Conferences

E-Blast : SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR EVHUB.IN READERS – 10% OFF WITH VOUCHER CODE “GPFA” for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World, Berlin, Germany

Hear from leading automakers, fleet owners, local authorities, and utilities on how they are integrating EVs into their businesses and what they need from each other and the industry to take electric vehicles mass market.
Now in its 2nd year, the congress maps out the entire value and shares best practice on profitable business models, strategies and value-added services to facilitate mass adoption and drive the electric vehicle revolution.

For more details download the brochure here >

Attend Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World and learn:

• How to discover profitable business models from leading automakers and utilities
• How to identify and develop key value-added services to boost consumer uptake
• How to gain insights on vehicle selection and charging requirements from fleets
• How to predict and reduce the total cost of ownership for fleets and early adopters
• How to note key strategies to generate ROI from charging infrastructure installations
• How to uncover secrets to seamlessly connect various charger types across Europe
• How to create a truly customer-centric billing system and payment infrastructure
• How to plan for an entirely smart city with nation-wide roll-outs and support services
• How to prepare for the next generation of inductive charging and V2G technologies

For more details download the brochure here >

If you find it interesting and would like to learn more about how to increase the uptake of electric vehicles, you need to be at Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World 2012. Among our speakers this year are:

• Ingo Alpheus, CEO, RWE Effizienz
• Bryan Hansel, CEO, Smith Electric Vehicles
• Etienne Henry, Vice President, Product Planning & Zero Emission B.U., Nissan
• Rene Roeder, Marketing Manager, Athlon Car Lease
• Leonhard Graf von Harrach, Country Manager Germany, Tesla Motors
• Ruben van Doorn, Director, Planet ME, TNT
• Kobus Meiring, CEO, Optimal Energy
• Senan McGrath, Chief Technology Officer, eCars, ESB
• Johan Mossberg, Electric Vehicle Strategy & Marketing VP, Schneider Electric
• Mark Simon, Head of Alternative Fuels Program, NYC DOT

And many more! For more details download the brochure here >

Please do not hesitate to get in touch for further information as we would be happy to help.

We hope to welcome you to the Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World this June.

Contact us directly for more information:

Angela Sands
General Manager
Tel: +44 (0) 207 092 1340
Fax: + 44(0) 207 242 1508
Email: angela.sands@terrapinn.com
Web: http://www.terrapinn.com/2012/electric-vehicle-infrastructure-world/

P.S. The earlier you book, the more you save! Register now with the special promotional code GPFA and save! Click here to register now >

Article: EV Charging Infrastructure & Grid Integration

While participating at the China EV Charging Infrastructure & Grid Integration Forum 2012 I asked for opinions on charging issues during a forum discussion and all six panelists came with a different answer. This made me realize that the EV industry is far from settled yet; everybody agrees that uncertainty and the lack of infrastructure and associated standards are the issues. As I participate in more forums (lately the China EV Forum in Shanghai) and also communicate with industry specialists in Europe and North America I have a distinct opinion on how Charging Infrastructure & Grid Integration issues can be addressed. This article is therefore a compilation of the opinions of international leaders in the EV field.

Slow charging

Everybody agrees that this is the preferential way to go and the time hereto is available at home, at work and at hotels. The infrastructure hereto must be built; every residential parking lot must have a power outlet for the chargers integrated in the car (typically 3.3 kW for battery capacities in the range of 16 – 24 kWh). The next priority is to install power outlets at offices. Acceptance of EV’s for home-work use will depend on this basic, but essential infrastructure. Optimally the chargers at residential parking lots should have built in timers so they can default be charged during the night time, when the grid has ample capacity and charging cost will be lower. Of course this default mode can be easily overruled by the user.

Medium to semi-high speed charging

This mode can be in the range of 6 – 12 kW and will thus charge a 24 kWh battery in 2-4 hours. When used at shopping malls this will therefore not full charge the customer’s EV battery but this is also no a requirement; even when charging with 6 kW during a 1 hour mall visit, adding 25% to the capacity will be enough to get the customer back home. Reducing the charging current is a priority for grid stability.

High speed charging

Industry specialists agree that high speed charging is a last resort and will be more expensive than lower speed charging. When commuting between cities (that have EV charging support) it is a requirement that charging stations are available on regular intervals, a bit more frequently than gas stations. If this infrastructure is not available, consumers will not buy EV’s without extended range option (such as the GM Chevy Volt).

When North American consumers were asked which charging speed they would expect at shopping malls more than 90% answered: high speed charging. When confronted with the option of free slow charging (using the internal charger) or paid higher speed charging more than 90% selected slow charging. Consequently mall management can safely chose a low high speed (paid) option and a high slow charging capacity; the latter will cost the mall owner typically 2 RMB, well spent marketing money.

Battery swapping

There is probably no EV subject as controversial as battery swapping. When analyzing this issue, it becomes clear that battery swapping is a perfect –and internationally widely proven- application here. Taxis –preferably managed by one organization- are also potential users as they also need to operate on a continuous basis.

But for private car owners battery swapping is not the preferred choice, mainly because of the associated higher cost but also because private individuals wish to fully own a car, reportedly especially in China. Besides, in a country like China, building a widely spread infrastructure for battery swapping would be an enormous investment, which can be compared with the high speed Maglev train from Pudong Airport to Longyang Road: an interesting technological achievement, but not deemed very useful by consumers. For public transport, investments are much lower as this is a controlled environment within a limited area.

Grid stability challenges and solutions

Now, Beijing has 40,000 electric cars. When a Chinese official was asked what would be the consequence of all Beijing electric cars be high speed charged at the same time, the answer was…. a blackout! There is little doubt that in the future electric cars will become far more popular, driven by reduced prices and improved range (CALB and Foton both stated that 300Wh/kg will be a feasible reality in the near future; more than 3 times the current performance/weight ratio).

When there would be more than 6 times the number of electric cars in the future, the grid could not even handle consecutive slow charging. One solution, as proposed by the Zigbee group is the Smart Grid, where the utility can influence the charging times in function of the grid usage. The Smart Grid can also regulate a balanced use of other power users such as HVAC, washing machines, without sacrificing user comfort.

Additionally, energy storage –that could well be performed with written-off EV batteries- can help to balance the power usage. The most structural solution is the additional use of renewable energy close to the electricity users. Residence roofs, parking lots canopies can be covered with solar PV panels. For new construction of high buildings the use of solar windows is a consideration for the (very) near future.

Used EV batteries and wind turbines

Wind turbines can normally have a limited (typical maximum 20%) contribution to the total base load (which is much lower than the maximum load), because wind surges cause a very fast increase in output. Without this limitation the grid would become instable (fluctuating output). Used EV batteries however can be used to smother the wind turbine output and will thus allow a far higher wind penetration. Needless to say that it is advantageous –like with solar PV panels- to place them close to the users; not just for EV application but to achieve a higher Renewable Energy contribution: a wider governmental goal.

If I were in charge I would first….

• Make it the highest priority to get all stakeholders on one line so the decision process can start
• Require to build power outlets at every new parking spot at residences and offices, followed by building this infrastructure in existing construction.

This way the first and foremost EV applications Home-Work and Shopping/Dining are secured. Without this infrastructure consumer acceptance will lag behind.

About the author

James Post is the Executive Product Manager of Battery Condition Test Equipment designed by a Dutch high tech company (http://engineering-spirit.nl), active in the crossroads of power electronics, embedded & technical software. He can be reached via email: jpost@engineeringspirit.nl China phone: 138.1663.0584

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World Congress 2012, 26 – 27 June 2012, Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, Germany

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World Congress 2012, 26 - 27 June 2012, Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, Germany

Electric Vehicle Infrastructure World Congress 2012, 26 – 27 June 2012, Maritim proArte Hotel, Berlin, Germany

Now in its 2nd year, the congress maps out the entire value and shares best practice on profitable business models, strategies and value-added services to facilitate mass adoption and drive the electric vehicle revolution. Hear from leading automakers, fleet owners, local authorities, and utilities on how they are integrating EVs into their businesses and what they need from each other and the industry to take electric vehicles mass market.

To see the full programme and speaker line up please download the brochure here – http://www.terrapinn.com/template/live/documents.aspx?e=4775

Discount offer

As a media partner of the event we can offer an extra 10% to any of our readers. To secure the discount please register with a voucher code GPFA through this link: https://secure.terrapinn.com/V5/rCalc.aspx?E=4775&R=GPFA

For more details, please feel free to get in touch with us directly.

Gargi Iyer
Project Manager
http://www.terrapinn.com/electricvehicle
p: +44 207 092 1122
e: gargi.iyer@terrapinn.com

AUTOMOTIVE WORLD 2012 was held with great success in Tokyo! -Show Highlights-

Tokyo, Japan– AUTOMOTIVE WORLD 2012, held at Tokyo Big Sight from January 18^th through 20^th, has concluded in complete success.

Now we invite you to experience some of the highlights which attracted particular attentions at the industry leading event which gathered a record-breaking 349 exhibitors and 21,151 visitors.

<1> Opening Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

It was “Opening Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony” that represented AUTOMOTIVE WORLD, the central hub of the Asian automotive industry.

39 executives from almost all the leading OEM & Tier 1 companies from home and abroad such as TOYOTA, HONDA, MAZDA, MITSUBISHI, BMW, FORD, GM, VW, BOSCH … have　celebrated the opening of AUTOMOTIVE WORLD 2012. It has become a major event which symbolizes the prosperity of bothAsia’s automotive industry and AUTOMOTIVE WORLD 2012.

>> Click here for the list of Ribbon-Cutting Dignitaries

<2> Exhibition： Leading companies in 3 fields holding the key for the future of the automotive industry exhibited under one roof.

<4^th CAR-ELE JAPAN> is the leading exhibition gathering all kinds of automotive electronics technologies becoming increasingly important as a key for greater safety, improvement of fuel efficiency, etc. One of its core technologies, semiconductors were showcased here by all the major manufacturers such as INFINEON TECHNOLOGIES JAPAN, RENESAS ELECTRONICS, STMICROELECTRONICS, FREESCALE SEMICONDUCTOR JAPAN, LINEAR TECHNOLOGY, INTERSIL, etc. There are very few exhibitions that are able to collectively bring all the semiconductor manufacturers together who work in the automotive semiconductor industry.

At <3^rd EV JAPAN>, the core technologies for EV & HEV such as motors, inverters & drive system were presented by major companies like YASKAWA ELECTRIC, MEIDENSHA, NIDEC, TAMAGAWA SEIKI, HITACHI, FUJI ELECTRIC and many others. Among them, NIDEC had exhibited for the first time in 10 years and entered the large motor drive market for EV. It had been brought to the attention that NIDEC chose EVJAPAN to launch their new product “rare earth-less motor” into the market, which grabbed the attention of many specialists. There were many admiring comments from OEM and Tier 1 companies like ”EVJAPAN has become ‘the’ exhibition which gather the automotive industry top leaders”.

<2^nd Automotive Weight Reduction Expo> took place greatly expanding its scale from the previous show. TORAY INDUSTRY showcased a car made from new fiber materials, as well as many other companies exhibiting light-weight car body and car parts at their booths. Even though it is only the second opening of the show, this exhibition has already established its position as the indispensable business platform to work on the industry’s important challenge “weight reduction”.

<3> Technical Conference： Asia’s largest scale – 3,235 professionals attended in total.

Inviting the top key persons from TOYOTA MOTOR, VOLKSWAGEN and FORD MOTOR COMPANY as keynote speakers, total 33 sessions have been held featuring ‘’Automotive Electronics’’, ‘’EV & HEV’’ and ‘’Weight Reduction’’. Total 3,235 industry professionals and newspersons attended the conference and enjoyed building up their knowledge on the cutting-edge trends and technologies on the hottest issues.

Next year, AUTOMOTIVE WORLD will come back with even larger scale from Jan 16th to 18th in 2013 at Tokyo Big Sight. We are looking forward to seeing you at the show in 2013.

For more information: www.automotiveworld.jp/en/

Contact us:

AUTOMOTIVE WORLD 2012 Show Management, Reed Exhibitions Japan Ltd.

TEL: +81-3-3349-8502 / Email:car-pr@reedexpo.co.jp

Attn: Kyoko Nagakusa (Ms.), Sangmi Jong (Ms.), Yuki Ohmichi (Ms.), Ge Lan (Ms.)

Events: 3rd Annual Green Fuels & Vehicles China 2012 15-16 May, 2012 Shanghai, China

The third annual Green Fuels & Vehicles China 2012 will be convened on May 15-16 inShanghai,China, This year’s event will highlight the roadmap of new energy vehicles, policy incentives, infrastructure, power supply, advanced technologies and successful business models, connected vehicles and telematics, and so on.

As China’s premier gathering solely dedicated to new energy vehicle industry, the event has been successfully held twice, attracting more than 300 industry practitioners from across the value chain which include IBM, Panasonic Industrial China, United Automotive Electronic Systems Co,. Ltd, JOHNSON CONTROLS, Ford Motor, SIEMENS, dSPACE Mechatronic Control Technology, MarkLines Co., Ltd., Fiat Powertrain Technologies Shanghai, Nissan China, Novelis Korea Limited, Mitsui & Co., Ltd., CIE Automotive China, DSM Engineering Plastics, A&D Technology Inc, GM China, ArcelorMittal China, Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.  GHSP(Shanghai)  Automotive Co,. Ltd. Lyondellbasell Industries, Bayer MaterialScience Limited, etc.

This year, the summit is expected to gather 150+ decision makers from the global green fuels and vehicles fraternities including policy makers, automobile manufacturers, component suppliers, grid/ charging utilities, OEMs, raw materials suppliers, battery manufacturers, semiconductor manufacturers, technology vendors, system integrators, solution providers, software developers, distributors, testing bodies, rental and fleet companies, analysts, consulting firms, research institutes, etc.

Why is it a can’t-miss event?
• Hear the policy makers’ interpretation of national plan and analysis of latest charging standards
• See the hardware and software developers demonstrate their technology. Learn and discuss the specifics with them.
• Understand the recent opportunities and meet potential clients by networking and partnership building
• Learn the status quo of battery swap stations; evaluate the profitability of E-bus or E-taxi
• Major players share successful experiences and talk about suggestions.

The 3rd Green Fuels & Vehicles China 2012, asChina’s leading international networking and information exchanging platform for new energy vehicle industry, is an excellent choice for decision makers to acquire insights and deeper understandings of the opportunities, challenges and strategies inChinagreen fuels and new energy vehicles industry.

To inquire detailed event information, please contact: Ms. Tina Tian
Tel: +86 21 5181 5373                        Email: tina@igvision.com
Or visit the official event website: http://www.greenfuels-vehicles.com