Seven companies based in Switzerland have joined forces to test the installation of bidirectional charging for electric vehicles. The instigators wish to explore the future of this technology and its integration in our country.
Under the banner of “V2X Suisse”, the seven partners hope to answer many questions about the infrastructure required by the use of electric vehicles. The boom in this kind of drive calls for new solutions to charging as well as the supply and consideration of consumption peaks in the network.
Strength in unity
Overseen by the Federal Office of Energy, the V2X Suisse project brings together seven companies working on energy management, charging technology and mobility. The combination of these various skills will save precious time in setting up the project as well as knowledge building and making use of the results. The V2X Suisse project also aims to specify clearly the regulatory, structural and technical frameworks for bidirectional charging, with a view to large-scale commercial use.
In practical terms, Mobility, the car-sharing service provider, which intends to convert its 3000-strong fleet into electric vehicles by 2030, will use the test vehicles. Honda, through its Honda Motor Europe subsidiary in Satigny-Genève, will provide test Honda e vehicles. It is the only model on the market in Europe which offers as standard a charging/discharging functionality adapted to the European CCS system. EVTEC will build bidirectional charging points, Sun2Wheel is designing the software, while Tiko Energy, Novatlantis and ETH are responsible for distribution, strategy and network implementation.
Launching in September 2022
The preparatory stage will end in September 2022, with the installation of bidirectional charging points at around forty Mobility sites throughout Switzerland. EVTEC will provide two types of points: 10 kW DC, already offered by the Honda e, and a new variation 2x 10 kW CCS which will be able to achieve up to 20 kW of power if a single socket is used. Each point will be fitted with a digital controller to manage the network. Using Sun2wheel’s software, every 15 minutes Tiko Energy will be able to adjust the power provided by the connected cars.
The project will end at the end of 2023. In the meantime, the seven V2X Switzerland partners will assess the contribution bidirectional charging makes to stabilising the network, the commercial potential of bidirectional vehicles in Switzerland as well as the competition between potential flexible purchasers (Swissgrid, network managers and distributors). According to Mobility, the extrapolated connected load of its entire fleet of electric vehicles could eventually reach 60 megawatts.
Mobility/Honda/GIMS/JM
