Cost-reduction of EV fast-charging station to enable large-scale electrification of mobility

Road traffic is responsible for 21% of total EU greenhouse gas emissions and is the main cause of air pollution in urban areas. There is an urgent need to decarbonize transport. The EU aims to ban the sale of new vehicles with an internal combustion engine from 2035 onward. The emerging alternative is battery electric vehicles (EVs). The widespread adoption of EVs requires large investments in charging infrastructure. The electricity consumption of charging EVs puts great pressure on the electric grid. To manage the load in the grid and ensure that peak demand can continue to be met, battery storage may be added to fast-charging stations. Increasing the amount of battery buffers furthermore facilitates the integration of electricity from intermittent renewable sources like wind and sun, leading to faster decarbonization on the electricity supply side. Battery buffers, however, come at a cost. The required power conversions result in losses that increase with the rise in power. Furthermore, there are several key components in fast-charging infrastructure that, through inefficiencies or high price levels, have a high impact on the costs of this equipment. This project sets out to create a doctoral network in which academia and leading actors in the e-mobility sphere co-operate to facilitate nine early-stage researchers to study power electronics, battery storage, cooling, and materials technologies. The goal is to reduce the costs of battery-buffered fast-charging stations by 20% through innovations in system architectures, key components, and multifunctional services. This will assist in managing the load of the grid, e.g. through control mechanisms or vehicle to grid services, and provide a cost-effective way for the large-scale electrification of the mobility sector. The project brings together the entire value chain of fast-charging equipment, enabling the early-stage researchers to access to state of the art equipment and lab facilities to perform their research.