European project moves road transport towards electric power

In recent years there have been significant developments in electromobility in the passenger car and commercial vehicle sectors, but electric propulsion of road vehicles is still far from commonplace. A step change is required in order to reduce the dependence of road transport on fossil fuels, to improve air quality and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A key factor preventing many car owners and fleet operators from switching to electric vehicles is the limited range of vehicles and the lack of interoperability of recharging facilities (including access and payment). This particularly works against the adoption of electric vehicles for intensive or long distance use.

The NeMo – Hyper Network for electro-Mobility – European project directly addresses these issues and supports European and national policies in favour of clean fuels in the transport sector, including the EU’s Clean Power directive which embodies also the deployment of “alternative fuels infrastructure”, including infrastructure to recharge or otherwise assist Electric Vehicles (EVs).

Specifically, NeMo brings together 19 partners from eight European countries, to build a large network of tools, models and services to provide seamless interoperability of electromobility services among all relevant actors. This network will focus on the following aspects:

• Energy management, acting as a catalyst across the entire energy management cycle of electro-mobility, including battery and smart grid recharging management.

• Security & availability, aiming to facilitate increased service availability and planning for electric charging, supported by a secure smart grid operation.

• Reducing barriers by making backend data and services accessible to the right actors and bringing down digital and physical barriers.

To this end, the project will develop a distributed environment with open architecture based on standardised interfaces. Actors in the electromobility sector will be able to connect and interact seamlessly, in order to exchange data and to provide improved ICT services via an open virtual Cloud Marketplace. The relevant actors involved are:

• Physical elements: Charge points; Power grid; Electric vehicles;

• Digitally linked organisations or individuals: Vehicle owners and operators; Charge point operators, Road infrastructure operators; Public authorities; Electrical distribution system operators; Service providers.