It is Watt Your Wall Has Been Waiting for

Press release from General Electric.  Not a report about renewable energy or energy efficiency, strictly speaking, but still of possible interest.

18 September 2012

It is Watt Your Wall Has Been Waiting for

 

GE Launches the Stylish, Smart and Simple Wattstation Wall Mounted Electric Vehicle Chargers in Europe

MUNICH, GERMANY —September 18, 2012 —GE (NYSE: GE) has launched the wall-mounted version of its WattStation electric vehicle (EV) charger in Europe.

Unveiled at GE’s Global Research Centre, located in the Technical University in Munich, Germany, the GE WattStation Wall might look like a work of modern art. But the stylish device makes owning and using electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles an easier and more attractive proposition. There is even an app for it.

The GE WattStation Wall is compatible with all the main types of European EV charging connections and is suitable for use in private and public locations. The compact unit can be easily installed indoors or outdoors, and its robust construction will resist rain, sleet and even ice. A flexible cord conveniently wraps around the unit to keep it organized and off the ground. To prevent unauthorised use, the WattStation Wall charger can be switched on and off from a separate switch.

The energy management capability of the WattStation Wall allows for several chargers to be connected to an existing power supply, enabling the easy installation of multiple charging points in parking lots and fleet depots. It also can be connected to existing energy management systems and is compatible with smart grid technology allowing users to take advantage of cheaper tariffs and to avoid unnecessary vehicle charging over peak demand periods.

The WattStation Wall is an appealing option when charging points are to be located in public areas or alongside distinctive architecture; the sleek design can be customized to match existing decors or to incorporate customers’ corporate or favourite colours.

Getting Connected
WattStation Network, a networked version of the charger, which will be available early in 2013, will work with the WattStation Connect online service. It will meet the needs of car park operators, fleet managers and municipalities that require greater control of energy usage or the smart functionality necessary to collect payments and monitor usage.

User identification and online payment options will allow chargers to be made available to all EV drivers or restricted to authorised users only. Fleet managers also will be able to rebill users.

A WattStation smart phone app enables users to manage vehicle charging remotely and to obtain energy use information. The smart technology has been designed to accept future upgrades.

Charles Elazar, marketing director with GE Energy Management’s Industrial Solutions business in Europe, Middle East and Africa says: “Customers are now looking at electric vehicles from an economic rather than an environmental perspective. The new wave of hybrid vehicles is creating interest, and we also are seeing a niche develop with organisations purchasing complete ‘EV eco-systems,’ packages of vehicles and charging infrastructure to meet specific transport needs.”

The GE WattStation Wall meets these customers’ needs with its combination of smart functionality and “plug-and-play” simplicity.

Along with a range of chargers that includes the GE DuraStation, WattStation Wall and WattStation Connect, GE provides the full range of electrical systems and smart grid technology necessary to develop and manage a complete electric vehicle infrastructure. Through its Capital and Fleet Services businesses, GE also is able to provide the financing, vehicles and fleet management knowhow to support the widespread adoption of EV technology.

GE is a keen supporter of EVs. In 2010, the company announced plans to purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015 for use as company cars and to lease to corporate customers through its Fleet Services business. At the time GE's Chief Executive Officer Jeff Immelt said he hoped the purchase would "move electric vehicles from anticipation to action.”

More information about the GE WattStation Wall is available at:www.gepowercontrols.com/ev.

For trade sales enquires contact Joerg Platzer at GE Energyjoerg.platzer@ge.com.

Notes

1. The GE WattStation Wall measures 60 cm tall by 40 cm wide and 15 cm deep.
2. The Watt Station Wall is supports type 1 plugs; type 2 plugs, type 2 sockets and type 3 sockets, the most commonly used EV charging connections in Europe, USA and Japan.
3. GE WattStation Wall complies with IEC 62196-1 and IEC 62196-2 standards.

About GE
GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

Follow GE’s Industrial Solutions business on Twitter @GEindustrial.

GE, Ford, University of Michigan Working to Extend Battery Life for EVs

Not truly a report about Renewable Energy, but still of possible interest.  From General Electric:

03 August 2012

GE, Ford, University of Michigan Working to Extend Battery Life for EVs

 

Focus of ARPA-E project to develop a smart, miniaturized sensing system that predicts battery behavior and enables a smarter battery management system to extend its life
Using sensing data and analytics to extend car battery life illustrates future benefits of product development in the “Industrial Internet”

NISKAYUNA, N.Y., August 3, 2012 – In what could propel electric vehicles (EVs) miles down the road toward commercial viability, GE researchers, in partnership with Ford Motor Company and the University of Michigan, will develop a smart, miniaturized sensing system that has the potential to significantly extend the life of car batteries over conventional battery systems used in electric vehicles today.

“The car battery remains the greatest barrier and most promising opportunity to bringing EVs mainstream.” said Aaron Knobloch, principal investigator and mechanical engineer at GE Global Research. “Improvements in the range, cost and life of the battery will all be needed for EVs to be competitive. With better sensors and new battery analytics, we think we can make substantial progress at increasing battery life. This, in turn, could help bring down its overall cost and the cost entitlement of buying an electric car.”

To improve the life and reduce the lifecycle cost of EV batteries, GE will combine a novel ultrathin battery sensor system with sophisticated modeling of cell behavior to control and optimize battery management systems. Today’s sensors on EVs and plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) measure the health of the battery by looking at factors such as its temperature, voltage, and current. However, these measurements provide a limited understanding of a battery’s operation and health. The goal of the ARPA-E project will be to develop small, cost effective sensors with new measurement capabilities. Due to their small size, these sensors will be placed in areas of the battery where existing sensor technologies cannot be currently located. The combination of small size and ability to measure new quantities will enable a much better understanding of battery performance and life.

A group of scientists from the University of Michigan, led by Anna Stefanopoulou, a professor of mechanical engineering, will use the data generated by GE sensors to verify advanced battery models. They will ultimately create schemes that use instantaneous sensor data to predict future battery-cell and battery-pack behavior.

“Ensuring a battery’s health over many cycles requires taking frequent snapshots of its condition as it ages. Control systems on cars have to be able to use this vast amount of data quickly and efficiently. Information provided by advanced sensors will allow us to create and verify finely resolved physical models to underpin battery management schemes,” said Charles Monroe, a chemical engineering professor on the University of Michigan team. He added, “The big challenge is to make battery management programs adapt and work fast.”

The use of sensors in conjunction with real-time models will enable novel algorithms that optimize how the battery system is managed to extend its life. To demonstrate the capabilities of the sensor system and analytics, Ford will integrate them into one of their vehicles for validation.

Tony Philips, Senior Technical Leader, Vehicle Controls, Research and Engineering, Ford Motor Company, said. "This collaboration brings together a diverse set of experts on sensor technology, controls and modeling, and automotive engineering to innovate on some of the most critical elements of battery technology. Ultimately, through this collaboration we anticipate being able to deliver more cost effective and durable battery system solutions to our customers."

The goal of this 3-year / $3.1 million program is to demonstrate a working sensing system in an actual electric vehicle.

The creation of this smart sensing platform illustrates the great potential of product development in the age of the Industrial Internet. Every piece of industrial equipment, including batteries, generates volumes of data about its condition and operation. With the power of analytics, this data can be used to create more intelligent devices and systems that lead to improved performance for the customer.

In November 2011, GE announced an aggressive expansion of its software programs to harness big data and take industrial product development to the next level. The company has opened a global software headquarters in San Ramon, California, which will employ 400 new software professionals to support these efforts across GE’s business portfolio.

About GE Global Research

GE Global Research is the hub of technology development for all of GE's businesses. Our scientists and engineers redefine what’s possible, drive growth for our businesses and find answers to some of the world’s toughest problems.

We innovate 24 hours a day, with sites in Niskayuna, New York; San Ramon, California; Bangalore, India; Shanghai, China; Munich, Germany; and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Visit GE Global Research on the web atwww.ge.com/research. Connect with our technologists athttp://edisonsdesk.com and http://twitter.com/edisonsdesk.

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Electric Vehicles Come to Hawaii

Blog post from U.S. Dept. of Energy:

Hawaii Energy Program Brings Electric Vehicles to the Big Island

January 31, 2012 

Last July, Governor Neil Abercrombie unveiled the first public charging station installed in the state capitol’s underground parking garage with the "Hawaii EV Ready" program. In 2011, rebates were approved for 237 electric vehicles and 168 chargers. | Photo courtesy of the Office of the Governor.

By 2030, the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative will:

• Generate 40 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy sources.
• Implement energy efficiency measures to cut energy demand by 30 percent.

Hawaii is the most oil dependent state in the nation with more than 95 percent of its energy supplied by imported fossil fuels. Gas and electricity prices are also far above the national average. To increase its energy independence, Hawaii is revving up its state electric vehicle program, “EV Ready,” thanks to $4.5 million in funding from the Energy Department’s State Energy Program and the Recovery Act.

As part of the program administered by Hawaii’s Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT), residents and businesses can apply for rebates and grants to purchase electric vehicles and construct charging stations. In 2011, rebates were approved for 237 electric vehicles and 168 chargers.  

Last July, Governor Neil Abercrombie unveiled the first public charging station installed in the state capitol’s underground parking garage. Since then, five additional charging stations have been installed at state-owned buildings in Honolulu, and another eight chargers at the motor pool for the state's new fleet of electric vehicles.

The state awarded another $2.6 million in Recovery Act funds to six organizations charged with promoting, installing and deploying charging stations and electric vehicles across the state. Those organizations so far have installed 220 charging stations at 120 sites, introduced 18 EVs to public and private fleets, promoted the benefits of EVs to the hospitality industry and developed the "Hawaii EV Ready Guidebook."

Transportation fuel accounts for 30 percent of liquid fuel consumption in the state, or 75 million gallons per year. Measures associated with the EV Ready program aim to reduce Hawaii’s ground transportation fuel use by 70 percent by 2030.

The EV Ready program aligns with the goals of the broader Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative (HCEI), a public-private partnership between Hawaii, the Energy Department and other governmental and private groups. The initiative intends to generate 40 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable energy sources by 2030, and implement energy efficiency measures to cut energy demand by 30 percent.

EV Technology Accelerates in Colorado

From U.S. Dept. of Energy blog:

EV Technology Accelerates in Colorado

January 13, 2012 

  

Arun Majumdar speaks at Idaho National Lab (INL) during a visit to the site earlier this week. | Photo courtesy of INL.

April Saylor

New Media Specialist, Office of Public Affairs

What does this mean for me?

• One of 48 advanced battery and electric drive projects across the country funded by Recovery Act.
• U.S. will have increased capacity to produce electric-drive vehicles batteries from virtually zero in 2008 up to 500,000 per year in 2015.

While the North American International Auto Show began this week in Detroit, ARPA-E Director Arun Majumadar is visiting another town on the cutting edge of vehicle R&D – Longmont, Colorado, home of UQM Technologies.

Beginning with their first all-composite, battery-electric passenger vehicle in the 1970s, the company has been in the electrification business for 35 years, and is no stranger to the benefits of government-industry partnerships.

Over the years, both the Energy Department and the federal government at large have successfully collaborated with UQM – which has received Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards from the Defense Department as far back as 1983 and received SBIR funding from Energy for eight different projects in electric motors and machines. In 2006, UQM received funding from EERE’s Vehicle Technologies Program via the FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership to design an advanced permanent magnet motor for use in electric drive vehicles.

In 2009, following the success of the FreedomCAR project, UQM was awarded $45 million in Recovery Act funding to support the development of two types of Electric Vehicle (EV) systems: a propulsion/generator system for battery electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid passenger vehicles, and power assist motor/generators for parallel hybrid trucks and buses. As a result of this funding, UQM was able to build the Longmont, CO facility that Dr. Majumdar is visiting today. This site alone has the capacity to produce systems for 120,000 electric drive vehicles a year.

In keeping with emerging EV technologies, last year the Vehicles Technology Program also awarded $3 million to UQM to develop a non-rare-earth permanent magnet motor architecture, which will enable the use of low energy magnet technology. Engineering teams at several national labs will work with UQM’s engineers to develop the technology, which will support more affordable and efficient EV technologies and eliminate the need to utilize rare earth metals in these advanced engines.

It’s partnerships like this that are powering the commercialization of emerging EV technology. In fact, UQM’s recent agreement with Electric Vehicles International (EVI) and UPS to produce systems for 100 all-electric delivery vans is not only a great business success, but will be the largest deployment of a zero-tailpipe delivery fleet in California. As a National Clean Fleets Partner, UPS is a leader in reducing oil use in their fleet, and estimates that the use of these vehicles will displace 126,000 gallons of fuel a year that would have been burned running diesel trucks.

Partnerships like these across the private and public sectors are the kind of investments that are helping America win the clean energy race. Including UQM, the Recovery Act provided $2.4 billion in funding to 48 advanced battery and electric drive projects across the country, funding 30 new manufacturing plants like the one Dr. Majumdar is visiting today. Because of these investments, the U.S. will have increased our capacity to produce electric-drive vehicles batteries from virtually zero in 2008 up to 500,000 per year in 2015.