Reiner John

Internet of Energy – Connecting Energy Anywhere Anytime

The forthcoming Smart Grid is expected to implement a new concept of transmission network which is able to efficiently route the energy produced from both concentrated and distributed plants up to the final user with high security and quality of supply standards. Therefore the Smart Grid is expected to be the implementation of a kind of “internet” in which the energy packets are managed similarly to data packets, across routers and gateways which autonomously can decide the best pathway for the packet to reach its destination with the best integrity levels. In this respect the “Internet of Energy” concept is defined as a network infrastructure based on standard and interoperable communication transceivers, gateways and protocols that allow a real time balance between the local and the global generation and storage capability with the energy demand, also allowing high level of consumer awareness and involvement. This paper presents some basic concept of the Internet of Energy and, in particular, its impact on Electric Mobility.

Smart, connected and mobile: architecting future electric mobility ecosystems

This paper provides an overview on facts and trends towards the introduction of connected electric vehicle (EV) and discusses how and to what extent electric mobility will be integrated into the Internet of Energy (IoE) and Smart grid infrastructure to provide novel energy management solutions. In this context the EVs are evolving from mere transportation mediums to advanced mobile connectivity ecosystem platforms.

Semiconductor technologies for smart mobility management

This paper provides an overview of the latest developments in the development of semiconductor devices for implementation of electronic modules for EVs and HEVs and the implementation of charging stations and the interface with the smart grid infrastructure. The design choices are influenced by the power level of the different applications.

Light Electric Vehicle Enabled by Smart Systems Integration

For the first time in history, the majority of people live now in urban areas. What is more, in the next four decades, the number of people living in the world’s urban areas is expected to grow from 3.5 billion to 5.2 billion. At the same time, populations around the world are rapidly ageing. By 2050, the global population of people aged 60 years and over is expected to reach almost 2 billion, with the proportion of older people doubling between 2006 and 2050. This growth and ageing of the population will pose great challenges for urban mobility, which will be addressed within the SilverStream project. In particular, it will develop and demonstrate a radically new light and affordable Light Electric Vehicle concept for the ageing population in congested European cities with scarce parking space.

Nanoelectronics: Key Enabler for Energy Efficient Electrical Vehicles

Future Electric (EVs) and Hybrid Electric Vehicles (HEVs) will provide more flexibility when choosing between primary energy sources, including those which are renewable. In general conventional ICEs vehicles transform between only 17 and 22% (depending on power train) of the fuel chemical energy with a typical primary energy consumption of 550-600 Wh/km (0.06 l/km). Efficient electrically powered trains can achieve conversion efficiencies greater than 75% from the batteries to the wheels, which corresponds to consumption in primary energy of about 390 Wh/km in the case where electricity is produced by conventional carbon based power plants, or only 180 Wh/km where the electricity is produced solely by renewable energy. The partial recovery of kinetic energy during braking gives rise to further improvement in the overall efficiency. The development of advanced smart electronic systems in power trains is therefore essential for delivering a considerable energy saving in terms of the most critical sources (oil and natural gas - NG). This paper presents the advances made in the overall power electronic modules for electric and hybrid vehicles, and which are addressed in the E3Car project.

Light Electric Vehicle Design Tailored to Human Needs

The SilverStream project has developed and demonstrated a new light and affordable vehicle concept (L-category) tailored to the needs of ageing population. The project has combined both ergonomic concepts conceived for elderly people and advanced automotive technologies for improved driveability and energy efficiency. It has been focused on the development of a comprehensive set of technologies covering the whole vehicle, driven by a team of experts in the fields of medical and cognitive science domains through a top/down approach. Hence those technologies have been integrated into a vehicle demonstrator running in realistic tests environment. This paper provides a description of the experimental activities carried out during the whole project to verify the elderly acceptance and satisfaction of the proposed vehicle and integrated technologies.

Electrification of the Powertrain in Automotive Applications: “Technology Push” or “Market Pull”?

Full battery electric vehicles are yet to achieve significant worldwide success on the market. This analysis shows that the required technologies have already been developed, but not for a use in the mass market, where low cost is mandatory to be successful. Central roles for this success will be played by governments, industries, and research and standardization institutions. A great effort in both national and international synchronization and coordination activities, together with a clear regulatory push, will be mandatory. Enabling technologies for the plug-in hybrid and full electric vehicles will also come from the “3Cs”: Costs, Comfort, and Climatic dependency. There is definitely not a single impulse that will be sufficient to enable the market for electric vehicles.

Robust Design for High Temperature and High Voltage Applications

The automotive industry developments in the electrification of power train systems (i.e. HEVs and EVs), chassis systems (i.e. X-by wire systems) and auxiliaries (e.g. HVAC) have created a rapidly growing demand of advanced high temperature robust and reliable power electronics systems. This will require further efforts both in nanoelectronics semiconductor basic technologies and in system integration: power electronic system coming from industrial segments, need to be qualified against automotive requirements in term of reliability, robustness, safety and dependability. The paper gives an overview of the semiconductor technologies and integrated electronics for electrical power systems in particular for electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). In addition it will discuss the mapping of the semiconductor technologies to the module electronics requirements aiming to the highest levels of reliability (target zero defects).

Smart Power Li-Ion Battery Systems for the Safe and Networked Mobility Society: The ICT Potential

HEV-EV batteries are characterized by high specific power, energy, efficiency and long life. These batteries will soon play a prominent role as innovative electrochemical storage systems in renewable energy plants and distributed power stations as well as in smart power systems for sustainable vehicles such as hybrid and electric vehicles. There is now a new dimension of improved safety, reduced costs, greater operational temperatures and materials availability while innovations based on ICT are set to be an important mainstream element in the near future.

Embedded Systems: The Migration from ICE Vehicles to Electric Vehicles

Future generations of electric vehicles (EVs) will require a new level of convergence between computer and automotive architectures, with the electric power train being a mechatronic system that includes a multitude of plug and play devices, embedded power and signal processing hardware, software and high level algorithms. This paper discusses the current advances in the computing devices, communication systems and management algorithms embedded in the EV building blocks used for implementing the distributed energy and propulsion architectures required for high efficiency, reduced complexity and safe redundancy.