generation adequacy, as well as CO2emissions. Furthermore, the NTUA laboratory can perform 2D and 3Dmagnetic field analyses to define the operational challenges of differentinductive charging infrastructures.



Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico S.p.A. (RSE)
Facilities:

Distributed Energy Resources Test Facility - Electric Vehicles research
Description: RSE activities in the field of Electric Vehicles have a multidisciplinaryapproach and aim at evaluating the effects of electric mobility on the whole power system, addressing regulatory aspects and relations withsmart cities and communities. Studies concern the analysis of different scenarios of electric mobility, including evaluating their influence on air quality at local and national level; development and application of methods to predict and monitor the impact on the distribution power grid: i. e. evaluation of hosting capacity and dynamic grid behaviour. Experiments deal with technological aspects: interoperability; control and communication issues of V2G services; ultrarapid recharge and aging of batteries and super capacitors.



TECNALIA RESEARCH & INNOVATION
Facilities:

Interoperability Centre for Electric Vehicles
Description: TECNALIA has an advanced platform forcharacterising, developing and validatingmechanical and electrical components whichcan be combined with high performanceelectric vehicles. TECNALIA especially focuseson EV integration within the smartgrid, BMSdevelopment, test benches, business modelsanalysis, fast charge and other advanced powerelectronics based systems. Further fields of researchinclude tele-management as well as data collectionsystems (EVSE, EVSP, DSO). For wireless chargingTECNALIA has developed a system based on aresonant magnetic coupling, able to charge an EVat 3.3 kW with a performance above 93%.TECNALIA complements the research withaccredited testing capabilities to measure andassess the compliance of products with Standardsand Regulation. TECNALIA already offersservices for assessing compliance for EV and theircharging infrastructure: Low Voltage and EMCDirectives; 61851: Charging Systems for EVs;IEC 15118: EV communication interface and EN61439-7 Low-voltage switchgear, and control gearassemblies.

Static Equipment

Electrical Vehicle platform (EV-ON)

Description: System for algorithms development and simulation of electric vehicles connected to the electricity network, based on a bi-directional 4 kW Xantrex inverter, 2.64 kWh battery storage, a grid analyzer, a power meter, and PLC/GPRS communications.





TUBITAK
Facilities:

Vehicle Technologies Laboratory
Description: Laboratory test systems including Dynamometer set for electric motors, High power battery test system, equipment to produce prototype of electric motor drives up to 100kVA, Elit-1 Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Data acquisition and rapid prototyping tools like dSpace Autobox, NI PXI System, Software packages as MATLAB/Simulink, Simplorer, MAGNET, SPEED, TI - CCS V3.1, and embedded development sets for TI C2000 DSP family.



Technical University of Denmark - DTU Electrical Engineering
Facilities:

Nordic Electric Vehicle Interoperability Center
Description: Nordic Electric Vehicle Interoperatability Center (NEVIC) was established in 2012 and is located in the DTU Electrical Engineering Department at Risø Campus in Roskilde, Denmark. NEVIC has the flexibility to do experiments in a live laboratory for intelligent, active and distributed power system. NEVIC platforms interoperatability testing according to IEC and SAE standards. The facilities are equipped with therequired capacity to supply severalcharging posts and fast chargingequipment from the EV operators inthe Danish market. NEVIC performsinteroperability tests of electricvehicles, cable cord sets, and EVSEin various research projects. NEVIChas developed simulators where theequipment can be tested to andbeyond the limits of the standards.The setup is flexible and can bequickly adapted to new technologyadd-ons. The connected infrastructureenables vehicle-to-grid testing in alive laboratory for intelligent, activeand distributed power.



Lodz University of Technology (TUL - Politechnika Lodzka)
Facilities:

Laboratory of Distributed Generation
Description: Laboratory of Distributed Generation serves for testing the integration of distributed generation with the power networks. This facility is designed to build, simulate and test microgrids (including EV charging stations) and its interoperability with power networks. Furthermore it can serve to evaluate immunity to disturbances and the energy management strategies of the EV charging stations connected to grids with RES.
The laboratory consists of Real Time Digital Simulator with EmTest multifunctional power source with power recovery module, flywheel, supercapacitors and battery energy storage devices, PV panels, wind generators, fuel cell systems, gas microturbine and controllable loads.



Technical University of Sofia - Research and Development Sector
Facilities:

Electrical Vehicles Laboratory
Description: Electrical Vehicles Laboratory (EVL) serves formodeling, testing, research and development oflow power drive trains for small electric vehicles –hybrid and plug-in types. The laboratory enablescarrying out mechanical and electrical tests ofsmall internal combustion engines, drive electricalmotors, drive trains with fuel cells and ultracapacitors.The work on electronics systems ofthe EV is carried out in cooperation with PowerElectronics Laboratory in the frame of Research andDevelopment Sector (TUS RDS)



University of Strathclyde
Facilities:

Power Networks Demonstration Centre (PNDC) - Electric Vehicles Research
Description: PNDC has capabilities for researching and demonstrating the interaction between the grid and electric vehicles. The facilities include plugin AC and DC charging stations connected to the 400 V network and a wireless 60 kW inductive charging station for heavy-duty vehicles. The network is controlled using an RTDS or SCADA and can run between 49.6 – 61 Hz. This allows investigations into network effects on vehicle charging processes and battery life and the use of smart grid components such as distributed storage and generation. There is also a unique tool to investigate and model vehicle state of charge to support control and forecasting as well as passenger comfort.



VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland
Facilities:

Electric vehicle and battery laboratory
Description: VTT has increased the operations in its vehicle laboratory in Espoo, Finland, to meet the development needs of electric vehicles. The new power supply unit mounted is capable of both simulating the battery system of a heavy electric vehicle and performing full-scale battery chargedischarge cycles. In addition, a totally new battery laboratory was opened in September 2012. It concentrates on measuring the performance of battery cells, modules, and complete energy storage systems for electric vehicles in a repeatable manner under variable controlled circumstances for different standardised and application-specific duty cycles. Electric vehicles and their powertrain can be studied in both laboratories jointly as an entity, including electric motors, electronics and batteries.

Static Equipment

Battery testing equipment

Description: Equipment for various testing of batteries. Circumstances like temperatures and charging profiles can be adjusted.



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