ENDESA and its main shareholder Enel have teamed up with CHAdeMO, the Japanese association that provides fast charge services for electric vehicle users and boasts the largest global footprint, to expand the installation of this recharging points across the global and set the charge standards.
The aim will be to extend the system or protocol developed to the rest of the world. ENDESA, as a member, will also participate in the development of the protocol and the connector (plug). In addition, ENDESA will also be able to leverage this protocol to develop its own technology for the future recharging points for electric vehicles that will allow the vehicles to be recharged in as little as 15 minutes.
CHAdeMO was formed last year by Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Subaru and Japanese utility TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power). To date, the protocol developed has only been tested in Japan, which has become the world’s largest fast charge network, with 74 charge points in Tokyo. Another 158 businesses and government bodies, including 20 foreign car makers, charge manufactures, recharge service providers and public utilities, have joined the association. ENDESA and Enel are two of the three companies representing the European power industry. The third is ESB of Ireland.
The ChadeMo (Charge and Move) standard addresses two issues: the communication language between the vehicle and the fast recharging point, and the physical connection of both (the connector). Standardising the language and connection means that the vehicle and recharging point govern the fast recharging process and can be adopted by any manufacturer.
The Japanese utility TEPCO developed the standard based on a test programme which started in 2006 and employed around 300 electric vehicles in Tokyo. The results showed that the roll-out of fast charge infrastructure is key in expanding use of electric vehicles. With the aim of supporting the introduction of the electric vehicle, ENDESA views fast charging on public roads as a complementary solution to the slow charging being rolled out in homes and offices.
Development of the electric vehicle at ENDESA
ENDESA’s membership of this association further underlines the company’s commitment to the electric vehicle as a key element in the fight against climate change and a cornerstone of its Sustainability Strategic Plan 2008-2012.
In Spain, Endesa has signed a memorandum to promote the electric vehicle, at the request of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, undertaking to drive forward electric mobility in partnership with the government. This memorandum was signed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the Spanish Federation of Municipalities and Provinces and a range of business, energy and infrastructure sector and telecommunications associations.
ENDESA is fully involved in the development of the government’s electric mobility plan (MOVELE), which is managed and coordinated by the Spanish Institute for Diversification and Energy Saving (IDAE) and involves the introduction of electric vehicles of various categories by the end of 2010 in several cities, 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).
In Madrid, ENDESA is working with Madrid city council (via the Fundación Movilidad) and three other partners to launch the Movele project in the capital. ENDESA has also signed another collaboration agreement with 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 the Cenit “VERDE” project to promote research into technologies which will enable electric vehicles (EV) to be integrated into the power grid and introduced into the Spanish market. The project, spearheaded by Seat, already enjoys the backing of the Ministry of Science and Innovation, it 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 has been entrusted with various tasks in the project, which will investigate the management of pure and hybrid EVs on smart grids, covering aspects ranging from the recharging station to control systems.
The company is also involved in other projects to integrate the EV into smart networks such as the SmartCity, DER-22@ and REVE (Regulación Eólica con Vehículos Eléctricos) initiatives. SmartCity is a pioneering Spanish project headed by ENDESA to develop a new energy management model for cities which aims to achieve 20% energy savings, reduce CO2 emissions by 6,000 tonnes per year and increase the use of renewable energy sources.
The company is also present in other EV collaborative research and demonstration projects in Europe such as the G4V and Elvire initiatives. ENDESA is the only Spanish company present in the G4V (Grid for Vehicles) project, which has a budget of around Euro 2.5 million and will run for 18 months. Also involved in this project are Enel, ENDESA’s main shareholder, and other European utilities (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 the EV’s impact on the network and into the development of the communications and systems necessary to recharge 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 studied, taking into account security and interoperability.
ENDESA is also involved in other taskforces at the European level. For example, regarding the standardisation of connectors and other key elements, at the end of 2009 (27 October), the company signed the European Electricity Sector’s declaration of support for the single EU standard, which was submitted to the Commission Vice-President in charge of transport policy. The objective is to streamline the standardisation and approval process for all key recharging connection elements throughout the EU. In this regard, ENDESA is actively involved in a number of technological working groups with the European automotive and energy industries.
