The main objective of this initiative is to research technologies that will permit electric vehicles (EVs) to be integrated into the power grid and introduced into the Spanish market. The VERDE project, spearheaded by Seat, already enjoys the backing of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, and is financed by the CENIT (the National Strategic Consortia for Technical Research promoted by the Ministry of Science and Innovation) programme and has a budget of around Euro 40 million.
Endesa is involved in a number of areas of research and development in the VERDE project, chiefly relating to the integration of charging new vehicles in the electricity system. Research will be conducted into the impact of the Electric Vehicle on the local electricity infrastructure with the aim of identifying the corresponding needs of the network and development criteria.
Endesa has been entrusted with various tasks in the project which will investigate the management of pure and hybrid EVs on smart grids, covering aspects that range from the charging station to control systems.
Endesa will also be involved in and coordinate the development of new tools at different levels (hardware, software and networks) that facilitate the integration of the electric car into the smart grid network and investigate the new communications-related needs of the services.
Development of the Electric Vehicle at Endesa
Endesa has made its commitment to a sustainable transport policy based on the electric vehicle a key element in its fight against climate change, and a cornerstone of its Sustainability Strategic Plan 2008-2012. In Spain, Endesa is intensely involved in the development of the government’s electric mobility plan (MOVELE), which is managed and coordinated by IDAE (the Spanish Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving) and involves the introduction of electric vehicles of various categories, with a variety of features and technologies, and which envisages the installation of 546 recharging points for these vehicles in Madrid (280), Barcelona (191) and Seville (75).
At the beginning of December, Endesa signed a collaboration agreement with the Madrid city council, represented by the Fundación Movilidad (FMOV), to launch the Movele project in alliance with Cobra Gestión de Infraestructuras. A week earlier, Endesa signed a collaboration agreement with the Barcelona city council to create Oficina Live for the joint development and promotion of electric mobility in the city. One of the main features of this agreement is the development of the Movele project.
Endesa is also involved in other projects aimed at the integration of the electric vehicle into smart grids such as the SmartCity, DER-22@ and REVE initiatives, and in electric vehicle collaborative research and demonstration projects in Europe such as the G4V and ELVIRE projects.
The G4V (Grid for Vehicles) project has a budget of around Euro 2.5 million, will run for 18 months and involves the main European sector players: ENEL, RWE, EDF, EDP and Vattenfall. Its aim is to evaluate the large-scale impact of the integration of the Electric Vehicle into the electricity grid infrastructure and to establish recommendations for its introduction from 2020. It is also looking at mass use of the Electric Vehicle, its societal impact, the services and communications required and possible challenges and opportunities. Endesa is actively involved with Enel in research into its impact on the network and into the development of the communications and systems necessary to charge vehicles.
The ELVIRE project has a budget of around Euro 10 million, runs for three years, and also involves Continental, Renault and Volkswagen. The aim of this project is to develop the necessary technology, solutions and services to permit constant interaction between EV drivers, their energy suppliers and the smart grid. A consumer-oriented development is also proposed, with a services platform that optimises communication between users and their vehicles. Of particular note is ENDESA’s contribution to the proposed solutions for the development of communication infrastructure with the energy supplier, charge control and system tariffs. Different possible scenarios are being investigated, taking into account security and interoperability.
