Smart charging ensures smart progress for PROGRESSUS

GreenFlux actively participated in the PROGRESSUS research project, contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions and the protection of the environment.

Twenty-two partners spread across the Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Slovakia participated in the project, which commenced in April 2020 and concluded in September 2023. With the rising number of electric vehicles (EVs) on the roads, the collaborators were looking forward to sharing knowledge and together developing solutions to improve energy efficiency and reduce the impact on the electricity grid.

As pioneers in smart charging in the eMobility industry, we shared our expertise in squeezing all kWhs out of the grid connection through capacity management.

The PROGRESSUS’ progress

In the project, we focused on a new and improved smart charging algorithm to manage charge points via capacity management.

Capacity management is the practice of managing the maximum power consumption of a group of EV charge points. We achieve this by individually allocating the maximum allowed current to each charge point that is part of this group. This ensures the total capacity of these charge points never exceeds the maximum limit. The allowed capacity per charge point is optimised 24/7 using GreenFlux’s capacity management algorithm.

In PROGRESSUS, the GreenFlux-developed capacity management algorithm followed the same dynamics for a group of charge points. The aggregated maximum was constant or made dynamic over time by taking local renewable energy generation and local energy consumption into account. The energy consumption and renewable energy generation were then monitored in real-time using measurements from a local meter.

Subsequently, the algorithm also made sure that this aggregated maximum never exceeded the overall power supplied to all charge points at the location. This power was not equally divided among the charge points. Instead, the algorithm distributed the available power in the most efficient way by considering various elements, such as:

  • Occupancy of charge points,
  • start time of the charge sessions,
  • charge point constraints,
  • EV charging behaviour and driver preferences, and
  • offline charge points.

Besides the above factors, the GreenFlux algorithm was able to distinguish between the three phases of the electricity grid. This functionality is especially valuable in a region where many plug-in hybrids or other 1-phase charging cars are present.

Smart charging makes EV drivers smart

GreenFlux extensively tested the smart charging algorithm developed during PROGRESSUS. This algorithm enables the installation of ten to fifteen times more charging stations at the same location compared to non-smart charging solutions.

This is a win-win for both operator and EV driver. Smart charging keeps EV charging affordable and has minimal impact on EV drivers, primarily because of two reasons.

First, drivers usually park their EVs for much longer than necessary to get the full charge. Like, electric cars are parked the entire day at work or the entire night at home. This allows flexibility in delaying the charging of the EV while still ensuring it is fully charged in the end.

Second, the smart scheduling of the algorithm takes multiple inputs into account to disaggregate the available power as efficiently as possible. One of these considerations is EV driver preferences.

By having this in place, drivers can request priority charging when they are in a hurry. They can do this via Charge Assist, the app GreenFlux developed for EV drivers. The app can also be used to start or stop a charging session. When this feature is enabled, the algorithm allows them to charge on priority and provides uninterrupted power supply to their charge station against others who have not requested the same. As a result, the impact of smart charging on EV drivers is almost unnoticeable, even if the vehicles are parked for a short duration.

Smart charging gives more power to the grid

The smart charging benefits for the electricity grid and location owners are quite evident. Implementing GreenFlux’s energy management on charge points allows for a reduction in peak power consumption at location levels of up to 90 percent. Alternatively, ten to fifteen times more charge stations can be operated on the same grid connection.

In real-life scenarios, smart charging permits a lower power connection to the grid, leading to potential savings for location owners of up to €2.400 per charge station in capital expenses and up to €740 per charge station per year in operating expenses.

An additional benefit of the improved utilisation of the grid connection through smart charging is a significant reduction in the pressure on distribution system operators (DSOs) to expand the grid connection.

PROGRESSUS ended with smart solutions for all

The PROGRESSUS project concluded with the final review meeting in November 2023 in Bari, Italy. All project partners reported on the results of the project during the meeting.

GreenFlux demonstrated the smart charging capacity management algorithm in the project. The algorithm is currently in commercial use by some of our customers and partners.

The innovative solutions developed with the shared knowledge and experience of the partners offer value and make a real-time impact in the real world. We strive to further spread our knowledge and innovation through research projects, thereby creating positive changes in the world and leading the transition to sustainable mobility.

The project has received funding from the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO).

We are continuously on the lookout for potential new research projects that advance the collective understanding of what is currently possible in the field of electric vehicle charging. If your organization is interested in exploring new possibilities and creating innovative products, we at GreenFlux would love to hear from you and discuss collaboration opportunities for new projects. We believe that by working together, we can continue to push the boundaries of what is possible in the field of electric mobility and create solutions that are beneficial for everyone. Kris Borger, project manager, manages innovation and subsidy projects at GreenFlux. Reach out to Kris to open dialogue toward future collaboration!

Kris Borger, project manager, manages innovation and subsidy projects at GreenFlux. Reach out to Kris to open dialogue toward future collaboration!