A System for the Efficient Charging of EV Fleets

Abstract

Smart charging is a means of monitoring and actively controlling EV chargers to optimize the distribution and consumption of energy with a focus on peak-load avoidance. This paper describes the most important requirements that have influenced the design and implementation of the “Smart Charging System” (SCS). It presents the architecture and main functional building blocks of the SCS, which have been realized in an iterative development process as an extension component of the already existing open-source solution “Open e-Mobility”. We also provide details on the functionality of the core smart charging algorithm within SCS and show how various data sources can be utilized by the system to increase the safety and efficiency of EV charging processes. Furthermore, we describe our iterative approach to developing the system, introduce the real-world testbed at SAP Labs France in Mougins/France, and share evaluation results and experiences gathered over a three-year period.

On the Aggregation and Monetization of Flexible Loads in the Context of EV Fleets

“…Instead, each EV has its power plateaus on which it charges. These power plateaus, which are vehicle-modeldependent, are considered in the optimizer of the large-company scenario [7]. However, the power plateaus were not implemented in the rental-fleet and small-company scenarios.…”

“…Smart charging, i.e., advancing charging processes to times when electricity prices are low or renewable energy is available, is a common approach to running managed charging infrastructures. There are publications that examine smart charging on a theoretical [4][5][6] and practical basis [7]. The authors of [5] predict potential cost savings of 200 EUR/EV/year if smart charging based on variable prices is applied.…”

“…Operations Based on Charge Point DataAll three scenarios use the open charge point protocol (OCPP) version 1.6. to exchange charging parameters for authentication and real-time charging session information to deploy charge plans. With data augmentation from an EV database and a user database, heuristical optimization problems like prioritization and the load management of charging sessions are implemented in the charging system[7,16]. The charge point data source is the basic data source for the charging systems in all three scenarios.…”